'Lasso locomotion' in snakes

[Eldorado]

Scientists have identified an entirely new mode of snake locomotion. The newly documented climbing behaviour is difficult, but allows snakes to impressively shimmy up large, smooth cylinders.

Researchers have dubbed it 'lasso locomotion', because the snake climbs poles by lassoing its body around the cylindrical structures, gripping them tightly in a looped noose from torso to tail.

The phenomenon, which expands the known climbing repertoire of snakes, seems to let the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) ascend much larger smooth cylinders than any previously known climbing behaviour – and may constitute the first entirely new form of snake movement identified in recent history.

Full article at Science Alert: Link

[Michelle]

This gives me chills. I always took a little solace convincing myself that snakes couldn't climb up a smooth surface. No matter how many time I've shown my husband reports about snakes in toilets he still swears they can't come up the drain. He LIES!