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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

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?
|> 
It is hard to know for sure, since tongues do not fossilize.

However, the approach I use in such cases is a special application of comparative
anatomy.  Dinosaurs are related on one side to alligators and crocodiles, and
on the other side to birds.  So, if both birds and crocs show some soft anatomy
feature, I tend to assume dinosaurs had it as well unless there is reason to
believe otherwise.

So, you question boils down to "do birds and crocodiles have forked tongues?"

I do not know for sure (my anatomy books are not available), but I suspect *not*.

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