Answer
Gated channels are triggered by neurotransmitters released when the snake senses that it is in danger, which sends a cascading signal down the head-to-tail nerve. The head-to-tail nerve then signals the nerves controlling muscle function in the tail tip to begin vibrating through another set of gated ion channels.
Work Step by Step
The original set of gated channels responding to neurotransmitters are ligand-gated ion channels. The tail tip nerves are stimulated via voltage-gated ion channels responding to the voltage change sparked by the head-to-tail nerve.
