What olfactory particles do lizards pick up? give examples?

Question

What olfactory particles do lizards pick up? give examples?

Answer 1

Mainly aromatic molecules, olfactory particle = smell particles, these are typically the molecules that are emitted from things like dead tissue.  Also they may be smelling molecules given of by other near by lizards in the area.  The smells from other animals, such as the oils from fur. They also likely are smelling signs of molecules given off by insects, such as formic acid.

Answer 2

Chemoreception among reptiles has been very poorly studied. The major physiological work has been with turtles, mostly with objectives that are totally unrelated to the normal lives of the animals. The taste buds of the turtle are restricted to the tongue and the walls of the pharynx; the olfactory epithelium is in the nasal cavity. All reptiles but turtles have well-developed nasal cavities, crocodilians having exceedingly complex cavities and accessory sinuses. Jacobson’s organ reaches its acme of development in lizards and snakes, where it opens into the anterior part of the mouth. Nearby, the lacrimal ducts (tear ducts) open, thus irrigating Jacobson’s organ and possibly aiding in its function. This organ is absent in crocodilians and indistinct in turtles. While there has been considerable argument about the function of Jacobson’s organ, it is now generally believed that it acts as a second olfactory organ in snakes and lizards at least. The forked tongue of some snakes can be inserted into the openings (inside the mouth) of Jacobson’s organ, thus bringing chemical particles picked up on the tongue into contact with the olfactory epithelium. All snakes cannot do this, however, and apparently in some species the materials are dissolved off the tongue in the secretion from the lacrimal glands and thus brought to the organ.

Feeding behaviour among reptiles is probably determined to a large extent by chemical stimuli, but there have been few verifying studies. Some snakes find their prey by using the sense of smell, as is shown when newborn young of some snake species attack objects scented with extracts from the skin of species upon which they prey. The receptors involved in this case are in Jacobson’s organ. Some predatory snakes cannot trail their prey when this organ is destroyed.

Communication in lizards, turtles, and crocodilians seems to be mostly by visual signals, although some tortoises have glands that secrete chemicals, which they distribute in their territories. Male snakes track females by detecting an odour on their skin; the male will not court his prospective mate if his nostrils are plugged. Rattlesnakes react defensively to the odour of king snakes; conversely, the predatory king snakes track rattlesnakes by their odour. Snakes seem to be more reactive to olfactory stimuli than are other reptiles; nevertheless, reasonable generalizations about the role of chemoreception in the lives of reptiles can only be expected to come from much more study than these animals have had to date.