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LisaAnnie
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Post subject: THE 3RD EYE AND THE J.O.
 Posted: Aug 08, 2006 - 12:06 AM
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Joined: Nov 21, 2003
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Location: INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
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 THE THIRD EYE & THE JACOBSON'S ORGAN
We all know that dragons share five senses with their human keepers: taste, touch, sight, hearing, and smell. But did you know that dragons have two additional senses that help them to survive in the wild? Those are the "third eye" and the Jacobson's Organ.
 THE THIRD EYE
Where is it? On the top of the dragon's head. Look for the grayish, "odd-looking" roundish scale. See the picture at the end of this post.
The third eye is on the top of every dragon's head, and is connected to the pineal gland in their brain. While the eye does have a rough equivalent of a lens and retina, dragons can't actually see images with the third eye. Think of it as a sort of photocell that is sensitive to changes in light and dark. This in turn triggers hormone production that plays a big part in reproduction, and even thermoregulation. The amount of light that the eye processes also affects the dragon's appetite, alertness, and energy level. This is why dragons should not have a "nightlight" in their lairs. They need to get the good, sound sleep that comes with the comforting darkness. Ongoing research hopes to discover what other properties the third eye might possess. 
This pineal eye feeds valuable information to the brain like the time of day, or what season of the year it is. The third eye helps the dragon to protect itself from predators above them. When a predator casts a shadow over the third eye, the dragon is instantly warned of its presence, and able to take evasive action. The is the same reason that keepers are advised not to try to pick up their dragons from directly overhead...the dragon's third eye might read that as predatory behavior. This also explains why dragons sometimes go nutso when keepers take them outdoors...their third eye registered a passing plane or bird as a predator. 
By the way, we humans have a pineal eye too. But alas, ours in buried underneath our thick skulls, and isn't of any use to us. 
THE JACOBSON'S ORGAN
Where is it? At the roof of the dragon's mouth.
Have you noticed your dragon flicking its tongue out, but not actually licking something? Relax, this is not a sign of weak eyesight or terrible aim. The dragon is simply searching for information about its environment by using its vomeronasal or Jacobson's Organ. Here's how that works.
The tongue picks up small (even microscopic) particles in the air, and these particles carry a lot of information. As the tongue is drawn back into the mouth, it comes into contact with the Jacobson's Organ. When it does, the dragon's brain rapidly processes the information carried by the particles, and then identifies prey, predators, water, etc. This makes the Jacobson's Organ an extremely valuable asset to the dragon's survival. 
Adult p. vitticeps male. Note the "third eye" indicated by the red circle.
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