Science Nation: Seeing Heat--The Sensory Systems of Boas, Pythons, and Pit Vipers
The goal of this research is to determine the mechanisms underlying predatory and defensive behavior guided by an extraordinarily novel sensor in snakes. Pit vipers, pythons and boas possess special organs that form images in the brain of the thermal environment, much like vision occurs in the human brain. Thus, these snakes see heat, and this amazing system is the most sensitive infrared detector on Earth, natural or artificial. A better understanding of infrared-based thermal imaging in snakes is important not only for understanding complex behavior in these highly efficient predators, but also for understanding the evolution of imaging sensors and the behaviors they support in other animals including people. Part of the National Science Foundation Series “Science Nation.”
Media Details
Runtime: 2 minutes 37 seconds
- Topic: Science
- Subtopic: Physiology, Reptiles, Science Experiments, Senses
- Grade/Interest Level: 7 - 12
- Standards:
- Release Year: 2009
- Producer/Distributor: National Science Foundation
- Series: Science Nation
- Report a Problem
Related Media
Science Nation: Doppler on Wheels--The Biggest 'Dish' on the Road
Science Nation: Testing the Waters--1,4-Dioxane in North Carolina's Cape Fear River Basin
Science Nation: Hydraulic Fracturing--Using Scientific Methods to Evaluate Trade-Offs
Science Nation: Giving Robots and Prostheses the Human Touch
Science Nation: CASA Radar Tracks Tornadoes
Science Nation: Biophotonics Poised to Make Major Breakthroughs in Medicine
Science Nation: Off the Water Grid--Energy Efficient and Sustainable
Science Nation: Could a "Thinking Cap" Help Us Learn?
Science Nation: Arctic Soils Key to Future Climate
Science Nation: Hunting for the WIMPS of the Universe