INSIDE A SNAKE’S HEAD

What makes snakes such powerful predators?

1 EYELIDS

Snakes share the same eye anatomy as other reptiles, but they don’t have any eyelids. Their eyes are protected by a thin membrane called a spectacle.

2 FORKED TONGUE

A snake’s tongue is forked so that each tip fits into a hole in the bulb-like vomeronasal organ, where scent receptors are located.

3 TASTE BUDS

Snakes don’t have typical taste buds on their tongues like humans, instead drawing in scent particles to their olfactory organ.

4 NO VOICE

Snakes don’t use vocalisations to communicate and therefore don’t require a keen sense of hearing.

5 EAR

With only a middle ear bone, snakes can detect limited sounds. The middle ear is predominantly used to detect vibrations emanating from the ground.

6 PIT ORGANS

These infrareddetecting organs can spot the heat signatures of other animals from up to a metre away.

7 LENS

Snakes have one of two eye lenses: one that blocks out UV light and another that lets it into the eye for a nighttime visual advantage.