Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Flying Snakes

Posted by michael on from the chinese-needle-snakes dept.

belgin writes "For those who never cease to be fascinated by the strange stuff you can find on our own planet, add snakes to the list of animals that can 'fly' without real wings. CNN's story covers this interesting phenomenon. Chicago researcher Jake Socha, says that the Singapore Paradise tree snakes glide as well as flying squirrels without the assistance of wing flaps. He is using a pair of cameras and unnamed software to construct a 3D biomechanical model of what the snakes do that lets them glide. This may inspire a few more cool projects. Apparently, the Twin-barred and Golden tree snakes from the same area pulls the same stunt. FlyingSnake.org, Socha's web site, might be a good place to start for more details, but it seems rather under construction."

3 of 25 comments (clear)

  1. human potential by liquidice5 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Maybe they could create a large scale version of this, for sky diving covertly, if it worked, they might be able to make un detectable parachutes that are long and snake-like

    I do not know the mechanics of something like this, but it would be cool if it would work

    also, does anyone know if radar can detect regular parachutes, because you would think it could, but then again, rampant guessing is amuck

    --

    Conscience is the inner voice that warns us somebody is looking - H.L. Mencken
    1. Re:human potential by DavidYaw · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I don't know if radar can detect the parachutes, but it can detect the parachutist. Some of the guys I work with used to work on military radar, and one time they told me a story about going to the testing grounds in Arizona, and there were a couple of people sky diving that day, and the sky divers thought it was really cool that they could see this nice smooth arc of their fall on the radar screen. (The story was told from the perspective of "stupid sky divers were thrilled to have a couple thousand watts of radio energy pointed at them", but the point remains...)

      So regardless of whether radar can pick up the parachute or a weird snake-shaped parachute, it can still pick up the parachutist.

  2. Re:Great, Now not only on the ground, but in the s by mberman · · Score: 3, Interesting

    At least they're not as bad as drop crocs

    --

    This is a self-referential sig