![]() To see the HUP in action one would say that it looks more like the snake is flowing over it's environment much like water. This requires very good neuromuscular control or "mind-belly coordination" as it were. Plus since many environments contain highly variable pivot points on them the snake must compensate on the fly. Some snakes such as Cobras are able to move with a good third of their body held off the ground, so the head doesn't have to start the movement. What one gets is many waves coming off the snake as each part of the body follows the direction of the head. The head pushes off an uneven portion of the ground and each succeeding bodypart follows where the head left off. ![]() By the person pushing diagonally off the ground he/she makes a forward movement. So imagine a person jumping in diagonal leaps. To put it another way: They go forward by moving sideways.ĭoesn't make a whole lot of sense does it? This method of movement is accomplished by the snake lashing it's body back and forth causing lateral waves that force longitudinal motion. It is used by most small to mid-sized to fairly big snakes and is incorporated in areas where the terrain is rather uneven or variable. This form of locomotion is the kind most commonly seen. Horizontal Undulatory Progression or Lateral Progression for short They push off of their environment, but instead of limbs they use their bellies tails and even their heads Snakes employ the same strategies that all other animals do to move. So what about snakes? Well they push too. Feet push against the ground, tails push bodies through the water and wings push bodies through the air. Well movement itself is simply a part of a creature's body propelling itself through it's environment usually by pushing off the environment itself. To start off there are four different types of movement and each one will be discussed below, but first let's just think about what it takes to move. How, though, do snakes perform this amazing feat? By using some fairly simple strategies along with some specialized muscles and long bodies. A fluid movement that leaves many of us in awe. ![]() While man might not like to crawl on his belly we still are envious of the fact that snakes seem to glide across the ground with the greatest of ease. Of all the many different ways to move, the slither of the snake has been one of the most fascinating and envied. "To walk is human, to slither divine"-Jurassosaurus Horizontal Undulatory Progression Rectilinear Progression Concertina Progression Sidewinding Side-Pushing Climbing Burrowing Swimming Jumping Flying
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