While many snakes are known to be ground-dwellers, many species can ascend vertical surfaces. This ability comes from unique biological adaptations and specialized movements, allowing them to navigate diverse environments. Understanding how snakes achieve this reveals the intricate interplay between their anatomy and the physics of movement.
The Science of Snake Climbing
Snakes have highly muscular bodies, with up to 85% of their mass composed of muscle tissue, providing strength and control for climbing. Their flexible spines and numerous ribs, connected to ventral scales, enhance their ability to grip surfaces. These ventral scales are often rough or keeled, allowing them to catch on microscopic irregularities and create friction. Snakes can also angle these scales to maximize grip.
One primary climbing technique is concertina movement. The snake bunches up a section of its body to anchor firmly, then extends its front portion upward to find a new gripping point, pulling the rest of its body up. This method is effective on rough surfaces, as the snake pushes against the texture with its scales. Another method is rectilinear movement, used by large snakes, where belly scales are alternately lifted, pulled forward, and pushed backward, propelling the snake in a straight line. Snakes often apply more force than minimally required for grip, prioritizing safety to prevent falls.
Which Snakes Are Master Climbers
Many snake species are adept climbers, especially those with arboreal skills. Rat snakes, including black rat snakes and corn snakes, are often found scaling brick walls, telephone poles, and vinyl siding. These agile snakes frequently enter attics in pursuit of rodents. Their slender bodies and strong musculature contribute to their climbing.
Arboreal species like green tree pythons, vine snakes, and emerald tree boas have specialized adaptations for climbing. These include prehensile tails for balance and a slender body shape for navigating branches. The brown tree snake can use “lasso locomotion” to climb smooth, vertical cylinders by wrapping its body in a helical loop. Even some vipers, such as the golden lancehead and black mamba, climb trees to hunt birds and small mammals.
Surfaces and Limitations
A snake’s climb success is heavily influenced by surface texture. Rough, porous materials like brick, stucco, textured wood, and corrugated metal provide ample opportunities for their ventral scales to grip. These surfaces offer the necessary friction and irregularities for snakes to push off and ascend. Fences and stone walls also present climbable surfaces due to their inherent texture and gaps.
Smooth surfaces pose a significant challenge for snakes. Materials like glass, polished concrete, slick plastic, and sheer painted drywall offer minimal friction, making them difficult or impossible to climb for most species. While some snakes might attempt to “glass surf” in captivity, it is not an efficient climbing method, as their scales struggle to gain purchase. Limiting factors include lack of texture, surface angle, and the snake’s body weight relative to its grip ability. Larger, heavier snakes find it more challenging to climb smoother surfaces without ample points of purchase.