Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Dynamic light filtering over dermal opsin as a sensory feedback system in fish color change.

Nature communications·2023
Same author

Altered environmental light drives retinal change in the Atlantic Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) over timescales relevant to marine environmental disturbance.

BMC ecology·2018
Same author

Circadian Rhythms of Retinomotor Movement in a Marine Megapredator, the Atlantic Tarpon, Megalops atlanticus.

International journal of molecular sciences·2017
Same author

Spectral Sensitivity Change May Precede Habitat Shift in the Developing Retina of the Atlantic Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus).

Physiological and biochemical zoology : PBZ·2017
Same author

Evolutionary loss of cone photoreception in balaenid whales reveals circuit stability in the mammalian retina.

The Journal of comparative neurology·2016
Same author

Ontogenic retinal changes in three ecologically distinct elopomorph fishes (Elopomorpha:Teleostei) correlate with light environment and behavior.

Visual neuroscience·2015

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 24, 2025

Chemical Isolation, Quantification, and Separation of Skin Lipids from Reptiles
07:55

Chemical Isolation, Quantification, and Separation of Skin Lipids from Reptiles

Published on: February 7, 2019

11.1K

Pit organ-based infrared discrimination sensitivity and signal transduction in the Burmese python (Python molurus

Sherri A Emer1, Michael S Grace2, Cordula V Mora3

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, FL 33965 USA.

Behavioural Brain Research
|May 5, 2022
PubMed
Summary

Burmese pythons possess a highly sensitive infrared (IR) sensing system for survival. This study reveals their IR system detects subtle thermal changes, but the TRPA1 protein is not essential for this IR detection.

Keywords:
Conditioned responseSnakeTRPA1Thermal discrimination behaviorThermal targetingThermoreceptor

More Related Videos

Using Enclosed Y-Mazes to Assess Chemosensory Behavior in Reptiles
06:15

Using Enclosed Y-Mazes to Assess Chemosensory Behavior in Reptiles

Published on: April 7, 2021

5.8K
Testing Visual Sensitivity to the Speed and Direction of Motion in Lizards
12:30

Testing Visual Sensitivity to the Speed and Direction of Motion in Lizards

Published on: December 14, 2006

11.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 24, 2025

Chemical Isolation, Quantification, and Separation of Skin Lipids from Reptiles
07:55

Chemical Isolation, Quantification, and Separation of Skin Lipids from Reptiles

Published on: February 7, 2019

11.1K
Using Enclosed Y-Mazes to Assess Chemosensory Behavior in Reptiles
06:15

Using Enclosed Y-Mazes to Assess Chemosensory Behavior in Reptiles

Published on: April 7, 2021

5.8K
Testing Visual Sensitivity to the Speed and Direction of Motion in Lizards
12:30

Testing Visual Sensitivity to the Speed and Direction of Motion in Lizards

Published on: December 14, 2006

11.7K

Area of Science:

  • Sensory biology
  • Animal behavior
  • Thermoreception

Background:

  • Burmese pythons utilize an infrared (IR) system for prey detection, predator avoidance, and thermoregulation.
  • Previous studies faced limitations in habituating pythons and assessing the behavioral role of the TRPA1 protein in IR sensing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the behavioral sensitivity and signal transduction of the Burmese python's IR system using conditioned discrimination.
  • To investigate the behavioral function of the TRPA1 protein in the python's IR detection capabilities.

Main Methods:

  • Conditioned discrimination procedures were employed to train pythons to differentiate thermal stimuli.
  • Pit organ occlusion with IR-blocking material was used to assess the necessity of these organs for IR detection.
  • TRPA1 inhibitor treatment was applied to pythons to evaluate the protein's role in behavioral responses to thermal stimuli.

Main Results:

  • Pythons achieved 70% accuracy in discriminating thermal stimuli, with performance dropping to chance levels when pit organs were occluded.
  • Enhanced sensitivity was observed, with pythons responding to a 14 × 10-6 W cm-2 irradiance contrast or a 0.5°C thermal differential.
  • TRPA1 inhibition did not impair python performance, indicating this protein is not solely responsible for the observed IR sensitivity.

Conclusions:

  • The Burmese python's IR system is a high-sensitivity, broad-spectrum thermosensor.
  • The IR system may involve multiple thermoreceptive proteins with overlapping spectral sensitivities.
  • Understanding this system enhances knowledge of brain-behavior-environment interactions crucial for the python's ecological success, particularly as an invasive species.