Cathy Ederer, age 11;.,Omaha, Nebr... or her question:

Does a snake have a sense of smell?

Certain snakes have a very keen sense of smell. They can smell not only what is good to eat, but what is warm or cold. However, they do not have noses like ours. The snake, it is believed, smells with his tongue. Perhaps you have watched him, mouth open, darting his pointed tongue in and out.

It is believed that he is gathering fine particles from the air and taking them into his mouth. There their touch sensitive nerve endings. These connect with the; brain carrying information about what is floating around in the air. Also, the snake is thought to be able to obtain information about the temperature of objects in the neighborhood.

Since snakes feed on live meat, this fact is very interesting to them. They strike at !warm‑blooded creatures, hoping they  will be the right size for them to swallow.