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A few species of snakes are called “sidewinders,” and new research finds their belly skin is as odd as their way of getting around.
Most snakes get from A to B by bending their bodies into S-shapes and slithering forward headfirst. Sidewinders, however found in the deserts of North America, Africa, and the Middle East have an odder way of getting around. These snakes lead with their mid-sections instead of their heads, slinking sideways across loose sand.
Scientists took a microscopic look at the skin of sidewinders to see if it plays a role in their unique method of movement. They discovered that sidewinders’ bellies are studded with tiny pits and have few, if any, of the tiny spikes found on the bellies of other snakes.
Scientists zoom in on snake skin to see how they navigate sandy surfaces
Sidewinder snakes helped solve a puzzling conundrum.
Despite having a similar body shape and structure, not all snakes move in the same way. Most, when they move from A to B, slither head-first. But a minority of them (especially desert snakes) do it differently: they slither with their mid-sections first, slithering sideways across the loose sand. Now, researchers know why.
At first glance, you’d think that snakes have a hard time moving around after all, they have no legs. But here’s the thing: not only do snakes do just fine by slithering, they’re found in almost all environments on Earth, managing to thrive on a variety of surfaces, including sandy environments.