Sea snakes swim their way to media glory
Research by the Environment Institute's Jenna Crowe-Riddell has made international headlines, following media coverage of her research into sea snakes in Science Daily, Australian Geographic, Cosmos Magazine and more.
The research, which was published in Open Biology, uncovered an extra sense for sea-dwelling snakes.
“Land snakes and many lizards have small raised structures on the scales on their heads – called scale sensilla – that they use to sense objects by direct touch,” says Crowe-Riddell.
“We believe sea snakes use these organs to sense objects at a distance by ‘feeling’ movements in the water. This hydrodynamic sense is not an option for land animals. In water, a new way of sensing the environment becomes possible.”
Read more about this amazing research.
[caption id="attachment_10568" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
IMAGE CREDIT: Chris Malam[/caption]
The research, which was published in Open Biology, uncovered an extra sense for sea-dwelling snakes.
“Land snakes and many lizards have small raised structures on the scales on their heads – called scale sensilla – that they use to sense objects by direct touch,” says Crowe-Riddell.
“We believe sea snakes use these organs to sense objects at a distance by ‘feeling’ movements in the water. This hydrodynamic sense is not an option for land animals. In water, a new way of sensing the environment becomes possible.”
Read more about this amazing research.
[caption id="attachment_10568" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
IMAGE CREDIT: Chris Malam[/caption]
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