Folding and Stretching Many snakes, like the milk snake, slither along in an S-shaped path. Each point along its body follows the path set by its head and neck. T e movement is like the cars of a train following the engine as it moves along a track. When snakes are in narrow spaces, like a


tunnel or burrow, they can move by folding and then stretching their bodies. A snake bunches up half of its body until it’s wedged between the sides of a tunnel. T en it pushes against the tunnel to move forward. For some snakes, slithering is not an option.


If a horned viper in the Sahara tried to slither, the sand would just slip away under it. Instead, this snake moves by sidewinding. T e sidewinder liſt s up part of its body. T en


it pushes into the sand with the rest of its body. T is causes the snake to move sideways. By repeating this action, the snake moves sideways across the desert. It leaves a row of parallel tracks in the sand.


Big Snakes Some of the larger, bulkier snakes use a slow, creeping movement to get around. When the rainbow boa in Brazil wants to move ahead, it stretches its body out to its full length. T en it uses a special set of scales on its belly to push itself along the ground. T ese scales fan out from the body, grab


the earth, and push forward. By tightening and relaxing its muscles, the boa moves steadily and silently ahead in a straight line.


This young green tree python is yellow. It will turn emerald green when it gets older.


Special scales on its belly help the bulky rainbow boa creep forward.


SEPTEMBER 2015 5


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24