Scientists show how snakes can fly distances of up to 100ft
Scientists show how snakes can fly distances of up to 100ft
Thursday 30 Jan 2014 12:11 pm
Some snakes don’t need a plane – they simply fly, scientists have discovered.
The serpents, which can leap up to 100ft from large trees and glide through the air, were observed adopting an S-shape in their flight.
They ‘slithered’ through the air and ‘look like they are swimming’, said Dr Jake Socha from Virginia Tech Wake Forest University in the US.
‘They turn their whole body into one aerodynamic surface.’
The team studied the creatures in a Southeast Asia rainforest and found the paradise flying snake – Chrysopelea paradisi – morphs its shape by ‘splaying its ribs and flattening its body’ in place of wings.
They looked closely at its unique cross-sectional shape and tested the theory using a model in a water tunnel.
More:
http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/30/scientists-show-how-snakes-can-fly-distances-of-up-to-100ft-4283257/
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and tell him it's safe to get on the plane because the f#%king snakes now ARE the plane. 
Because, seriously 
Flying snakes have been known around DU for even longer, but the links are broken.