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Researchers Show Dwarf Reed Snakes “Cartwheel” Escape Speed

By Drooid · Oct 20, 2026, 3:19 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Toho University researchers demonstrated dwarf reed snakes cartwheel at 1.7–3.7 m/s on a 2.2-meter track.
The snakes moved four times faster than slithering, reaching six to 13 km/h.
All five Pseudorabdion species rolled, while six Calamaria reed snakes did not.
High-speed video showed a side-alternating stroke that keeps the head upright and forward.
The rolling escape was first formally described in 2023 after a 2019 sighting in Malaysia’s Kubah National Park.

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Story summary

Toho University researchers demonstrated dwarf reed snakes cartwheel at 1.7–3.7 m/s on a 2.2-meter track.
The snakes moved four times faster than slithering, reaching six to 13 km/h.
All five Pseudorabdion species rolled, while six Calamaria reed snakes did not.
High-speed video showed a side-alternating stroke that keeps the head upright and forward.
The rolling escape was first formally described in 2023 after a 2019 sighting in Malaysia’s Kubah National Park.