Snake rattled rolls away: How dwarf reed snakes escape
Researchers at Toho University filmed dwarf reed snakes rolling away at almost 9mph, roughly four times their normal slithering speed. The study explains how…
A small snake can turn its body into a moving loop when a predator closes in. Scientists at Toho University have now mapped how the dwarf reed snake rolls away at almost 9mph while keeping its head pointed forward.
The researchers filmed the reptiles from several angles, recording rapid movements that carried them across the ground at roughly four times their normal slithering speed. The findings, published in Current Biology, explain how the snake maintains direction during the unusual escape.
The speed comes with control. The snakes negotiated a track just 20cm wide, according to the report in The Times, suggesting the manoeuvre is more coordinated than simply curling up and tumbling.
How the snake rolls away
The snake first springs forward and upward, pushing off with its tail. It then holds its head steady while whipping its body over it into a loop, with the head still facing forward.
For a moment, most of the slender body moves in front of the head. The snake forms a U-shape and completes a forward roll, then uses its tail to spring ahead and repeat the movement.
That control matters for an animal escaping across uneven ground: the snake can move quickly without losing its orientation. The source describes the narrow track test, but does not report how the behaviour performs in a natural predator encounter.
The rolling behaviour was formally described in a scientific paper in 2023. The species in the new study, Pseudorabdion longiceps, is harmless and nocturnal. It is found in parts of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Dwarf reed snakes belong to the genus Pseudorabdion and typically measure 17-23cm long. They spend much of their lives hidden in leaf litter or beneath logs and stones.
A rare escape strategy
Researchers first encountered the rolling behaviour in Malaysia, after finding a snake on a mountain road at night. When disturbed, it threw itself into a loop and rolled away.
Other animals also tumble to escape. Pangolins and Tepui toads curl into a ball or fold their limbs beneath themselves, but rely on gravity and an incline to roll, according to The Times. The report also describes the flic-flac spider in Morocco, which somersaults across desert sand, and the golden wheel spider in Namibia, which cartwheels downhill.
The dwarf reed snake’s movement differs because the researchers recorded it controlling the loop while travelling across a narrow route, rather than simply rolling downhill. Its escape act can reach almost 9mph.
Source: thetimes.com
