Would it makes sense for an intelligent race originated from snakes to possess the ability of hearing?

I want to explore the possibilities of an alien species not much unlike that of known to Earth: snakes going through evolution in a way that made them able to reach the intelligence necessary to use tools and form civilizations.

With arms and legs, of course, which implies that this species may have similarities with lizards and other reptiloid races, as well.

This assumption implies a lot of serious changes, e.g. in diet (exclusively omnivore snakes vs exclusively herbivore lizards), but right now, I have a specific question about perception.

I'm not a biologist, so I may be wrong, but I heard a theory that snakes are deaf, or at least they can't hear the way we do. It isn't an option for my species, though: I need them to be able to speak, and that is pointless without hearing.

Is it feasible to assume that during evolution, my snake-like species gained not only proper limbs, but also the ability to hear (and speak)? Would it mean any additional specific biological changes? (e.g. there would be no need to use their tongue the way "original" snakes do)

posted almost 8 years ago

Zoltán Schmidt‭

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