✍︎ Maddy Delos Reyes
If you saw a snake standing upright you would probably. Stare. Not just because you are scared of the snake. Also because you are confused. How is it even possible?
We used to think that snakes were creatures of the ground. It slither, coil andglide through grass or across branches. It doesn’t stand. It doesn’t rise like humans do. Yet in quiet forests and hidden corners of nature some snakes do lift their bodies upward and hold themselves tall as if the snake is ignoring gravity. This sounds veryhard to believe.
Scientists spent years trying to understand how snakes manage this strangeability. At first, the answer seemed like it had to be strength. After all, holding your bodyupright especially without legs should require a lot of power. But what they found wassomething more interesting and more relatable. Snakes don’t rely on strength alone. Itrelies on balance. Instead of trying to make their whole body stiff, snakes put their effortinto the part of their body that is, near the bottom, the part of the snake that touches theground or a branch.
In a way, it’s doing something very human. Because standing tall whetherphysically or emotionally, is never about being perfectly steady. It’s about making smallcorrections along the way. There’s also something else that makes this possible. Snakes are deeply aware of their own bodies. This awareness helps them respond quickly and stay balanced, even in an unstable position.
References:
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/how-snakes-defy-gravity-to-stand-tall
