Dwarf reed snakes can cartwheel away from danger instead of relying solely on slithering, according to a study published in Current Biology. High-speed camera footage from researchers at Japan’s Toho University revealed that these Southeast Asian reptiles repeatedly launch their coiling bodies into the air.
How do the snakes roll?
“During rolling, the posterior body is tightly curved, and rolls on the ground like a wheel, while the anterior body is lifted off the substrate and the head faces the direction of travel,” the researchers explained in the study.
They added, “As the snake rolls, the contact area moves posteriorly along the body while the body extends. Eventually, the tail pushes against the substrate, propelling the snake into the air. As the posterior body continues its circular motion, the body bends into an S-shape, forming an arch that later functions as a wheel above the head. As this arch moves forward relative to the head, the snake swings the arch down past the side of the head to contact the substrate (a motion hereafter referred to as ‘stroking’), thereby initiating the next rolling cycle.”
Here’s a video capturing the rolling of a dwarf reed snake.
{{/usCountry}}Here’s a video capturing the rolling of a dwarf reed snake.
{{/usCountry}}"Rolling allows them to escape from danger very quickly," study first author Yosuke Kojima, a lecturer in the biology department at Toho University in Japan, told Live Science. The researcher added, “In our study, their peak forward velocity during rolling was, on average, four times that of normal undulating locomotion.”
About Dwarf reed snakes:
They are secretive and often nocturnal, reported Live Science. Although usually hidden beneath leaves or other natural objects, people at times see the snakes showing their roles.
Formal documentation of the snake’s rolling behaviour first appeared in a 2023 study. At the same time, Kojima's team began independently observing snake behaviour in Sarawak, Malaysia.
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"I had never seen anything like it before, and I immediately wanted to learn more about it," Kojima told the outlet. The researcher added, "Behavioral innovation can give rise to surprising new abilities that we would not expect from an animal's appearance alone.”
In addition to escaping danger, researchers believe that the movement also surprises and confuses predators.