Do snakes feel pain?

There are many myths that have arisen related to snakes. Where some of these have come from it is not known, but the odd nature of this reptile has made it so that a lot of crazy ideas about the snake have materialized over the years. From ideas that they hypnotize their prey in order to eat them, to the idea that snakes dislocate their jaws so that they can get food into their mouth is all myth that has manifested itself over generations.



One of the more common myths that have developed about snakes is the idea that they do not feel pain. Somewhere along the way it was decided by someone that there was no way that these reptiles could feel any kind of pain. So that may make you wonder – do snakes feel pain?

It is interesting that this myth even developed. It was clearly decided by someone that because of the unusual manner in which reptiles keep warm that texture of the snake’s skin that they must not feel pain. This seems to have been augmented by the fact that a snake will not let out any kind of yelp or gasp when it is in pain. This has helped to brew the stereotype even further.

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The truth is that snakes do feel pain; it is just that they do not feel it in some ways like we do. Consider that if you walked across the hot desert sands when it was 120 degrees out your feet would be burning. This does not happen to a snake. Its scales protect it from the heat and keep it from suffering. That does not mean if the temperatures continue to rise that they would not feel some discomfort.

If you have seen a lot snakes when it is hot out, they simply lay on a rock or other area to get warm. There is not a whole lot of moving around. The sun helps to keep them warm, but it also is a good idea for them to just lay still. They like the place they are at but they don’t wish to move around when it is incredibly hot because they will feel some discomfort as well.

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If you were to stab or shoot a snake it would be in a lot of pain. If you have ever seen a snake that has been hit but has not been killed you can see it writhing around. They clearly feel pain. Read more: Snake Control, Venomous Snakes of Florida, How to Identify Snakes, How to Kill Snakes.