A pit viper 'sees' heat through two holes that have nothing to do with its eyes
Between each eye and nostril, pit vipers carry a membrane wired with TRPA1, the most heat-sensitive channel found in any animal. It turns body heat radiating off prey into a nerve signal precise enough to strike accurately in total darkness.
— Elena O. Gracheva et al., Molecular basis of infrared detection by snakes — Nature, 2010