How can a snake move without legs? Detailed answer

BIG ENCYCLOPEDIA FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS
Free library / Directory / Big encyclopedia for children and adults

How can a snake move without legs? Detailed answer

Big encyclopedia for children and adults

Directory / Big encyclopedia. Questions for quiz and self-education

Did you know?

How can a snake move without legs?

Probably no creature evokes as many emotions in a person as a snake. There are over 2000 different types of these creatures. They live in almost all parts of the world, except for the polar regions. They live in soil, on land, in water and even on trees!

If you watch a snake crawling, you will not notice the movement of a single muscle, a single bone. Snakes do not have legs, but they can crawl over rocks, trees, and burrows.

On top of the snakes are covered with scales. They move in such a way that the back edge of each scale is repelled from a solid support. When the scales move forward, and the whole snake moves forward.

But what's really strange about the "gait" of a snake is how the scales themselves move. The snake has a huge number of ribs. The African viper has, for example, 145 pairs. Each rib is attached to a section of the spine. All departments are so articulated that the spine is very flexible.

The end of each pair of ribs is attached to large scales on the lower sides of the snake. She can independently move these scales. It turns out that the snake's legs are ribs, and the feet are scales.

When the reptile wants to accelerate, it bends its body into an S-shaped curve, pushes off the support - and the snake quickly crawls forward. In the skeletons of some snakes, such as boas, you can find traces of hind legs that they lost in the process of evolution. So it's likely that snakes did have legs at some point!

Author: Likum A.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

Who published an obituary for Fidel Castro?

A technical error on the CNN website on April 16, 2003 led to the publication of pre-prepared obituaries for a number of famous people: Dick Cheney, Ronald Reagan, Fidel Castro, John Paul II, Nelson Mandela and others.

Test your knowledge! Did you know...

▪ What is Scotland Yard?

▪ How is a cyclone different from an anticyclone?

▪ Where did the myth of lemming mass suicides come from?

See other articles Section Big encyclopedia. Questions for quiz and self-education.

Read and write useful comments on this article.

<< Back

Latest news of science and technology, new electronics:

Machine for thinning flowers in gardens 02.05.2024

In modern agriculture, technological progress is developing aimed at increasing the efficiency of plant care processes. The innovative Florix flower thinning machine was presented in Italy, designed to optimize the harvesting stage. This tool is equipped with mobile arms, allowing it to be easily adapted to the needs of the garden. The operator can adjust the speed of the thin wires by controlling them from the tractor cab using a joystick. This approach significantly increases the efficiency of the flower thinning process, providing the possibility of individual adjustment to the specific conditions of the garden, as well as the variety and type of fruit grown in it. After testing the Florix machine for two years on various types of fruit, the results were very encouraging. Farmers such as Filiberto Montanari, who has used a Florix machine for several years, have reported a significant reduction in the time and labor required to thin flowers. ... >>

Advanced Infrared Microscope 02.05.2024

Microscopes play an important role in scientific research, allowing scientists to delve into structures and processes invisible to the eye. However, various microscopy methods have their limitations, and among them was the limitation of resolution when using the infrared range. But the latest achievements of Japanese researchers from the University of Tokyo open up new prospects for studying the microworld. Scientists from the University of Tokyo have unveiled a new microscope that will revolutionize the capabilities of infrared microscopy. This advanced instrument allows you to see the internal structures of living bacteria with amazing clarity on the nanometer scale. Typically, mid-infrared microscopes are limited by low resolution, but the latest development from Japanese researchers overcomes these limitations. According to scientists, the developed microscope allows creating images with a resolution of up to 120 nanometers, which is 30 times higher than the resolution of traditional microscopes. ... >>

Air trap for insects 01.05.2024

Agriculture is one of the key sectors of the economy, and pest control is an integral part of this process. A team of scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Potato Research Institute (ICAR-CPRI), Shimla, has come up with an innovative solution to this problem - a wind-powered insect air trap. This device addresses the shortcomings of traditional pest control methods by providing real-time insect population data. The trap is powered entirely by wind energy, making it an environmentally friendly solution that requires no power. Its unique design allows monitoring of both harmful and beneficial insects, providing a complete overview of the population in any agricultural area. “By assessing target pests at the right time, we can take necessary measures to control both pests and diseases,” says Kapil ... >>

Random news from the Archive

Asus Transformer Pad Infinity tablet with 2560x1600 screen and Nvidia Tegra 4 processor 12.06.2013

Asus has officially unveiled a new version of the Transformer Pad Infinity tablet computer. The product received a new display and a different platform, and its appearance on sale is expected in the autumn of this year.

If the hardware platform of the previous version of the flagship Asus tablet running Android OS was based on the Nvidia Tegra 3 single-chip platform, then the new model uses the Nvidia Tegra 4 SoC, whose CPU runs at 1,9 GHz. The amount of RAM has increased to 2 GB, and the display resolution with the same diagonal of 10,1 inches has increased to 2560 x 1600 pixels (pixel density - 299 per inch). As before, the screen is made on an IPS type panel.

The tablet configuration also includes two cameras with a resolution of 5 and 1,2 megapixels, a dual-mode Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n wireless adapter with Miracast technology support and a Bluetooth 3.0 + EDR module, 32 GB of eMMC memory, a slot for memory cards microSD micro-HDMI video output. Due to the latter, it provides an output to an external screen of a video image with Ultra HD resolution.

Traditionally, the Transformer Pad Infinity will be available in two versions: as a standalone device or as a tablet + keyboard set. The latter contains a USB 3.0 port, an SD memory card slot and a 16 Wh lithium-polymer battery. At the same time, the capacity of the battery installed in the tablet itself is 31 Wh. The overall dimensions and weight of the mobile device are 263 x 180,8 x 8,9 mm and 600 grams, respectively, the dimensions and weight of the docking station are 263 x 180,8 x 7 mm and 450 grams, respectively.

The approximate cost of the Transformer Pad Infinity itself in the US is $400. For the presence of the keyboard in the kit will have to pay another $100.

Other interesting news:

▪ Electrostatic fly trap

▪ New RS-485 transceivers

▪ Single-chip controller SM2320 for portable external SSD

▪ Want to lose weight - sniff vanilla

▪ Ultra-thin flexible safety glasses

News feed of science and technology, new electronics

Interesting materials of the Free Technical Library:

▪ section of the site Encyclopedia of radio electronics and electrical engineering. Article selection

▪ article Tripods: what we stand on. video art

▪ article Who are trichologists? Detailed answer

▪ article Fire safety in administrative premises. Standard instruction on labor protection

▪ article Means for coloring hair. Simple recipes and tips

▪ article Solar batteries in multimeters and radio receivers. Encyclopedia of radio electronics and electrical engineering

Leave your comment on this article:

All languages of this page

Home page | Library | Articles | Website map | Site Reviews