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Does a snake have a sense of smell

Many people shudder at snakes for two reasons. Some of them are dangerous and all of them are strange, mysterious creatures. It is true that 36 of our 250 native snakes have poisonous fangs and we should all learn to recognize and avoid them. But the strange mysteries of the snake make him different from all other animals and therefore interesting. We share our world and some of our problems with him, but his ways of coping with life are very different from ours.

We have eyes and ears, taste, touch and smell to bring us information all day long. These are our sense organs, the little gateways through which we keep in contact with the world. The snake, too, has sense organs. They are very different from ours, but they are just right for him.

The glassy eyes of Mr. Snake see close objects very clearly. It does not matter to him that distant objects look blurred because he is not interested in them. His eyelids are clear as glass, but he cannot blink or close them. He sees right through them and does not have to squint to protect his eyes. He seems to have no ears and, we are told, sounds reach him only as vibrations from the solid objects he happens to be touching. This too is all he needs.

Mr. Snake's sense organs are very different from ours and the poor fellow seems to be very handicapped. Not at all. His eyes can see and follow the movements of nearby objects very well. He has two organs with which he can smell his prey and he may have a very special sense organ which tells the temperature of nearby objects. He can tell whether a visitor is warm or cold blooded, how far away he is, and in what direction.

He may use his nostrils to get scents from the air, much as we do. He also gets scents from the long, forked tongue which flicks in and out of his mouth. The roots of his tongue are fixed just inside his lower jaw and there are two little dents near the front of the roof of his mouth. They are lined with sensitive cells which can tell tastes or smells. These dents are called Jacobson’s organ and some experts say that this sense organ may be a sort of mixture of both taste and smell.

When the snake flicks out his darting tongue it gathers fine particles of this and that from the air. When it goes back inside, these particles touch the sensitive Jacobson's organ and the snake learns the smell or taste of various things around. His nose adds to the information and a set of other sensitive cells near his lips tells him exactly where a warm blooded victim is standing.

Some snakes seem to do most or all of their smelling with the tongue and the sensitive Jacobsonis organ in the mouth. Other snakes seem to depend more upon their nostrils and tests show that these fellows can follow a trail with their noses. But most snakes, it is thought, use both tongue and nose and gather separate information from both these organs of smell.

 

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