Vote for BP.Net for the 2013 Forum of the Year! Click here for more info.

» Site Navigation

» Home
 > FAQ

» Online Users: 1,164

2 members and 1,162 guests
Most users ever online was 6,337, 01-24-2020 at 04:30 AM.

» Today's Birthdays

Ziggy31984 (40)

» Stats

Members: 75,014
Threads: 248,474
Posts: 2,568,391
Top Poster: JLC (31,651)
Welcome to our newest member, DetectiveIcarus
Results 1 to 2 of 2
  1. #1
    Bogertophis's Avatar
    Join Date
    04-28-2018
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    20,178
    Thanks
    28,069
    Thanked 19,730 Times in 11,794 Posts

    Flying snakes? Here's how they can glide through the air

    Flying snakes? Here's how they can glide through the air

    By Jack Guy, CNN
    Updated 7:08 PM ET, Tue June 30, 2020




    (to watch the video > > > ) http://www.cnn.com/2020/06/30/world/...scn/index.html

    (CNN)For some, the sight of a snake slithering on the ground is scary enough, so how about one launching itself through the air?

    Chrysopelea paradisi -- the paradise tree snake -- does just that, propelling through the air from trees in South and Southeast Asia.
    Little was known about how such snakes "fly" before a team of scientists from Virginia Tech published a new research paper Monday.

    Researcher Jake Socha with a snake at Virginia Tech.




    Experts say the snakes glide through the air, so study lead author Isaac Yeaton told CNN the team set out to understand how they do so.







    The snakes make an undulating motion as they move through the air, and researchers had been curious as to why they did it.
    The team had a basic understanding of undulation, thanks to the work of study author Jake Socha, who has been studying the snakes for around 20 years, said Yeaton.










    All snakes undulate when they move across the ground, but flying snakes also do it in the air.

    The paradise tree snake lives in South and Southeast Asia.




    You don't strictly need to undulate to fall, so that leads to the question 'well then why are they undulating,'" said Yeaton.
    One hypothesis was that it was a base motor pattern for snakes built in over millions of years, but Yeaton said they now understand the undulation stabilizes the glide and stops the snake from tumbling, as well as allowing them to cover more horizontal distance.
    The researchers carried out indoor experiments with live snakes at Virginia Tech and also developed a computational model. "It's a big step forward," said Yeaton.


    Snakes had back legs for 70 million years before losing them, new fossil shows


    The next stage for researchers is to observe snakes jumping from trees -- or gliding -- outdoors, Yeaton said, as well as investigating how they generate lift and how they turn in the air.
    He told CNN snakes are "question-generating organisms" and there are plenty more mysteries to be solved.
    "As soon as you watch it you're like 'how does it do that?'" said Yeaton, who added that this might be why so many people are afraid of the reptiles.
    "We have a visceral response to snakes," he said. "Then the idea that this animal can then fly is very unsettling to people."
    The full research was published in the journal Nature Physics.
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 06-30-2020 at 08:42 PM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

  2. The Following User Says Thank You to Bogertophis For This Useful Post:

    Spicey (07-01-2020)

  3. #2
    Bogertophis's Avatar
    Join Date
    04-28-2018
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    20,178
    Thanks
    28,069
    Thanked 19,730 Times in 11,794 Posts
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v4.2.1