Page 94 - Engineering in Nature

Engineering in Nature

These illustrations show the
anatomy of the boa con-
strictor's heat detectors.
Behind the scales on the
upper and lower jaw is a de-
tailed nerve network, which
constitutes a two-part sys-
tem. When it encounters an
infra-red stimulus, it sends a
trigeminal signal to the
brain—where a reaction has
been recorded only 35 milli-
seconds after the snake's
detecting a small level of
infra-red radiation.

It is obvious that chance can never come up with such a system in
a great number of stages. No other power than God can create such
perfect systems, especially not in all the other members of the species.
Let's demonstrate this manifest truth once again by examining some
other systems in snakes.

• Hunting Mechanisms in Snakes
With the help of its forked tongue, a snake can detect if its prey has
stopped and has crouched down on the ground, motionless, half a
meter in front of it. Despite the pitch dark, its heat detection system
accurately locates its prey. First it creeps silently forward until it
reaches the attack distance, then rears back its head and leaps onto its

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