Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/94842
Sarasota News Leader November 23, 2012 November 2, 2012 Despite its Latin name, constrictor, the Black Racer does not kill its prey by constriction but by biting, holding and crushing it. The Black Racer's white chin can cause it to be mistaken for the highly poisonous Cotton- mouth, with the result that people kill it. They shouldn't, because this snake is a good pest controller and prefers to lickety-split slither away when it sees people or dogs. Yes, arbore- al snakes such as the Black Racer have excel- lent vision, but that does not save them from a flying hawk's sudden swoop and snatch. It is not uncommon on Siesta Key to see a Page 58 Red-Shouldered Hawk in flight clutching a three-foot-long Black Racer in its talons. Why do snakes stick out their forked tongues? Most people are told that is how they smell food, but that is not true. It is far more com- plex than that, as snakes have no sense of smell. Snakes have a receptor in the roofs of their mouths called the Jacobson's Organ. It has two tiny holes in it; so, a snake sticks its tongue out and collects chemical particles from the air. The snake then puts its tongue back in its mouth and places both forked tongue tips into the organ holes. After the par- ticles, especially those of animal body odors, Snakes have a complex reason for sticking out their tongues. File photo