Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is a tricky question but:

If my snake is in his cage, and can't smell me, but he can see me, does he think I am there or not? Which is the overrideing sense, smell or sight. I know snakes have a much more keen smell, but if he can see me in plain view, but still can't smell me, what would he think?

thanks in advance, Jack

.
-----
Check Out My Albums

1.0 Ball Python "Aragorn"
1.0 Bredl's Carpet Python "Strider"
1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa "Gimli"
1.0 Saharan Sand Boa "Frodo"
0.1 Rough-Scale Sand Boa "Arwen"
1.0 San Felipe Rosy Boa "Legalos"
0.1 California Kingsnake "Gentoo"
1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Indigo"
1.0 Snow Corn snake "Chile"
0.1 Okeetee Corn snake "Amazon"
1.0 Crested Gecko "Willow"
0.0.1 Irian Jaya BlueTongued Skink
0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer "Kira"

just curious how he could see you and not smell you. if you're within eyesight i'm sure he could smell you. I think the senses also depend on the species. racers would obviously use sight over smell, but other species, mabye dekays for example, would use smell. depends on the prey and niche of the species. i'm no expert though.

Yeah, that makes sense. I'm talking about childrens pythons.

I guess he can smell me, but he can't use his jacobsons organ, and he can't smell me directly, he'll think it's coming from another place.

But, as an example, snakes at the zoo: They have a big glass front that they can see out of, but there's no air holes at the front, so they can see us, but not smell us, or sense our heat.

I know smell and heat sensing are their two most evolved and sophisticated senses, and that their eye-sight is bad. But if they can see us, not smell or taste us, but still not have any contridictory evidence that we're there, would they consider us there or not, or would they think we were not alive (just a tree swaying in the breeze).

I guess it's pretty unnatrual for them.

If you've got anything else to add, please do.

Jack
-----
1.0 Spotted python (Harry)
0.0.1 Stimsons python (Garry)
coming soon... 0.0.1 Diamond python
2 dogs (tracka and scruffy)
A bunch of fish
8 chooks (they crow early in the morning)