Some tiny snakes in Southeast Asia escape danger in an unusual way. They turn their bodies over and over instead of moving along the ground in the usual way. Scientists studied three kinds of these snakes. They collected them in Kubah National Park in Malaysia. The snakes were about 11 to 28 centimetres long. They often hid under leaves.
The team put each snake on a track 2.2 metres long. They gave it a gentle tap to make it move. Cameras filmed from above and from the side. All three kinds of snake rolled. Six other snakes from a different group did not. The rolling snakes reached about six to 13 kilometres per hour.
The videos show each step. First, a snake bends its body into a C shape and lifts its head. Then it throws its tail backwards. For a short moment, its whole body leaves the ground. Next, its tail moves over its head and comes down in front. When the tail touches the ground, the snake starts another turn. Its head stays quite steady. The scientists published their findings on 19 October in the science journal Current Biology.
