Re: dinosaur tongues

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#2556

From: Gene Spears
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 15:22

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In article <1992Dec16.075442.8988@leland.Stanford.EDU> ledwards@leland.Stanford.EDU (Laurence James Edwards) writes:

>Hey, anybody know if any dinosaurs are thought to have forked tongues
>like the Komodo dragon?

>Just curious.

>Larry Edwards

Seems unlikely.  

1) lizards aren't closely related to dinosaurs.  No forked bird or croc 
tongues.

2) most lizards don't have forked tongues.  Varanids and the related 
Helodermatids (Gila Monster, et al.) are the only ones that I can think of.  
The presence of a forked tongue in varanids & some fossils are pretty strong 
evidence that snakes evolved from this group.

3) forked tongues are usually associated with Jacobson's organ - a 
chemosensory pit on the roof of the mouth.  I've never heard of dinosaur 
skulls with such a pit, though I'm not sure it's presence or absence can be 
determined by bony remains.

Gene Spears
spears@bobcat.lmc.edu

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From: spears@bobcat.lmc.edu (Gene Spears)
Subject: Re: dinosaur tongues
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Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 15:22:10 GMT
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