How Long Can Snakes Stay Underwater? 9 Things To Know
Can snakes hold their breath while swimming? Or can snakes breathe while they are in water? People often say that snakes can swim well. Is this true? Can you give your snake pets a pool party?
How long a snake can go without breathing depends on a number of things. Snakes that are used to living in the water can hold their breath for 15 to 30 minutes. Snakes that mostly live on land can still hold their breath, but not as long as their relatives that live in water.
Can the snakes we keep as pets also breathe under water? Could they possibly drown in their water bowls? There’s a lot to say, so keep reading!
How Long Can Snakes Hold Their Breath Underwater?
| Common Snakes | Length of Time Underwater |
| Ball Pythons | 15-20 minutes |
| Garter Snakes | 15-20 minutes |
| Rat Snakes | 7-10 minutes |
| Rosy Boas | 3-7 minutes |
| Bull Snakes | 10-15 minutes |
| Anacondas | 8-10 minutes |
| Water Mocassin Snakes | 13-30 minutes |
| King Cobras | 15-20 minutes |
| Water Snakes | 14 minutes – 8 hours |
| Pit Vipers | 5-10 minutes |
Most research on how long snakes can stay underwater and still breathe is done on sea snakes. These snakes were perfectly suited to living in water.
Because of this, they spend most of their time in or under the water. But, as we’ve already talked about, they just hold their breath underwater and rise to get more air.
Some sea snakes can stay underwater for up to eight hours and 30 minutes without taking a breath.
It’s important to know that these snakes breathe through their skin, which allows them to stay underwater for longer periods of time. This process is called cutaneous respiration.
On the other hand, anacondas that live in water do not breathe through their skin by default. They can’t stay underwater as long as sea snakes because of this.
According to the results of this study, snakes have evolved enough to be able to live in water.
Scientists looked at whether aquatic, semi-aquatic, land-dwelling, and marine snakes could get used to living near water.
Even though snakes have different body shapes and hematocrit levels, almost all of them will push their bodies to swim or go underwater, and they can all hold their breath for different amounts of time. This is a very interesting result.
A land snake that could only hold its breath underwater for five minutes can eventually hold it for 15 minutes if it has to live near water. Isn’t it amazing?
How Do Snakes Hold Their Breath Underwater?
Some people may find it hard to believe that snakes can hold their breath underwater, especially since they don’t have a diaphragm or, more importantly, gills.
Either their noses or their glottis are used to take in air. Behind their tongue, there is a small hole. Air will go straight from this little pocket to their windpipe and lungs.
Most snakes only have one lung, and the other one is either not there, is too small, or can’t be used. There’s no reason to worry because this happens all the time. Since they don’t have a diaphragm, which helps them breathe, they just tighten their muscles to get rid of air.
Before diving into the water, snakes take in a lot of air from the surface. This helps them stay afloat.
When that air runs out, they have to go back up to get more before they can dive again.
How Do Snakes Breathe When Eating?
When you learn more about how snakes eat, you’ll learn that they open their jaws wide around big prey.
When they do, the prey sometimes blocks their airways all the way or almost all the way.
These things have noses and can breathe through them, but when they eat, they don’t get enough oxygen.
During feeding, the tracheal lung helps the snake breathe.
When a snake eats, the opening to its tracheal lung opens up and moves to the side of its mouth. This makes a path to its lungs.
If you have a snake and have watched it eat closely, you may have seen a hole or tube on the side of its mouth.
This is the glottis, which is a small opening to the tracheal lung.
Because they can change the way their organs that help them breathe work, they can breathe even if something is in the way.
Snakes make hissing sounds with their glottis.
Inside the glottis, there is a small piece of cartilage.
When a snake breathes out hard, the cartilage vibrates, making the hissing sound that everyone knows snakes for.
Factors Affecting Snakes Ability to Stay Underwater
People often believe that snakes will drown if they stay underwater for too long.
Snakes are actually very good swimmers and can hold their breath for long periods of time.
How long a snake can stay underwater depends on many things, such as the temperature of the water, the snake’s size, and the way it breathes.
The temperature of the water is one thing that affects how long a snake can stay under water.
Snakes have cold blood, so they have to rely on their environment to keep them at the right temperature.
This is because cold-blooded animals have a slower metabolic rate, which means they don’t need as much oxygen.
The size of the snake is another thing that affects how long it can stay under water.
Since smaller snakes have more surface area compared to their size, they lose heat faster than larger snakes.
So, to keep their body temperature stable, smaller snakes have to come up for air more often.
The size of a snake also affects how long it can stay under water.
Smaller snakes have more surface area compared to their size, so they lose heat faster than larger snakes. So, smaller snakes have to come out more often to keep their body temperature from dropping too low and killing them.
How long a snake can stay underwater is also affected by how it breathes.
Snakes with well-developed lungs, like garter snakes, can stay submerged for longer periods of time than snakes with “vestigial” lungs, like sea snakes.
