What sensory adaptation allows the Woma Python to hunt small, fast-moving terrestrial prey?
Answer
Acute heat-sensing pits along its lips
Successfully capturing small, agile prey, especially in or around dark burrows, requires specialized sensory input beyond standard vision. The Woma Python has evolved acute heat-sensing pits located along its lips. These pits function as infrared detectors, allowing the snake to perceive the thermal signature of warm-blooded prey, such as rodents and rabbits, even in low-light conditions or underground. This highly refined sensory mechanism is crucial for the python’s ambush and constrict style of hunting centered around its burrow niche.
#Videos
AKA Ramsay's or Sand Python. Woma Python Documentary
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