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About the Cover
Cover:
The paradise tree snake, Chrysopelea paradisi, in mid-glide. Despite their lack of wing-like appendages, flying snakes are skilled aerial locomotors. When airborne, they dorsoventrally flatten, form a large S-shaped posture, and pass lateral traveling waves from head to tail (see article by Socha, O'Dempsey and LaBarbera, pp. 1817-1833). Although these high-amplitude undulations visually dominate the behavior, their frequency is unrelated to the snake's glide performance. In general, smaller snakes are better gliders: smaller C. paradisi travel further than larger snakes and use lower sinking speeds (see article by Socha and LaBarbera, pp. 1835-1847). Also, C. paradisi are better gliders than the related C. ornata, which are generally longer, more robust and assume a less-flattened shape in cross-section during flight. Photo by Jake Socha.
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