{"id":42144,"date":"2024-09-27T17:45:09","date_gmt":"2024-09-27T15:45:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/1920cb0f-5a0b-4835-a53f-6315fc86704d"},"modified":"2024-09-27T18:27:31","modified_gmt":"2024-09-27T16:27:31","slug":"snakes-that-can-fly-yes-learn-all-about-flying-snakes-and-how-they-soar-through-the-air-to-catch-and-kill-their-unaware-victims","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/snakes-that-can-fly-yes-learn-all-about-flying-snakes-and-how-they-soar-through-the-air-to-catch-and-kill-their-unaware-victims\/","title":{"rendered":"Snakes that can fly? Yes! Learn all about flying snakes and how they soar through the air to catch and kill their unaware victims…"},"content":{"rendered":"

All you ever needed to know about flying snakes, from how they fly to where they live <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Friday, 27 September 2024 at 15:45 PM<\/p>

\n\n

Fictional\u00a0\u201cflying snakes\u201d\u00a0feature in famous games such as Dungeons and Dragons, Terraria and Pok\u00e9mon<\/a>\u00a0where they\u00a0occur in various forms,\u00a0including\u00a0a brightly winged serpent in a remote jungle, an\u00a0enemy spawning in a temple and\u00a0a\u00a0creature moving through the ozone layer consuming meteoroids. These characters seem far-fetched but\u00a0may\u00a0have been partly inspired by the real deal.<\/strong><\/p>

