Abstract
Boas, pythons and pit vipers are known to use the heat radiated by warmblooded animals in order to hunt them. However, until now no comparative study to determine at what range these remarkable sense organs operate has been attempted. The results from a comparative electrophysiological study on central infrared sensitive neurons in the tecta mesencephali ofBoa constrictor, Python reticulatus andAgkistrodon rhodostoma are used to calculate thresholds and the associated maximal detection ranges. A discussion of the rationale behind radiation physics and its implications for the calculation of thresholds and the translation into a behavioural context is given. The thresholds determined forBoa, Python andAgkistrodon are respectively: 42.28, 14.28 and 2.57 10−6 cal/cm2·s which, in biological terms, is equivalent to that which is required to detect a mouse (10 °C warmer than the surrounding, radiating area 25 cm2) at a distance of 16.4 cm, 28.3 cm and 66.6 cm.
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