Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/how-flying-snakes-fly/

When you think of the snake, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Aside from the fact that most of us would be heading in the opposite direction, we likely think about them slithering along the ground. This may make you wonder, how do some snakes seem to fly through the air?

First of all, it’s important to recognize that a flying snake is not actually flying. When birds fly, they gain altitude as they do so but that isn’t the case with flying snakes. If you happen to be in a jungle in Southeast Asia, however, you might just find one of the snakes that glide effortlessly from one tree to the next.

Scientists decided they would look into the mechanics behind the ability of those snakes to take to the air. At Virginia Tech University, indoor experiments were conducted using live snakes and a computational model was used as well. The lead author of the study, Isaac Yeaton, gave an interview with CNN. He said: “As soon as you watch it you’re like, ‘how does it do that?’ We have a visceral response to snakes. Then the idea that this animal can then fly is very unsettling to people.”

When a snake slithers along the ground, it forms a rippling pattern, something known as undulating. In the air, flying snakes do something similar. Some people feel that this was something built into them, but the study shows that the movement helps them while they are in the air.

The team used ultra-high-speed cameras for the study and showed snakes gliding from a tower to a tree, or at least a simulated facsimile of a tree. 3D models were created as the snakes flew, showing it from every angle possible. It allowed the team to identify the different actions of the snakes while they were “flying.”

It was more than simply undulating in the air, the snakes were changing their body shape into something more triangular. The flat surface of their body acted like a wing or parachute, helping them to stay airborne.

The combination of a different body shape and the undulation allowed the snake to stay on the same plane as they were gliding. They could set their sights on a specific part of a tree and achieve their goal.

Yeaton spoke with the New York Times, saying: “Other animals undulate for propulsion. We show that flying snakes undulate for stability.”

In National Geographic, it was said that scientists are unaware of why flying snakes take to the air. More than likely, the practice is used to hunt, escape predators, and move between trees.

Worldwide, there are five different species of flying snakes and some of them can be 4 feet long. I don’t know about you, but if I ever saw a 4-foot snake flying in my direction, I might have more questions than what I have now.

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Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog