A snake's forked tongue is not for tasting. It is for smelling. When a snake or a monitor lizard flicks its tongue, it is grabbing tiny particles out of the air. Then it pulls the tongue back in and presses the tips into two small pockets in the roof of its mouth, called Jacobson's organ. That organ reads the particles and sends the information to the brain: mouse, this way. You can tell where a sound comes from because you have two ears, and your brain compares what each one hears. A forked tongue works the same way for smell.
This lesson is part of Certified Junior Herpetologist. Enrollment is self-paced, with no deadline to finish (about 30 hours).
