According to the standard definition, running refers to the physical activity of moving quickly on foot, and must include a moment in each stride when all of the animal’s feet are off the ground. Following this logic, many animals, including humans, horses and hippos can run, but snakes, which don’t have feet, aren’t one of them.
Someone pour me a pint of pedantic pilsner; I need to wash down my nit-picking pie.
Snakes evolved from four-legged lizards around 100 million years ago. Along the way, it took them tens of millions of years to lose their legs, so if you’re expecting them to simply ‘grow a pair’ so you can run against them, don’t hold your breath. If evolution teaches us anything, it’s that changes of this magnitude take time.
Snakes may not be able to run, but they are extremely agile. They possess hundreds of flexible vertebrae connected to thousands of strong muscles, which enable different modes of movement.
Sidewinding, for example, can be used on hot or slippery surfaces. Muscular waves move down the body, lifting and twisting different sections before setting them down a smidgeon further on. This moves the snake diagonally.
Even more disconcertingly the snake can lift the top third of its body off the ground whilst it is moving, to improve visibility and prepare it to strike. Black mambas are twitchy, aggressive and highly venomous. Two drops of black mamba venom can be enough to kill a person. Small wonder that the black mamba is Africa’s most feared snake – and one competitor you should never challenge to a race.
When space is tight, concertina locomotion is used. The snake stretches out and braces the front part of its body, then draws in the rear like an accordion. Rectilinear motion is a ‘caterpillar-like’ movement that can be used for stalking prey.
The snake glides forward in a straight line as muscles alternately lift and pull their belly scales against the ground. The most familiar mode of locomotion, however, is lateral undulation. The snake’s body morphs into a rippling S-shape, in which the loops are used to push off against stones, vegetation and other bumpy bits of ground. This can be surprisingly pacy.
The black mamba is one of the most dangerous snakes in the world because of its speed. Native to sub-Saharan Africa, it uses lateral undulation to cover long distances, cruising along at speeds up to seven miles per hour.
Not so fast, you say, but over short sprints, black mambas can easily reach speeds of 14 miles per hour. Some say they can reach 20 miles per hour. This is faster than most people can sprint. Even more disconcertingly, the snake can lift the top third of its body off the ground whilst it is moving, to improve visibility and prepare it to strike. Black mambas are twitchy, aggressive and highly venomous. Two drops of black mamba venom can be enough to kill a person. Small wonder that the black mamba is Africa’s most feared
