Paradise flying snake
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Chrysopelea
Species:
C. paradisi
Binomial name
Chrysopelea paradisi
Boie, 1827

Paradise tree snake or paradise flying snake (Chrysopelea paradisi) is a species of snake found in southeastern Asia. It can, like all species of its genus Chrysopelea, glide by stretching the body into a flattened strip using its ribs. It is mostly found in moist forests and can cover a horizontal distance of 10 meters or more[2] in a glide from the top of a tree. Slow motion photography shows an undulation of the snake's body in flight while the head remains relatively stable, suggesting controlled flight. They are mildly venomous with rear fangs and also can constrict their prey, which consists of mostly lizards and bats.

Kinematics

The flying snake has a unique kinematic that is different compared to other animals with gliding or flight because they are cylindrical and do not have limbs such as legs or wings.[3] Although the flying snake does not display visible characteristics that contribute to its ability to glide, there are three aspects that have been studied and found to have great positive effects on this. Their form of takeoff which is most commonly the anchored J-loop take-off,[4] once airborne their cross sectional body is shaped into a triangle [5] and their bodies use an aerial undulation to maximize the distance traveled.[6]

Paradise flying snake from Bukit Lawang, Indonesia

Distribution

Thailand (incl. Phuket), Cambodia, Indonesia (Bangka, Belitung, Java, Mentawai Archipelago, Natuna Archipelago, Nias, Riau Archipelago, Sumatra, We, Borneo, Sulawesi), Brunei Darussalam; India (Andaman Islands), Malaysia (Malaya and East Malaysia); Myanmar (Burma); Philippine Islands (including Sulu Archipelago, Negros Oriental, Siquijor, Panay, Luzon); Singapore; Race celebensis: Indonesia (Sulawesi) ; Bangladesh (Sylhet, Chittagong, Khulna, Race: Golden Flying Snake).

Race variabilis: Philippine Islands (including Sulu Archipelago)

Paradise Flying Snake at the Children's Aquarium at Fair Park

References

  1. ↑ Vogel, G.; Wogan, G.; Diesmos, A.C.; Gonzalez, J.C.; Inger, R.F. (2014). "Chrysopelea paradisi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T183189A1732041. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T183189A1732041.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "Here's how flying snakes stay aloft". Science News. 2020-06-29. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  3. ↑ Socha, J. J. (2011, August 3). Gliding flight in Chrysopelea: Turning a snake into a wing. OUP Academic. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://academic.oup.com/icb/article/51/6/969/616152?login=true
  4. ↑ Socha, J. J. (1 September 2006). "Becoming airborne without legs: the kinematics of take-off in a flying snake, Chrysopelea paradisi". Journal of Experimental Biology. 209 (17): 3358–3369. doi:10.1242/jeb.02381. PMID 16916972.
  5. ↑ Holden, D.; Socha, J. J.; Cardwell, N. D.; Vlachos, P. P. (29 January 2014). "Aerodynamics of the flying snake Chrysopelea paradisi: how a bluff body cross-sectional shape contributes to gliding performance". Journal of Experimental Biology. 217 (3): 382–394. doi:10.1242/jeb.090902. PMID 24477611.
  6. ↑ Socha, J. J. (15 May 2005). "A 3-D kinematic analysis of gliding in a flying snake, Chrysopelea paradisi". Journal of Experimental Biology. 208 (10): 1817–1833. doi:10.1242/jeb.01579. PMID 15879063.
  • Boie, F. 1827 Bemerkungen über Merrem's Versuch eines Systems der Amphibien, 1. Lieferung: Ophidier. Isis van Oken, Jena, 20: 508–566.
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