14 DAY TRIAL // Snakes are notorious for being able to hear even though they lack an external ear. Scientists have been puzzled at how that is possible for quite some time, and recently they were able to figure out that the reptiles' heads vibrate.
The inner ear picks up these vibrations, and turns them into sound sensations. This seems to be a roundabout way of giving a lifeform the ability to hear, if you're Nature.
However, there are surely some benefits to this design. These findings are not the end of the story when it comes to understanding how these creatures hear.
Investigators suspect that specialized sensing organs in their bodies enable them to sense vibrations from the ground as well, and even through their skin.
Still, the new study provides the first scientific evidence that a combination of vibrations and sounds produces a large enough response in snakes' head bones to elicit a nervous response, ScienceNow reports.