What's Behind the Slithery Snake Tongue?

Aside from their scales and sinewy form, snakes are also known for their tongues. The sight of a long tongue flicking from a snake can be both majestic and terrifying. What's behind a snake tongue?

Scientists have discovered that the tongues of snakes contain extremely complex receptor systems. Don't be surprised if you don't see a lot of tongue if you happen to glance inside a snake's open mouth. Once it retracts, snake tongue is hidden inside a sheath in its lower jaw. This is why if you look inside a snake's open mouth, you will only see the forked ends of its tongue.

When a snake uses its tongue, it flicks it through the rostral groove, which is a small notch in the snake's lip. This lets the snake flick its tongue out of its mouth without actually opening it. That's pretty cool. While snakes have nostrils and can use these to detect scents, they smell primarily through their tongue.

That's right, a snake's tongue is what it mostly uses to smell. The snake tongue is part of the vomeronasal system, or how snakes perceive things. The receptors on the tongue of a snake can detect small chemical particles. To a snake, this is what counts as scent. When the snake retracts its tongue, its next step is to send chemical information to the brain, which processes and analyzes it. All of these happen very quickly.   

Many scientists say that the tongue of a snake is split so that it can discern which direction to move based on the heavy amount of chemical particles on one side of its tongue compared to the other side. The chemical receptors on the tongue of a snake not only allow it to decide in what direction it should go. It also helps it to detect nearby predators and even possible mates. 

Contrary to popular belief, the tongue of a snake does not have magical powers against poison, nor does a snake store venom in its tongue. A snake releases its venom through its fangs, not its tongue.