QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by BENNET, S. Articles by TRUBATCH, S. L. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by BENNET, S. Articles by TRUBATCH, S. L.

Journal of Experimental Biology 60,161-165 (1974)
Published by Company of Biologists 1974

Quantitative Analysis of the Speed of Snakes as a Function of Peg Spacing

S. BENNET ¹, T. McCONNELL ¹, and S. L. TRUBATCH ¹

¹ Department of Physics-Astronomy, California State University, Long Beach, California 90840

1. The speed of snakes moving by lateral undulation was measured on a smooth board studded with equally spaced pegs arranged in a hexagonal pattern.

2. For some snakes speed was drastically reduced (by as much as 50%) as the ratio of body length to peg spacing was reduced from values as high as twelve to values near or below three.

3. Speed is also influenced by the relative orientation of the pegs contacted by the moving snake.

4. Snakes which can sidewind use this ability to maintain a constant speed when the number of contact points available is insufficient for continuous lateral undulation.