lightning strike . The Tentacled Snake typically inhabits murky water , and the two elongated ‘ tentacles ’ which project forwards from its snout have been shown to perform a mechanosensory function to assist in detecting prey where eyesight alone would be inadequate . Similarly , although like many viperids they also possess heat-sensing pit organs , the horned vipers ( Cerastes spp .) have been shown to utilise the detection of vibrations as a significant tool for sensing the proximity of prey . Is it possible that nasal horns and supraorbital spines may have a sensory function ? Or , like L . Madagascariensis , are they used to heighten spatial awareness ?
In conclusion , considering the diversity of environments and habitats of the species concerned , and the variation amongst the preposterous assemblage of facial projections demonstrated across several lineages of snakes , it is probable that there is no single all-encompassing explanation for the origin of these structures . In the absence of hard facts , there is a dangerous temptation to give credence to an overly simplistic solution .
References . Henderson , R . W . & Binder , M . H ., 1980 , The ecology and behaviour of the vine snake ( Ahaetulla , Oxybelis , Thelotornis , Uromacer ): A review , Contrib . Biol . Geol ., Milwaukee Pub . Mus . 37:1-38 . Henderson , R . W . & Mickerson , M . A ., 1975 , Observations on the feeding behaviour and movements of the snakes Oxybelis aeneus and O . fulgidus , British Jnl of Herpetology , Vol . 5 , 663-667 . Krysko , Kenneth L ., 2005 , Feeding behaviour of the Madagascar leafnosed snake , Langaha madagascariensis ( Serpentes : Colubridae : Pseudoxyrhophiinae ), with an alternative hypothesis for its bizarre head structure , African Journal of Herpetology , 54 ( 2 ): 195-200 . Naish , Darren , 2009 , Why do some snakes have horns ? http :// scienceblogs . com / tetrapod zoology
Above : Desert Horned Viper . Image by Eric Isselee .
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