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Article · Jun 2, 2026 · Citadel Culebra Faculty

The Tongue and Jacobson's Organ

That flicking tongue isn't tasting the air — it's delivering scent to a sensory organ most people have never heard of.

Citadel CulebraArticle
Anatomy & PhysiologyBehavior & HandlingBeginner Basics

The forked tongue is one of the most iconic and most misunderstood features of snakes and many lizards. It isn't tasting or threatening — it's collecting scent particles and delivering them to the vomeronasal (Jacobson's) organ, giving the animal a kind of directional smell.

What this resource covers — how the forked tongue works, the vomeronasal organ, directional scenting, why animals flick more when curious or hunting, and what it means for handling.

This is a free entry in the Citadel Culebra Library, expanded continuously by our faculty. The complete write-up is on the way — and members get every new entry first inside Culebra Connect.

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