The key facts
- The snake Pseudorabdion longiceps coils into a ring and rolls forward when threatened
- The speed of such movement is about 30 cm/s, roughly four times faster than normal crawling
- For rolling, the snake does not need a supporting axis: it keeps its head stable during rotation
A snake that rolls like a wheel
Researchers have studied an unusual escape mechanism in the reed snake — Pseudorabdion longiceps. When threatened, it suddenly lunges forward, folds its body into a ring shape and rolls, repeating this motion over and over — from the outside it looks like a bouncing wheel. Kun.uz reports this citing a publication in the journal Current Biology.
Speed and mechanics of the movement
Using this method, the snake covers almost 30 centimeters per second — about four times faster than its usual crawling. Notably, the snake does not need a central axis to move 'like a wheel': it rolls through coordinated rotational movements of its body, while keeping its head in a stable position.
How it was possible to observe this
High-speed video recordings helped scientists understand the biomechanics of the movement: they made it possible to slow down the footage and break each rolling cycle into separate stages. This approach allowed a detailed study of movements that are hard to notice with ordinary observation. The study results were published in the journal Current Biology.
