Ratsnake With Tongue Out
This Ratsnake with tongue out was photographed at the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.
To sample the chemical environment, the tongue is flicked out of the mouth on a regular basis.
This method of chemical sampling enables these animals to detect non-volatile compounds that are not detectable by the olfactory system alone. This improved ability to detect chemicals has resulted in improved capacities to identify prey, recognize kin, choose mates, find shelters, among other things.

How I Got The Photo: Ratsnake With Tongue Out
This snake was on the road between Reeve’s Boat Ramp and the Sandtown turnoff.
I exited my pickup to photograph this Ratsnake while hand-holding my camera and lens.
Gear Used:
- Camera: Fujifilm X-T3
- Lens: Canon EF 100-400 mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS II USM (attached with a Fringer EF-FX Pro)
Technical:
- Location: Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge (Oklahoma)
- Date and Time Taken: July 22, 2021 (8:43 A.M.)
- Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
- Aperture: f5.6
- Shutter speed: 1/2400 (as determined by the camera)
- ISO: 800
- White Balance: Auto
- Metering Mode: Multi
- Exposure Compensation: 0
- Back-button Focus
- Single Point Focus
- Focal [Read More…]