Cartwheeling Snake Evades Danger, Scientists Discover

Researchers have discovered that the dwarf reed snake, found in Southeast Asia, can cartwheel as a means of escape from predators. The behavior was documented for the first time in a paper published in the Biotropica journal. The snake performs active cartwheeling by repeatedly launching the coils of its body into the air and rolling down inclines. The behavior startles and confuses visually oriented predators and leaves a patchy scent trail that could throw predators off their scent, giving the snake more time to escape.