Plants and Animals

What function do the pit organs have in a pit viper?

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The pit vipers have developed special organs of heat reception that help them to sense warm-blooded animals, an ability that is especially useful at night, when many of them hunt. These organs consist of pits, for which the group is named, located just behind the nostrils and covered with a temperature-sensitive membrane. Some pit vipers may also use these organs to find cool refuges from inhospitable daytime temperatures.

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Similar questions: What do the unique pit organs do to help a pit viper? How do the pit organs funtion in a pit viper? [ Hide these questions ]

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