Some snakes seem to be little scaredy-cats, as new research finds when climbing trees, they hold on for dear life. The study researchers found snakes use a much greater force to grip tree trunks and other surfaces theyre climbing than is necessary. The finding suggests the reptiles prefer to play it safe rather than conserve energy, researchers say. Compared with moving horizontally on flat land, climbing up a vertical or inclined surface is difficult for animals. The key to this motion is finding a way to prevent the body from slipping as gravity pulls down, and different animals have solved this problem in different ways. Snakes also use friction to climb steep surfaces; more specifically, they alternate between contracting and extending their bodies in a motion called concertina locomotion. Basically, part of the body will have a static hold on whatever they are gripping, and the other part of the body will extend forward, said Greg Byrnes, an integrative biologist at Siena College in New York. Its like an accordion thats opening and closing.
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 13:42:50 +0000
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