DARPA believes flying snakes can help U.S. military services

Snakes have a way of crawling into people’s nightmares. This can be a fact that Indiana Jones would never dispute. But what about flying snakes? Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency really wants to get up close and personal with a particular breed found in southeast Asia, India and southern China. The Chrysopelea ornata (ornate flying snake) may just have military utility. The tree-dwelling serpent typically grows two to three feet long and can glide long distances. The Department of Defense is backing a Virginia Tech research to discover how the flying snakes accomplish this, reports the Washington Post.

How do the flying snakes do it?

Scientists have observed that most animals having the ability to glide in air accomplish this with fixed wings or body parts that resemble wings, but these flying snakes do something entirely different. Snakes that appear to be slithering in midair are from the Chrysopelea genus. They are observed using this ability to move as far as 800 feet in a single glide and from as high as 200 feet. This glide is described by John Socha of Virginia Tech as, "They become one long wing."

Turning midair is possible

One way in which the Chrysopelea ornate flies still confuses scientists. They take a leap and fall to gain speed, then out of nowhere change directions. DARPA is more interested in advanced military technology, and once this discovery was found they took over sponsorship from the National Geographic Society. DARPA won't reveal much about its research except the, "physical dynamics of snake flight," are of great interest. Flying snakes venom can kill a small lizard, but won't hurt a human.

The origin of the winged serpent

Dinosaurs are where they think this species comes from. Ancient humans might are influenced by the flying snakes. In Aztec mythology there had been a feathered snake deity Quetzalcoatl that was part of the creation of human kind.

Articles cited

Washington Post

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/22/AR2010112206308.html

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalcoatl

Chrysopelea ornata takes flight

youtube.com/watch?v=iwDAsJCB2Pg