Question 5 of 12
Which of these snakes has no heat-sensing organ?
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Choose an option from the pictures below:
Nope! This is an eastern diamondback rattlesnake, Crotalus adamanteus, and like all members of the family (or subfamily) Crotalidae, they have a heat-sensing pit organ between the eye and nostril. This guy is in the classic defense posture - if you see one this way, you're probably too close.
Nope! This is a copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix, and has an infrared-detecting pit organ between the eye and nostril.
Correct! This is an Everglades rat snake, Elaphe obsoleta rossalleni, and is a member of the family Colubridae. These snakes rely heavily on their vomeronasal organ (they tongue-flick to pick up scent molecules) and vision to locate prey, but do not have a heat-sensing organ.
Nope! This is a pigmy rattlesnake. By the end of this quiz, you should be so familiar with this beast that you will be able to identify it by touch (though this is not a recommended practice). Pigmies are pit-vipers (Crotalidae) and have a pit organ behind the nostril that is sensitive to very slight differences in temperature, perhaps as little as tenths of a degree.