Why do snakes smell with their forked tongue and not their nose?

Answer 1

A snake has a forked tongue because it evolved as a 'direction finding' sense over thousands of years. As a snake flicks its tongue, microscopic particles of scent stick to it. The tongue is pulled back into the mouth, and placed into the Jacobson's Organ - an area of very sensitive nerve cells. So sensitive that it can detect the microscopic variations from one half of the forked tongue to the other - telling the snake to 'go this way' to food !

Answer 2

All snakes have forked tongues. A snake uses its tongue to smell, flicking it out to collect odor molecules, and the flicking them up into the Jacobson's organ, a sensory organ in the roof of the mouth. The fork gives a snake's smell a sense of direction, by figuring out which fork carries the strongest smell.

Answer 3

Snakes can smell with their noses as well as with their toungs, but the toung profides an advantage. The tongue of a snake tells not only what the snake is smelling, but the fork allows the snake to tell the direction the smell is coming from based on which fork gets the strongest scent.

Answer 4

Snakes have long tongues because that is how they smell and see. They use the tongue as one of their senses; that is why it is always going in and out of their mouth.

Answer 5

It stickes out its tongue so it can smell. Because God cursed it to eat the dust of the ground. So, whenever it sticks it tongue out the mud sticks to its tongue.

Answer 6

Snakes can sense the heat from a animal or person by flicking it's tongue.

Answer 7

Snakes flick their tongues every few seconds because it is a snakes scent mechanism.

Answer 8

they eat to many potatoes

Answer 9

That's just how God created snakes.