Post-prandial chemosensory searching in black rat snakes

Laboratory experiments on black rat snakes showed that the animals exhibited increased rates of tongue flicking after ingestion of prey. The behavior, combined with conventional predator searching behavior (PPCS), represents post-prandial chemosensory searching which increased their chances of locating subsequent prey. PPCS can be compared to the strike-induced chemosensory searching (SICS) of venomous snakes. The occurrence of such behaviors on both venomous and non-venomous snakes suggests that PPCS and SICS are ancestral traits.