Dwarf reed snakes roll at up to 3.7 metres per second to escape predators
Researchers at Toho University analysed video of dwarf reed snakes rolling to flee danger, finding that their heads stay pointed towards travel while their bodies rotate. The study, published in Current Biology, recorded speeds of up to 3.7 metres per second—about four times the snakes’ usual slithering speed—and found they could follow a track just 20 centimetres wide.
Bottom line — The new analysis explains how Pseudorabdion snakes roll at speed, but why some close relatives do not remains unknown.
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The researchers filmed 13 Pseudorabdion snakes from three species; all performed the rolling movement, according to India Today.
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India Today reports that none of six comparison snakes from the related Calamaria group cartwheeled.
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Discover Magazine describes alternating body strokes: one side contacts the ground, then the other, as the snake rolls forward.
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The Toho University team found that the head stays at a relatively stable height as the rear of the body rotates.
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India Today says the behaviour was first scientifically documented in 2023; the new mechanics study appeared in Current Biology on 19 October.