Thursday 17 March 2011

Video: Did you know that flying snakes exist?


There are five species of flying snake, genus Chrysopelea, located mainly in Southeast Asia. Flying snakes are actually gliders. They climb up to a tree branch, launch themselves into the air, and then flatten out their bodies to twice the normal width while they suck in their stomachs to make a concave shape, similar to the cross-section of a Frisbee. While in the air, flying snakes wriggle their bodies in a lateral undulation, like how rattlesnakes travel through sand, to enhance their gliding capability. And in fact, flying snakes are..
actually the best gliders in the animal kingdom, gliding for longer lengths than flying squirrels or flying frogs.

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