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📘 How a snake senses heat

Follow infrared radiation, pit organs, TRPA1 neurons, thermal contrast, and prey detection.

lessons

~10 min

to learn

🔬 Science

subject

Adults

level

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What you’ll learn

Infrared
Pit organ
TRPA1
Two pits
Contrast
Brain map
Strike
Other senses
Limits
Evolution

Questions this course answers

What does a snake’s heat pit detect?

Pit organs detect thermal radiation and help locate warm prey or predators.

What is the role of TRPA1 in pit organs?

TRPA1 channels help convert warming of the pit membrane into neural signals.

Why are paired pits useful?

Bilateral comparison supports directional localization of a warm object.

What else do snakes use during hunting?

Heat sensing supplements several other sensory systems.

Why can a warm rock confuse a heat-sensing snake?

A similarly warm background object can produce a thermal signal that must be resolved with other cues.

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