This is because having well-developed lungs makes it easier to exchange oxygen while underwater.
Can Snakes Drown?
Snakes really can drown. You can breathe a sigh of relief, though, because snakes don’t drown even though they can’t swim. In fact, all snakes are very good swimmers.
Some snakes like to go completely under the water, but others, like the water moccasin snake, like to float on the water with their heads sticking out.
Snakes drown when other things are present. For example, something underwater is keeping a snake from climbing to the surface to get more oxygen.
If a snake gets hurt underwater and can’t get to the surface in time because of it, it could drown. All of these things have to do with wild snakes, of course.
What about snakes in zoos? Can a snake drown by itself?
Snakes that are kept as pets can drown in the following ways:
- The snake was tired and dehydrated, so it laid down in the water bowl. It is so tired that its head has fallen below the surface of the water, and it can’t lift it back up.
- A snake that its owner “hand-soaked.” But the snake couldn’t swim in the water, and its body couldn’t rest on the bottom of the container. So, the snake is forced to swim in circles until it is caught.
- A snake was wet, but its owner forgot to give it something to hold on to, like a hide or a rock.
- hen a scared snake rolls over to look like it’s dead, but its head is still in the water.
- If a snake doesn’t know it has a breathing problem that keeps its lungs and windpipe from working right, the snake can drown if it gets into water.
Respiratory Infections In Snakes
Knowing how and how often a snake breathes will help you, as the owner, figure out if there is something wrong with its health.
Snakes often get respiratory illnesses, which is sad.
If a snake is only breathing through its mouth, it may have an infection in its lungs. It’s important to know how your snake breathes when it’s healthy, calm, and at ease.
This will help you figure out if there is a problem or not. Listen for whistling, crackling, or deeper, stronger breathing.
There is also a lot of mucus coming from the mouth or nose. Snakes often get respiratory infections, but this is usually because their enclosure is too cold.
When it is too cold, it is hard for the snake to fight off microorganisms that cause diseases in the lungs.
Antibiotics are used to treat respiratory infections, so if you think your snake has one, take it to the vet as soon as possible. The vet will find out where the infection came from and figure out how to treat it.
How Long Can Pythons Stay Underwater?
People usually think that pythons can’t hold their breath for long periods of time, but they are actually pretty good at it.
They can stay under water for up to twenty minutes at a time.
This helps them catch their prey because they can wait patiently underwater for a victim who doesn’t see them.
Even though they can’t stay underwater for a long time, ball pythons are much smarter than most people think.
How Long Can Sea Snakes Stay Underwater?
One reason sea snakes can stay underwater for so long is that they have a special way of breathing that lets them get oxygen from the water.
It is called “buccal pumping” when the snake opens its mouth and widens its throat.
This lowers the pressure, which lets water flow into the mouth and over the gills.
After that, the gills take oxygen from the water and send it to the bloodstream.
Some types of sea snakes have a dense network of small blood veins just under the skin of their heads.
These blood vessels help the body get oxygen from the water and send it to other parts.
This process, called “cutaneous respiration,” lets sea snakes stay underwater for up to two hours at a time.
The slow rate of their metabolism is another reason why sea snakes can hold their breath for long periods of time.
This means that they don’t need as much oxygen as other animals do, so they can go longer without taking a breath.
Also, sea snakes often spend a lot of their time resting in the water, which helps them save even more oxygen.
What Is the Longest a Snake Has Been Underwater?
People have seen sea snakes stay under water for up to two hours at a time.
So, there is no clear answer to the question of how long a snake can stay underwater, but it seems likely that they can hold their breath for a long time.
Common Myths About Snake and Water
The idea that snakes are afraid of water is one of the most common myths about them.
This is not the case at all.
In fact, many snakes feel comfortable in water and will go there on their own to spend time.
People often think that snakes can’t swim, which is not true.
This, too, is not true.
Some snake species are better at swimming than others, but all snakes can use their bodies and tails to move through water.
The last myth we’ll bust is that snakes will drown if they stay under water for too long.
This isn’t true, because snakes have a way to get oxygen from water with their mouths.
So, even if a snake is submerged in water for a long time, it won’t drown.
If you see a snake swimming in a river or pond, don’t be scared. It’s just cooling off!
Final Thoughts
Snakes show that changes in the environment and physical problems do not stop evolution from adapting.
Snakes can all swim, but there are differences in how they swim and how long they can hold their breath underwater.
Even so, snakes find a way to do well even when the environment makes it hard.
This doesn’t mean you should throw your pet snake a pool party, but it does give you peace of mind knowing that snakes are well-equipped to handle water problems on their own.
I have been working in animal shelter for the past six years and I have been raising the puppies of different breeds. I have had experience in training the puppies in obedience, agility, and other dog sports.
My main objective is to train the puppies to become good family pets. They should be well-behaved and trained to be loving, loyal, and obedient.
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