CowBoyWay
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The vomeronasal organ (VNO),
also known as the Jacobson's organ,
is a parallel olfactory system well developed in many vertebrates, such as snakes.
This vomeronasal organ in particular, detects semi-volatile chemicals in the environment.
Through various studies, it has been found that this organ aids primarly in prey detection (particularly during the search phase of prey detection) and it is also important for recognizing potential predators.
So how exactly does this vomeronasal organ function in olfaction?
The characteristic tongue-flick of a snake conveys molecular traces of prey from the ground to the VNO in its palate and enables the snake to follow a trail... the snake flickers in the air testing for scents.
The more exciting the smell, the more often the tongue flickers.
These scent molecules are pressed up to a special organ, the Jacobson's organ, in the roof of the mouth and this is essentially how the snake "smells".
The specialized development and use of the VNO in prey detection makes up for the lack of keen sight and sensitive hearing in the snake.
This vomeronasal (Jacobson's) organ works in conjunction with and in addition to the nostrils and the olfactory part of the brain.
It consists of a pair of sacs lined with sensory cells situated in the front of the palate.
The sacs open to the roof of the mouth by a pair of narrow ducts and their inner ends are connected to a seperate branch of olfactory nerves.
The tongue picks up scents in the form of volotile molecules that are then drawn into the mouth...
The twin tips of the forked tongue are inserted into the opening ducts of the Jacobson's organ, the molecules are identified, and the information is passed on to the brain.
http://instruct1.cit.cornell.eu/courses/bionb424/students/jlk35/behavior.html
also known as the Jacobson's organ,
is a parallel olfactory system well developed in many vertebrates, such as snakes.
This vomeronasal organ in particular, detects semi-volatile chemicals in the environment.
Through various studies, it has been found that this organ aids primarly in prey detection (particularly during the search phase of prey detection) and it is also important for recognizing potential predators.
So how exactly does this vomeronasal organ function in olfaction?
The characteristic tongue-flick of a snake conveys molecular traces of prey from the ground to the VNO in its palate and enables the snake to follow a trail... the snake flickers in the air testing for scents.
The more exciting the smell, the more often the tongue flickers.
These scent molecules are pressed up to a special organ, the Jacobson's organ, in the roof of the mouth and this is essentially how the snake "smells".
The specialized development and use of the VNO in prey detection makes up for the lack of keen sight and sensitive hearing in the snake.
This vomeronasal (Jacobson's) organ works in conjunction with and in addition to the nostrils and the olfactory part of the brain.
It consists of a pair of sacs lined with sensory cells situated in the front of the palate.
The sacs open to the roof of the mouth by a pair of narrow ducts and their inner ends are connected to a seperate branch of olfactory nerves.
The tongue picks up scents in the form of volotile molecules that are then drawn into the mouth...
The twin tips of the forked tongue are inserted into the opening ducts of the Jacobson's organ, the molecules are identified, and the information is passed on to the brain.
http://instruct1.cit.cornell.eu/courses/bionb424/students/jlk35/behavior.html
