Dwarf reedsnakes roll to escape, faster than they wriggle

What BBN said about it

1. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorResearchers at Toho University in Japan have studied how tiny dwarf reedsnakes escape danger by rolling along the ground, Phys.org reports.

2. 

   Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorWhich proves what I've always sworn. Snakes are slow, and you can stroll away from any of them.

3. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe study, in the journal Current Biology, filmed them from several angles on a racetrack only twenty centimeters wide.

4. 

   Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorA snake racetrack. That's the first sport I'd actually watch.

5. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorPeak speeds ran from three point eight to eight point three miles an hour. That's about four times the top speed of their usual wriggle.

6. 

   Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorFour times?

7. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe snakes kept their heads pointed the way they were going while the back half spun. They're under twelve inches long, Popular Science says.

8. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSo that old idea about snakes being slow is a myth.

9. 

   Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorFine. New belief: if I roll to the studio, I beat traffic and my head stays level.

10. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe snake's head faces forward the whole way. Yours would be facing the carpet.