Biology
Thermal Imaging and Prey Detection in Pit Vipers
Quick fact
Pit vipers, such as rattlesnakes and pythons, possess sensitive pit organs that can detect temperature differences as small as 0.001°C, allowing them to create a thermal image of their surroundings and strike accurately at warm-blooded prey even in total darkness.
Why this is interesting
Imagine a snake that can 'see' the warm body of a mouse in complete darkness, as if it had night-vision goggles. How does it do it?