Tongue shedding

by **rubida** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 12:24 pm

Thought everyone might find this interesting. On Wednesday I noticed this hanging from the labial notch of our Thai cobra. (Photographing it turned out a bit tricky and unfortunately the one fork point broke off.)

I have heard about snakes shedding their tongues, but this is the first time I have ever seen it myself.

by **froot** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 2:19 pm

Wow! I have never heard of this before, nor have I ever seen a tongue like shedding. Perhaps they tend to be swallowed when shed?

by **Bushviper** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 5:29 pm

Now that is a sight I have never seen before. Not in real life or even a photograph of this.

Not too many people will believe you when you tell them what it is.

by **rubida** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 6:25 pm

Now you must know how surprised I was when I saw it…my assistant reptile keeper gazed at it for hours! Just mad we lost the one forked point as it dropped onto the floor…and being dropped on a grey painted floor doesn’t help much in finding it again :evil:

Will asked armata to do a better photo over the weekend with one of his fancy anti-vibration lenses.

by **Pythonodipsas** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 9:14 pm

Wow I have never seen or heard of this. Have you heard if the toungues can grow back or not.

I had a baby Iberian viper (V.l.gaditana) with no toungue. It could never sense food and never ate. I continuously force fed it and it subsequently died.

Hope your Thai cobra is gonna be ok.

by **rubida** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:16 pm

Pythonodipsas:

The Tai cobra is 100%...flicking its tongue like any healthy snake does. He also ate on friday afternoon. Have you seen when they sometimes shed their hemipenis?

by **armata** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 12:14 am

I have seen Varanus niloticus shed the skin on its tongue.

by **gaboon69** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 10:54 am

wow

by **Bushviper** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 6:33 pm

I have seen a few snakes that have lost tongues. The one had the forks nipped off in a sliding door. The tongue eventually grew back but the snake had a black tongue with white tips.

While the tips were off the snake did not feed but once they had regrown the snake fed like it always had.

I have never heard of a snake that was hatched or born without a tongue that ever fed on its own or survived. Snakes without eyes and that have survived are quite common.

Tongue shedding

Tongue shedding

Who is online