Central Carpet Python
(Morelia bredli)Look closely at these carpet
pythons and you will see a row of about 7 pits that trace the line of the mouth
on the lower jaw. Most Australian pythons have these heat sensitive pits which
are used to detect ‘warm blooded’ prey in the dark. The pits are richly provided
with nerve fibres covered by a membrane. These heat receptors are sensitive to
all temperatures about the python’s own body temperature and in some snakes they
will register a change of as little as one thousandth of a degree Celsius. From
a distance of say, 50 cm a blind-folded carpet python could catch a flying bat.
Source:
Alice Springs Reptile
Centre
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