While snakes do not possess powered flight, a unique group of snakes exhibits an ability to move through the air. These reptiles perform controlled descents, challenging conventional notions of limbless locomotion.
The Reality of Gliding Snakes
No snake species has wings or can achieve true powered flight. However, a select few species belonging to the genus Chrysopelea, commonly known as “flying snakes” or “gliding snakes,” are capable of controlled gliding. This movement is a form of controlled descent, allowing them to travel horizontally through the air rather than simply falling. They use this ability for various purposes, such as escaping predators or efficiently moving between trees in their arboreal habitats.
These snakes are the only known limbless vertebrates that can glide through the air. Their gliding performance can rival that of some familiar gliding animals, such as flying squirrels, allowing them to cover significant distances, sometimes as far as 100 meters (about 300 feet) from high points like treetops.
How Gliding Snakes Move Through Air
Gliding snakes employ a precise combination of physical adaptations and behaviors to achieve their aerial maneuvers. When preparing to launch, a snake will often dangle from a branch in a J-shape before propelling itself forward.
As it becomes airborne, the snake flattens its body, splaying its ribs to create a concave, wing-like shape. This flattening can make the snake’s body up to twice its normal width, transforming its cross-section into a roughly triangular form with a flat underside.
Once airborne, these snakes undulate their bodies in a three-dimensional S-shape, appearing to “swim” through the air. This undulatory motion, characterized by high-amplitude traveling waves, is an active component for stability and control during the glide. Research has shown that without this aerial undulation, the snakes quickly lose stability and tumble.
The undulations involve both horizontal and vertical waves, with the head remaining relatively stable while the rest of the body oscillates, allowing the snake to maintain balance, generate lift, and even steer its trajectory.
Habitats of Gliding Snakes
Gliding snakes, belonging to the genus Chrysopelea, are primarily found in the tropical regions of South and Southeast Asia, including countries like India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. These slender, arboreal snakes inhabit dense vegetation, such as tropical rainforests, forests, and woodlands. They are often found in trees and sometimes near water sources.
There are five recognized species within the Chrysopelea genus:
The golden flying snake (Chrysopelea ornata), which can reach lengths of up to 100 cm (40 inches).
The paradise tree snake (Chrysopelea paradisi), growing to about 91 cm (36 inches).
The Moluccan flying snake (Chrysopelea rhodopleuron).
The Indian flying snake (Chrysopelea taprobanica).
The banded flying snake (Chrysopelea pelias).
These snakes are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day, and their diet typically consists of lizards, birds, bats, and rodents. While they are mildly venomous, their venom is generally considered harmless to humans.