How Snakes Help Each Other Cope with Stress 0 4

Stress in snakes can be assessed by heart rate: their hearts, like those of humans, begin to beat faster during moments of anxiety. Researchers from Loma Linda University describe an experiment with rattlesnakes Crotalus helleri in the journal Frontiers in Ethology: sensors were placed on the snakes to record their heart rhythm, and they were placed in spacious dark buckets. The snakes were housed either alone or in pairs; those that were alone were given a thick rope as a substitute for a live neighbor.

For twenty minutes, the snakes adapted to the new environment, after which sticks were tapped against their shelter. This caused anxiety in the snakes, which was evident from the cardiogram. When the tapping stopped, they continued to feel anxious, but those that were in pairs calmed down significantly faster than the solitary ones. Thus, the presence of a conspecific helped rattlesnakes cope with stress more quickly.

This type of social interaction may seem unusual for snakes. However, rattlesnakes are considered cryptosocial: they can distinguish between relatives and non-relatives, and under certain conditions, they form social bonds. For example, in some populations, they hibernate in large groups, and pregnant females often gather together and stay close to their offspring. Although they cannot be called fully social, they still gain certain psychological benefits from interacting with each other.