Do snakes jump?
No one likes to
come across a snake, especially if they are out
in the wilderness somewhere or in the desert.
There are several different kinds of poisonous
snakes that can be found in these ecosystems, so
coming across one may not only be scary but
quite dangerous to your life.
What makes a snake even scarier is that they are
quite agile and speedy in chasing after you.
Despite not having any limbs, the snake can move
about quite quickly and is able to pursue its
prey, often overtaking it. If you are a person
who is not incredibly quick, this can be the
demise you surely do not want to occur. Adding
to the fear that many have about these animals
is their ability to “jump” at those that are
approaching it. Snakes can be quite quick at
leaping at their prey or at those that they see
are a danger to them, allowing them to quickly
strike with their razor sharp fangs. It is an
amazing thing to see, but it begs the question
do snakes really jump?
This is how it may appear at first, but the
truth is that a snake cannot jump at all. What
they can do is spring back into a very tight
coil with their bodies. The muscles contract
quite tightly to allow the snake to get into
this formation. This is a great defense
mechanism for them, because it makes it very
difficult for predators to approach the snake
without being close to its head and those razor
sharp fangs.
If the snake feels that its defensive posture is
not sufficient enough for it to be able to
properly defend itself, then this is when it
strikes! Those muscles that were used to
contract and coil the animal into a very tight
spiral release and different muscles allowed the
snake to expand its body quickly. This pushes
the snake upward and outward in an incredibly
quick motion which is quite startling to most of
its victims. No longer is the prey the victim
here; the snake is now the combatant looking to
inflict the damage. This quick coil-like stance
that it can take allows it to launch forward
much like you would see on a spring. Quickly the
snake launches forward with its fangs out to
attack its enemy.
All the while, the snake never leaves the
ground. This is where the myth about this comes
into play. Too many people believe that the
snake is somehow able to launch itself off of
the ground, jumping towards its enemy to strike.
This is not the case at all. Instead, the snake
only leaves the ground if its fangs get caught
in the victim and the victim carries it away.
Read more: Snake
Control, Venomous
Snakes of Florida, How
to Identify Snakes, How
to Kill Snakes.
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