Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-11-22

Diagram Showing Location OF the
Fangs, Venom Sack, Tongue and the
Curious "I It's" Whose Function Has
So Long Baffied Scientists and Now
Turn Out to BE IA Sort Of Heat
Detector to Aid the Snake In Locat-
ing Its Prey in the Dark
The switch was turned, the bulb
heated, and the snake struck directly
at IT.
Noble and Schmidt We're satisfied
that the labal pits were heat detectors"
that acted as bomb sights to direct
the snakes strike.
Tho experiment was repeated many
times using different boas, always with
the same results.
Noble and Schmidt were not entirely
satisfied What would happen if the boa
were blndfolded, but the nostrils not
plugged? The snake could then smell
but not see.
A boa was duly blindfolded and
cold, freshly killed mouse held before it,.
The tongue ficked violently-the snake
smelled the mouse but didn't strike.
Then warm mouse was held before the
blind snake Not only did the tongue flick,
but the snake struck directly at the prey.
Having ascertained, for the first time in
natural history, the true functions of-the
iabial pits of the boas, the scientists turned
to the study of the facial pits of the pit
vipers."
They began with rattlesnakes, and fol-
lowed the procedure used for the harmless
boas. Eyes were bhndfoldcd and nostrils
stuffed
The hot and cold freshly killed mice were
first used.
In the rattlesnakes il was found that their
facial pits performed the same functions as
the labial pits of the boas.
But the facial pits were found to possess an
additional function, they could also detect
slight air vibrations, caused when mice were
gently waved before the blinded snakes.
The experiment with the electric light bulb
was repeated In some snakes Of the RATHER
family the simple swapping Of the bulb on and
Off making it hot and cold, was not enough
TO make the snake strike The warm bulb
had to be gently waved for these snakes,
causing Slight air vibrations.
The experiments were repeated with the
other pit vipers"
Strangely enough the snakes, by use of
either the facial or labial pits, could differen-
tate temperatures in prey SO slight that the
finest mercury bulb thermometers could not
detect the changes.
And it was also found that this tempera-
ture detection was very sensitive, geared en-
tirely for direction finding toward prey, since
when bulbs larger than p watts were used,
the heat was too great and the pits" did not
operate.
The question may be asked, How far dis
tant can this temperature differential be de-
tected by the snakes ?"
The average seemed TO be six TO ten inches
but in some cases it was as high as 80 inches
There may well be some connection between
the length of strike and this distance
To strike, a RATHER draws itself up into
steel-lile springeshaped like an IS, the rest Of
its body being used as a base or firm founda-
ton for the spring when it is let 60
The length of the strike can only be as
great as that "S' Strengthened out so it
would be useless for the heat detectors' TO
operate at a greater distance.
This factor would seem teindjcate that the
or navigation but actually bomb sights for
night work. since they are used only for the
strike and kilE 1t is much more like a modern
bomber Navigating instruments take it to
the objective and the bomb sight" is used TO
direct the bomb when that objective has been
reached.
To carry the analogy to a conclusion the
pits of the RATHER act as bomb sights" for
the snake in the dark when there is absolutely
no visibility Were il possible for man to
invent "a similar blind bomb sight" foi his
war planes bIackOuts would mean nothing,
just as the hlackout in the wilds does not save
the rabbit from the rattlesnake on the prowl
CO..