![]() ![]() This cartwheeling escape behaviour has also been observed in another instance by an observer at Lenggong, Perak state, who recorded it in a video that was uploaded on to YouTube. Pseudorabdion longiceps, also known as the dwarf reed snake, employs an extraordinary cartwheeling behaviour to escape predators, according to researchers who observed the snake's movements in South-East Asia. The cartwheeling motion was sustained by the snake repeating the recoil-and-roll manoeuvre. ![]() The secondary launch phase saw the snake throw its body forwards again, pushing sections of its body against the substrate upon contact. The snake coils its body into an S-shape loop, throws itself off the ground, and launches itself into the air.Īs the head and anterior portion of the body touched the ground, terminating the end of the airborne phase, the snake immediately coiled its neck and anterior part of the body to spring itself off the ground again, as the remaining airborne sections of the posterior end of the body and tail looped forward over the snake beyond the head. The cartwheeling behaviour consists of four phases: prelaunch, primary launch, airborne, and secondary launch. The team observed an adult snake cartwheeling about 1.5 metres in less than five seconds, using the rolling motion to rapidly cover ground and escape predators. Researchers documented the behaviour, which they believe evolved from the saltation, or jumping, behaviour of limbless lizards. They mainly prey on other snakes but their bites can be fatal to humans if untreated.Which venomous snakes and scorpions should you watch out for in the UAE? King cobras, native to South and Southeast Asia, are the world's longest venomous snake. He also stressed that king cobras are typically quite calm and unlikely to attack. "It won't get out, but hypothetically it's also so cold outside that it would doze off immediately," Wahlstrom said. Wahlstrom said there was no danger of it escaping outside. The reptile section was subsequently evacuated and has been closed until the escaped cobra is captured. "But now it's not hot at all and the new king cobra discovered this and wedged its head in between the lightbulb and the light fixture and managed to push itself out."Ī visitor managed to capture the escape on video, where a distressed person can be heard asking: "Is it safe to be here?"Ī staff member calmly replied: "No, but we're working on it." "The old light was so hot that no snake wanted to get close," Wahlstrom said. He explained that the escaped snake had an advantage over previous tenants: staff had recently replaced the lamp at the top of the enclosure with a low-energy bulb. The terrarium has housed king cobras for about 15 years, but it only took the new tenant a few days to find a way out, Wahlstrom told AFP. ![]() They have also brought in special cameras designed to inspect sewage pipes, in order to search the nooks and crannies out of reach. ![]() Staff have spread out flour to try and track the slithery fugitive and sticky traps have been deployed. The snake has now been renamed Houdini after the famed escape artist, said Jonas Wahlstrom, director of the Skansen Aquarium. He had only been brought to the zoo a few days earlier. The snake, named Sir Vas (Sir Hiss), escaped on Saturday through a lamp fixture in a terrarium and was believed to be somewhere in an inner ceiling. STOCKHOLM: A Swedish zoo has been partially shut down after a king cobra staged an impressive escape from its enclosure at the weekend, with staff on Monday still searching for the venomous vagrant. King cobras, native to South and Southeast Asia, are the world's longest venomous snake. ![]()
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