The Burmese python is well adapted to its environment and, as an apex predator, does not require many defense mechanisms. Their color, produced either by a pigment deposited in the skin or by differential diffraction of light, allows them to easily camouflage themselves in their habitat, allowing them to hide and attack their prey. This also helps them hide from human hunters. They have a keen sense of smell and gather information about their surroundings by flicking their tongues to obtain gases from the air. They then rub their tongue over the vomeronasal organ (VNO), or Jacobson's organ, which judges the smell and gives them a sense of their surroundings. Their other sensory organ, called the fossa organ, is extremely sensitive to temperature. This organ is located directly under the scales, above their upper lips. These organs help them locate warm-blooded prey on nights when the temperature is relatively cool (Sartore, 2013). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The Burmese python is able to adjust its metabolic rate and the characteristics of its internal anatomy to meet its physiological needs more effectively than almost any other animal. One of the most remarkable abilities of the Burmese python is its ability to swallow and digest extraordinarily large prey despite their bilateral tubular structure. They use backward-pointing teeth to grasp their prey and wrap their bodies around them, killing them by constriction. This process goes far beyond simply unhinging the jaw and expanding the mouth. In order to consume large prey, such as a chicken, the Burmese python undergoes “physiological remodeling”. Their metabolic rate can increase up to 15 times its resting rate to digest a large meal. This is accompanied by a 35 to 40 percent increase in the mass of his liver, heart, kidneys and small intestine in just one to two days. The heart's ventricular mass increases by about 45 percent, allowing the heart to pump fifty percent more blood per beat than at rest. Once digestion is complete, the process reverses. The metabolic rate and organs that have temporarily doubled in size return to their normal state. After consuming prey, the Burmese python fasts, often for weeks or months (Avery, 2013). Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The Burmese python's ability to expand its organs and speed up its metabolism to consume large prey may be attributed to its unusually rapid evolution and adaptation of its specialized genes. Scientists suggest that a better understanding of how Burmese pythons accomplish such feats could provide vital clues for developing treatments for many human diseases..