Its a Bird, a Plane...Naw It is Only a "Flying Snake"

Environmental & Science Education
STEM
Behavior
Nature
Biodiversity
Wildlife
Nature of Science
Edward Hessler

The science journal Nature reports on the physics of flying snakes.  "Swimming" or "gliding" seem better descriptors to me.

Nature introduces the film about this behavior and the research in these words. "Flying snakes glide through the air, flattening their bodies to provide lift. But as they glide they seem to swim, undulating their bodies from side to side. Now a team in the United States has used motion capture technology to study snake gliding in precise detail. Their models reveal that undulation is vital for the snake’s stability as they glide from branch to branch."

The video showing and explaining the biomechanics is 3m 59s. 

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