WHY DO SNAKES HISS?
Snakes hiss primarily as a defense mechanism. Here's why they do it:
1. Warning signal: The hiss is meant to intimidate or scare off potential threats without resorting to a physical confrontation.
2. Territorial behavior: Some snakes may hiss to assert dominance over a space, especially if they feel cornered.
3. No vocal cords needed: Snakes don’t have vocal cords. Instead, they produce the hissing sound by forcibly exhaling air through their glottis, which vibrates a small piece of cartilage to create that distinctive sound.
4. Camouflage enhancer: In some cases, hissing can mimic other sounds in nature (like a predator's growl or a larger animal's presence), adding a psychological layer to their defense.
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| Pine snake |
The pine snake (Pituophis melanoleucus) is known to have one of the loudest and most intense hisses among snakes. It's so powerful that it can sound like a high-pressure release of steam or even mimic the growl of a larger animal.
What makes it interesting is that the pine snake has a special flap of tissue in its glottis that enhances the sound, almost like a reed in a wind instrument. This allows it to amplify and control the pitch of its hiss—pretty sophisticated for a creature without vocal cords!
Other loud hissers include:
Bullsnakes (closely related to pine snakes)
Cobras (they also spread their hoods for extra drama)
Rattlesnakes (hiss along with their rattle for double threat effect)
How do snakes hiss?
Snakes hiss by forcibly exhaling air through their glottis, a small opening in the throat located just behind the tongue. Here's a step-by-step of how it works:
1. Air expelled from lungs: The snake forcefully pushes air out of its single functional lung (most snakes have just one main lung).
2. Glottis involvement: The air passes through the glottis, a slit-like structure in the windpipe.
3. Cartilage vibration: Inside the glottis, there's a small piece of cartilage that can vibrate as air rushes through, much like a reed in a wind instrument. This produces the hissing sound.
4. Mouth often closed: Unlike other animals that might open their mouths wide to vocalise, snakes usually hiss with their mouth closed or just slightly open.
5. Modulation: Some snakes, like the pine snake, can even modulate the sound to make it louder or change pitch, depending on the situation.
It’s all breath and no vocal cords—just clever use of air and anatomy.
