This is not a drill: Snakes can cartwheel

For the first time ever, a cartwheeling motion that is exceptionally rare in vertebrates has been documented in a snake species.

The Dwarf Reed snake (Pseudorabdion longiceps) is a nocturnal reptile that spends most of its time hiding in leaf piles or under rocks and logs. However, a new study published in journal Biotropica, has revealed how the animal can move using a bizarre rolling movement.

When threatened, the snake pulls its coils into an S-shaped loop before using its tail to push off the ground – throwing its body forward in a repeated ‘recoil-and-roll’ manoeuvre to create a cartwheeling motion.

During the study, scientists recorded one snake cartwheeling 1.5 metres in under five seconds.

The snake doesn't just cartwheel as a means to escape threats – the researchers believe it does this to startle and confuse predators.

Fortunately, you probably won't see a Dwarf Reed snake somersaulting towards you if you live in Europe or the Americas. The reptiles are mainly based in southeast Asia, ranging from southern Thailand and Singapore to Borneo and its surrounding islands.

While there have been anecdotal accounts of the cartwheeling Dwarf Reed snake, this study from the Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation marks the first time this movement has been formally documented in this or any other snake species.

According to the paper, small snakes have a range of typical defence mechanisms that include fleeing, camouflage, odours, intimidation and even playing dead.

The authors of the study believe that there may be other small snakes that cartwheel – especially those within the same family as the Dwarf Reed snake – but note that observing these species can be difficult given how reclusive they are.

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