✍ Scribed by York, Daniel S. ;Silver, Timothy M. ;Smith, Allen A.
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Background: The supranasal sac is an invagination of the skin between the supranasal and nasal shields of many true vipers. Viperine behavior suggests that many true vipers hunt by thermal cues.
Methods: The supranasal sacs of two puff adders (Serpentes: Viperinae) were examined with modern histological and neurohistological techniques, including Kiernan's silver stain.
Results: There are nerve endings in the supranasal sac of the puff adder that resemble the nerve endings in the labial pits of boas.
Conclusion: This suggests that the supranasal sac of true vipers is, like the labial pits of boas, a heat detector.
📜 SIMILAR VOLUMES
## Abstract The activity of __N__‐acetyl‐α‐D‐glucosaminidase from venom of the African puff adder (__Bitis arietans__) has been detected. The enzyme from the venom was purified by chromatography on Q‐sepharose, CM‐cellulose, and __N__‐acetyl‐α‐D‐glucosamine‐agarose affinity column. The enzyme has a