What is the name for the heat-sensing organ located between the eye and nostril of a *Bothrops*?
Answer
Loreal pit
The presence of the loreal pit is the defining characteristic that classifies these snakes specifically as pit vipers within the broader Viperidae family. This organ serves as a crucial sensory apparatus, allowing the snake to detect infrared radiation, or heat, emitted by endothermic prey, such as rodents. This specialized heat-sensing capability supplements the snake's vision, playing a vital role in its predatory strategy, and is a hallmark feature of the Crotalinae subfamily to which *Bothrops* belongs.
Related Questions
Which genus primarily defines the common Yarara group snakes in South America?What specialized feature places Yarara snakes within the Family Viperidae?What is the name for the heat-sensing organ located between the eye and nostril of a *Bothrops*?Which specific *Bothrops* species is commonly referred to by the names Jararacussu or Urutu?What defining characteristic places all Yarara snakes within the Class Reptilia?What taxonomic distinction separates Viperidae from Elapidae at the Family rank?What characteristic must all members of the Phylum Chordata possess at some developmental stage?Which subfamily places *Bothrops* among the New World pit vipers, distinct from Old World vipers?What characterization applies to the Order Squamata which includes the Yarara group?What visual pattern is often cited as key for identifying *Bothrops alternatus*?