Dark Knight
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2004
- Messages
- 21,649
- Reaction score
- 82
The snake dangles 49 feet (15 meters) off the ground, tail entwined around a branch. Suddenly, the animal rears up and launches, flinging its body toward the forest floor.
In other reptiles, the leap would be suicidal, or at least an invitation for broken bones. But the snake in question is a Chrysopelea paradisi, one of five related species of tree-dwelling snakes from Southeast and South Asia. When these snakes leap, it's not to nosedive; it's to glide from tree to tree, a feat they can accomplish at distances of at least 79 feet (24 m).
Video and more at link:
http://news.yahoo.com/s//livescience/20101123/sc_livescience/flyingsnakessecretrevealed/
In other reptiles, the leap would be suicidal, or at least an invitation for broken bones. But the snake in question is a Chrysopelea paradisi, one of five related species of tree-dwelling snakes from Southeast and South Asia. When these snakes leap, it's not to nosedive; it's to glide from tree to tree, a feat they can accomplish at distances of at least 79 feet (24 m).
Video and more at link:
http://news.yahoo.com/s//livescience/20101123/sc_livescience/flyingsnakessecretrevealed/