Sidewinding

Sidewinding is a special way that some snakes move. It helps them travel on loose or slippery surfaces like sand or mud. Some snakes that use this method include the Saharan horned viper, the Mojave sidewinder rattlesnake, and the Namib desert sidewinding adder. In Southeast Asia, certain water snakes also sidewind across muddy areas near the coast.

This way of moving comes from a snake’s natural way of slithering, called lateral undulation. But sidewinding adds an up-and-down motion. The snake’s head moves in a loop, and parts of its body lift off the ground as it progresses. This leaves behind a series of J-shaped tracks.

Sidewinding snakes have special belly scales with tiny holes that reduce friction. This helps them move more easily over sand. Because their body doesn’t slide, we can see the shape of their belly scales in the tracks they leave. Interestingly, sidewinder rattlesnakes can even climb sandy slopes by adjusting how much of their body touches the sand. Scientists have studied this to build small robots that copy snake movements.