From slither to hither: Orientation and spatial learning in snakes

Abstract

Spatial learning is necessary for most animals to survive in their natural environment. Spatial problems encountered by animals in nature are relatively constant across species, such as going to and from shelter or a food source. Most studies of orientation and spatial learning have been done in birds and mammals, but reptiles are particularly interesting because they have strong links between ecological factors, sensory processes, and behavior. Field studies suggest strongly that snakes can learn and remember spatial tasks encountered in the wild, including orientation, homing, and the localization of mates, shelter and foraging areas. Several sensory cues have been hypothesized to be used by snakes for orientation and navigation, with few direct tests of these hypotheses. A spatial learning and memory task has been developed that is relevant behaviorally to snakes and that they can learn rapidly. This open field escape task uses the natural behavior of snakes to address mechanistic hypotheses about their spatial learning and memory.