Few people know they taste the air for evidence of food nearby.
Chemicals on the wind are trapped on the moist tongue and pressed against the Jacobson s organ, a pair of cavities, lined with sensory cells, in the roof of the mouth near the snout. The gigantic, 10-foot long, Komodo dragons of the islands of Indonesia depend on their acute sense of smell to track down their prey, often wild deer, pigs and feral goats. They lie in wait, hidden in bushes or scrub, flicking their tongues in an out until the tell-tale smell of prey is near. Although large and bulky, weighing up to 165 kg, these lizards which are the world s largest, are surprisingly agile and can hijack an unwary animal. They have even been known to follow a pregnant goat, waiting patiently until she drops her kid before they race in, grab the new-born and rip it apart as they wrestle for a morsel.