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Snakes are known for swallowing their prey live, gartersnakes are no exception. Once swallowed the prey will suffocate or come victim to the digestive secretions. A gartersnake’s saliva is also mildly venomous, which gets put into the prey from the snake’s teeth. What is truly amazing is how gartersnakes find their food through olfaction, meaning they smell with their tongues! They are equipped with a chemical sensory organ on the roofs of their mouths, called the Jacobson’s gland. When the snake puts its tongue into the air, the tips of the tongue load up on all the scent molecules. The tips of the tongue then get entered into the gland, which are tiny pits on the roof of the snake’s mouth. Once the prey is located, the snake uses both vision and olfaction. (From: www.parkreports.com/parksblog/the-amazing-but-common-snak...)

 

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