Cartwheels

When you're just a wee twisty, bendy rope of muscle, fang, and bone, your options may be slightly limited when you get yourself into a pickle.That's why the dwarf reed snake (Pseudorabdion longiceps) developed what appears to be a unique way of fleeing. When danger approaches, the small, South Asian serpent flings itself ass over teakettle in a bizarre cartwheeling motion that expedites its escape.A new paper represents the first time this behavior, rarely seen in any animals, has been documented in snakes."We report in…

It might be time to update our animal-related trivia. Scientists in Malaysia say they’re the first to document a species of snake that intentionally cartwheels. The behavior appears to be an evasive maneuver used against potential predators and may be common among other, similar species.The Mississippi River is Drying Out | Extreme EarthThe acrobatic reptile in question is known as the dwarf reed snake, or Pseudorabdion longiceps. It’s a small, nonvenomous, black to reddish snake found widely through parts of Southeast…