Rolling without wheels: How dwarf reedsnakes coordinate their bodies for high-speed escapes - Phys.org
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A species of dwarf reedsnake, Pseudorabdion saravacense, investigated in the study. Credit: Yosuke Kojima
Small snakes called dwarf reedsnakes can escape danger by rolling rapidly along the ground. Researchers investigated how they perform this unusual form of locomotion using multi-angle video analyses. The results show that the snakes use precisely coordinated body movements that keep their heads facing the direction of travel and at a relatively stable height, even as the posterior body undergoes large rotational movements.
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