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BLACKSBURG, Va. — Snakes slithering through the air may sound terrifying to some, but now the mystery of how they do it has been solved by researchers at Virginia Tech.
Snakes of the Chrysolopea genus can slither through the air for up to 100 feet because they transform their body into an aerodynamic surface, according a study recently published in The Journal of Experimental Biology.
"It looks like someone’s version of a UFO," lead researcher Jake Socha told Inside JEB.
The snakes, also known as paradise tree snakes, live in the Southeast Asian rainforest and launch off trees to slither through the air while making an "S" shape to reach their next destination. They appear to be swimming through the air, Socha said.
“You can glide to a tree 30 meters away much more quickly than if you had to slither down the tree and then slither across the forest floor and then climb back up that tree,” he told Reuters.
The snakes are able to glide through the air by flexing their ribs and flattening their body to change their shape into an arched semi-circle, according to the study.
Researchers examined how the snake's unusual shape allows it to glide by making a model with a 3-D printer. They placed the model in water to recreate air conditions and tested how much lift the snake could get at different angles.
Next, they want to study how the snake's movements help give them flight control. They hope their findings will provide the key to designing more effective aerial robots.
