Auditory and Vibratory Responses in the Midbrains of Snakes

Abstract

Airborne sound and substrate vibration each elicit electrical responses below the surface of the tectum in species of three families of snakes. Tones of 50 to 1000 hertz evoke responses independently of substrate vibration. Sensitivity to locally applied sound is present over much of the body surface. This sensitivity is attributed to the auditory nerve, because it is not altered by spinal section but is eliminated by destruction of the inner ear.