Terry wrote: > I had up to then always figured that instinct > was related to brain activity, but this snake > was a mile from his brain and still functioned > as he was programmed to do. Somebody 'splain > that to me.
Hi Terry. My formal graduate level education is actually with snakes. My Master's thesis concerned foraging in the mangrove water snake. Neural activity in animals is not just in the brain, but also centralized in other areas. In simple animals, there is less distinction of a brain and the neurology actually looks like several brains along the spinal chord. In more complex animals like man, you will find more of a neural center in the head, which we call the brain. Nevertheless, even in man, much of the autonomic functions are not located in the brain, but in the actual spinal column itself. Have you ever heard of the "solar plexus"? Fighters know it as the area just below the rib cage that can cause a man to lose consciousness if hit hard enough. It is a concentration of neural cells that help regulate certain bodily functions. There are other masses of neurons along the spinal column too, most often associated with involuntary activities of the body, such as breathing and heart beat. Snakes don't really have a big brain, so when you cut off their head, their body continues to wreathe and wiggle and perhaps strike. Peace be with you. David Miller, Beverly Hills, Florida. ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
