Dwarf reed snakes cartwheel at speed to escape predators
Researchers in Japan have filmed the dwarf reed snake cartwheeling at high speed, using a tail-driven rolling motion to escape predators.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Researchers in Japan have filmed a dwarf reed snake cartwheeling at high speed to escape predators. The harmless, nocturnal snake is native to the jungles of Southeast Asia. The footage shows it flinging itself head first out of reach at four times the speed of simply slithering away.
The motion is described as rolling locomotion. The snake propels itself forward and upwards into the air by using muscles in its tail to extend its body. Its head stays at more or less the same height throughout the cartwheel. Even when the neck arches backwards, the head still turns to face the direction of travel. The researchers said the movement was very controlled and that they had not expected it.
The dwarf reed snake measures only about 20 centimetres. Its small size may help explain why launching itself off the ground and moving at up to nine miles an hour comes more naturally than it would to larger snakes. Almost any meat-eating animal would see the little snake as a morsel, so an escape mechanism is useful. The scientists slowed their footage to get a good look at the behaviour.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Researchers filmed the dwarf reed snake launching itself head-first at four times its normal slithering speed. | |
| The dwarf reed snake is about 20 centimetres long and can reach speeds of up to nine miles per hour. | |
| The dwarf reed snake propels itself by using tail muscles to extend its body. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV1 placed the item at the very end of its News at Ten bulletin after a long football report, so it had the feel of a quirky closing story. Its focus was on the mechanics of the cartwheel: slowed-down footage, the snake's stable head height, its controlled movement and its small size. It used a playful aside about ophidiophobia and did not discuss conservation, habitat loss or the study's publication details.
- “Ophidiophobes you know who you are might want to look away now.”
- “The snake propels itself forward and upwards into the air using the muscles in its tail to extend its body.”
- “It was very very controlled and I hadn't expected that.”
Broadcast Timeline
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