Do snakes blink?

Richmond snake

Snakes do not blink. This is because they don’t actually have eyelids. They do have a protective covering over their eyes, to stop them from being scratched or damaged as they are slithering around on the floor. Despite this, they don’t have the same eye protection that we see on other animals, including humans — eyelids.

The covering of a snake eye is called either spectacles or brilles, and these are fine coverings that sit on a bed of fluid, much like humans have tears and moisture to lubricate their eyes. These coverings are attached to the rest of the body and will shed off with the rest of the skin when it is time for the snake to bear new skin. That’s why they appear milky and white right before this happens. The protective covering of the eye is getting rid to shed also.

Snakes do sleep, but because they can’t close those non-existent eyelids they have, they sleep with their eyes open. You can’t tell just by looking at the animal whether or not it is asleep or awake. Obviously, the snake will not move all the time it is in a state of sleep, but snakes can become docile, sluggish, and appear sleepy for a number of reasons, including after feeding, before shedding, and also when they're just lying back to relax and chill out. Go back to the home page: Snakes of Richmond