Flying Snakes

An airborne serpent can be the stuff of nightmares or a delicious aerodynamic puzzle. Read the story here: http://nyti.ms/1dOkdRA Subscribe on YouTube: http://bit.ly/U8Ys7n Watch more videos at: http://nytimes.com/video --------------------------------------------------------------- Want more from the New York Times? Twitter: https://twitter.com/nytvideo Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nytimes Google+: https://plus.google.com/+nytimes/ Whether it's reporting on conflicts abroad and political divisions at home, or covering the latest style trends and scientific developments, New York Times video journalists provide a revealing and unforgettable view of the world. It's all the news that's fit to watch. On YouTube. Flying Snakes | ScienceTake w/ James Gorman | The New York Times http://www.youtube.com/user/TheNewYorkTimes

A study has revealed exactly how gliding snakes [genus Chrysopelea] contort their bodies to cover a great deal of ground after leaping into the air. http://bbc.in/1jNyO2S http://youtu.be/UczKUylZDv8?t=23m25s When it leaps off a high tree branch, it rotates its ribs forwards and upwards, making its body double in width. This transforms it into a much flatter, aerodynamic shape similar to an airplane wing. It moves its head back and forth, which passes waves down its body like its swimming in air. Professor Jake Socha carried out the study by creating a plastic copy of the snake's cross section and placing it in a tank of flowing water and gathering data on the way the water moves around it using lasers and high-speed cameras. Subscribe to The Daily Conversation https://www.youtube.com/TheDailyConversation Facebook http://www.facebook.com/thedailyconversation Google+ https://plus.google.com/100134925804523235350/posts Twitter http://www.twitter.com/thedailyconvo

Find out how this snake hunts by flying through the air from forest treetops. Subscribe to Discovery UK for more great clips: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=DiscoveryTV Follow Discovery UK on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DiscoveryUK