Infrared sensing in snakes

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/infrared-sensing-in-snakes

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How long is Infrared sensing in snakes?Approximately 5 to 30 micrometers
2. What is the independent evolutionary lineages?Infrared sensing evolved separately in Boidae, Pythonidae, and Crotalinae
3. What is the primary sensory structure?Pit organs, specialized thermoreceptors sensitive to infrared radiation
4. What does it mean when we say snakes can see heat?It means they can detect the warmth that living things give off, like a special heat map that helps them find food or stay safe.
5. How do snakes see heat?They have special pit organs that feel tiny temperature changes. When warm objects touch the pit, nerves send signals to the brain, letting the snake know where the heat is.

Convergent evolution: The independent evolution of similar traits in different species due to similar environmental pressures.
Infrared radiation: Electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths longer than visible light, perceived as heat.
Thermoregulation: The process by which an organism maintains its internal body temperature within a certain range.