Scientists Solve Snake’s Slithering Secrets

Snakes slither to get around but how exactly do they snake move? Scientists used to think that they move by pushing against objects like rocks but it turns out that something else is going on:

New research confirms that friction is indeed at work but instead at a microscopic scale: The snakes’ overlapping belly scales react against uneven areas on the ground, said lead study author David Hu, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech

The reptiles don’t lie totally flat on the ground as they move, [...] David Hu said. "If you imagine you have a shoestring on the ground in the shape of an s, the curved parts of the s are lifted slightly, and the remaining weight is concentrated on the middle part of the s."

So snakes will lean on the lifted areas with the most force–an adaptation that allows them to travel much faster.

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