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But maybe even a snake could experience a rudimentary kind of “joy” based in a conditioning - the handler always bringing food, warmth and other attention. Mayb
by jacobush 7y ago
But maybe even a snake could experience a rudimentary kind of “joy” based in a conditioning - the handler always bringing food, warmth and other attention. Maybe it on some very primitive level “appreciates” the thing in it’s environment?
- ufmace 7y agoMaybe? I'm not an animal behavior expert or anything. But I do know that: Reptiles are not social/herding animals Many handlers report that a hungry snake will be happy to eat anything that looks edible, including you, your kid, your dog, etc. Humans do have a tendency to anthropomorphize, or attribute human emotions to things that absolutely cannot feel them, including machines, insects, plants, rocks, etc. Knowing that, I wouldn't trust the assumption that it must feel something. Animals, especially non-mammals, are near-alien in how their behavior may differ from what we're used to. Ignoring the advice of experts on how they actually behave is a good way to get killed.
- jacobush 7y agoAgreed. I didn't mean the snake would feel something akin to affection. And I didn't mean it would hesitate to eat you. I meant if might feel some kind of appreciation of you (the handler) being around because of all past good stimuli. After all, it's not social, but it might have a use for such a feeling in the wild, to learn about good hunting conditions. (This is all so much speculation and I have no great hope snakes might feel anything at all.)