How Five Indian Animals Use Tongues to Detect Chemical Cues

Some snakes and lizards use their tongues to learn about the world around them.

They flick their tongues in and out to collect tiny chemical clues.

These clues can come from the air, ground, or nearby objects.

The tongue then carries the clues into the animal’s mouth.

A special organ there, called the vomeronasal organ, detects the chemicals.

A forked tongue can sample two nearby places at once.

This may help the animal figure out where a smell or trail is coming from.

Indian cobras, common kraits, Russell’s vipers, Indian rock pythons, and Bengal monitors use this system.

So, animals do not exactly smell with their tongues; their tongues collect clues for another organ to analyze.