Do flying snakes really exist?<\/h2>
Yes – sort of! In South Asia and the Indian archipelago, there are serpents that can glide up to 30m between trees. Snakes belonging to the\u00a0Chrysopelea<\/em>\u00a0genus are the only limbless vertebrates capable of such a feat and are commonly referred to as flying snakes. Understandably we think they deserve a place on our weirdest snakes list<\/a><\/p>
How do flying snakes \u201cfly\u201d?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>How do snakes move?<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
Simultaneously, it undulates its body in an\u00a0 s-shape<\/a>, which helps stabilise its flight and control direction. This combination of body flattening and undulating movement allows\u00a0Chrysopelea<\/em>to navigate through the air with surprising agility.<\/p>
Why do they glide?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>
Chrysopelea<\/em>\u00a0species glide gracefully between trees in their forest habitats because it enables them to cover greater distances more efficiently than moving through branches or traversing the forest floor where they are more vulnerable to predators. \u201cFlying\u201d between trees\u00a0allows them to escape predators in the canopy, explore new territory and hunt prey.<\/p>
How fast do flying snakes ‘fly’?<\/strong><\/h2>Their gliding speed is around 11m\u00a0per second<\/a> – pretty nippy<\/p>
Do any other reptiles \u201cfly\u201d?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>
Draco lizards such as the common flying dragon (Draco\u00a0volans<\/em>) and related species, and gliding geckos (Ptychozoon<\/em>\u00a0species) can glide like flying snakes and use special adaptions to move between trees. Draco lizards\u00a0rely on their\u00a0elongated\u00a0ribs\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0folds of skin between their ribs\u00a0that\u00a0act like wings\u00a0to\u00a0move through the air. <\/p>
Their\u00a0slender\u00a0tails are\u00a0used\u00a0to steer\u00a0while aloft. Gliding geckos have flaps of skin\u00a0on their body that function like a parachute when they jump from tree branches. Their webbed feet and flat tails\u00a0also assist their flights over short distances.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>
Flying animals: discover the different species that can take to the sky<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
Are there any venomous flying snakes?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>
Flying snakes are mildly venomous but are only a danger to their small prey. These diurnal serpents hunt lizards, birds, frogs, bats, mice and other rodents.\u00a0<\/p>
Where are flying snakes found?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>How many flying snake species are there?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>Flying snakes belong to the family\u00a0Colubridae. There are five species:\u00a0Chrysopelea<\/em>\u00a0ornate<\/em>(ornate flying snake);\u00a0Chrysopelea<\/em>\u00a0paradisi<\/em>\u00a0(garden flying snake);\u00a0Chrysopelea<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>pelias<\/em>;\u00a0Chrysopelea<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>rhabdopleurid<\/em>\u00a0(Moluccan flying snake) and\u00a0Chrysopelea<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>taprobanica<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>(Indian flying snake). According to the\u00a0IUCN<\/a>, three subspecies of\u00a0Chrysopelea<\/em>\u00a0paradisi<\/em>\u00a0are recognised:\u00a0Chrysopelea<\/em>. p. paradisi<\/em>\u00a0(the form represented throughout most of its range),\u00a0C. p.\u00a0<\/em>celebensis<\/em>\u00a0(endemic to Sulawesi) and\u00a0C. p. variabilis<\/em>\u00a0(endemic to the Philippines).<\/p>
How do they reproduce?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>
Not much is known about flying snake reproduction. These reptiles are\u00a0oviparous, meaning they lay eggs. The\u00a0clutch size\u00a0varies but typically contains about five to\u00a0eight\u00a0eggs. Hatchlings emerge independent and ready to hunt.<\/p>
How do snakes mate?<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
What\u00a0<\/strong>is their conservation status?<\/strong><\/h2>
All five species of\u00a0Chrysopelea<\/em>\u00a0are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN with the population trend unknown for\u00a0Chrysopelea<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>pelias<\/em>, stable for the garden flying snake, ornate flying snake and Moluccan flying snake, and decreasing for the Indian flying snake. The latter is very rare in India and widespread in Sri Lanka with declining\u00a0populations. It is threatened by logging, development and persecution in both of its range countries.<\/p>
What do flying snakes look like?<\/strong><\/h2>
Flying snakes have a flattened head with large eyes. Their body is slender with ribs\u00a0that flex (to flatten body when gliding)<\/p>
They are \u200bbrightly coloured (for camouflage in forest habitat)<\/p>
How big are flying snakes?<\/strong><\/h2>
Flying snakes are up to 120cm long\u00a0(varies depending on species)<\/p>
How long do flying snakes live?<\/strong><\/h2>
Their lifespan is around 10\u00a0years\u00a0in captivity (unknown in the wild)<\/p>
Is it true<\/strong> flying\u00a0snakes inspired\u00a0robotics?<\/strong><\/h2>Yes. A\u00a0 nature physics<\/em><\/a>\u00a0study used motion capture technology to reveal that undulation is vital for gliding in flying snakes.\u00a0Nature<\/em><\/a>\u00a0interviewed co-author Isaac\u00a0Yeaton, research engineer at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, regarding\u00a0his research and advances in robotics. \u201cThere\u2019s already been inspiration for borrowing snake undulation and translating that into robots, and that’s enabled those robots to move on sand or to swim or even move through really rough environments,\u201d he says. \u201cWe think that potentially you could use what we’ve found out about aerial undulation and translate that over into the snake robot to have a successful glide.\u201d<\/p>
<\/div><\/figure>Discover more fascinating snake facts and species<\/strong><\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/whats-the-worlds-fastest-snake\">What’s the world’s fastest snake?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/news\/snake-performs-cartwheels-to-escape-from-danger\">Snake performs cartwheels to escape from danger<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/reptiles\/deadliest-snakes\">The deadliest snakes in the world: Meet the world’s most venomous snakes and their lethal bite<\/a><\/li><\/ul> \u00a0<\/strong><\/p><p\/> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"All you ever needed to know about flying snakes, from how they fly to where they live <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":42145,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/09\/snakes-that-can-fly-yes-learn-all-about-flying-snakes-and-how-they-soar-through-the-air-to-catch-and-kill-their-unaware-victims.jpg",2127,1409,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/09\/snakes-that-can-fly-yes-learn-all-about-flying-snakes-and-how-they-soar-through-the-air-to-catch-and-kill-their-unaware-victims-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/09\/snakes-that-can-fly-yes-learn-all-about-flying-snakes-and-how-they-soar-through-the-air-to-catch-and-kill-their-unaware-victims-300x199.jpg",300,199,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/09\/snakes-that-can-fly-yes-learn-all-about-flying-snakes-and-how-they-soar-through-the-air-to-catch-and-kill-their-unaware-victims-768x509.jpg",768,509,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/09\/snakes-that-can-fly-yes-learn-all-about-flying-snakes-and-how-they-soar-through-the-air-to-catch-and-kill-their-unaware-victims-1024x678.jpg",800,530,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/09\/snakes-that-can-fly-yes-learn-all-about-flying-snakes-and-how-they-soar-through-the-air-to-catch-and-kill-their-unaware-victims-1536x1018.jpg",1536,1018,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/09\/snakes-that-can-fly-yes-learn-all-about-flying-snakes-and-how-they-soar-through-the-air-to-catch-and-kill-their-unaware-victims-2048x1357.jpg",2048,1357,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"All you ever needed to know about flying snakes, from how they fly to where they live","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/42144"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}