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They glide smoothly over hot sand, dash across the ground, swim through the water, climb trees or even “fly” through the air.

Snakes lost their legs around 100 million years ago and since then have been able to get on quite well in different habitats even without them.

Scientists at the Universities of Colorado and Cincinnati were almost knocked out of their socks when they surprisingly discovered yet another way of locomotion for reptiles.

That was a shock.

I had never seen anything like it before.

Thomas Seibert, biologist at the University of Cincinnati

Source: Bjorn Lardner

Specifically, it is about the climbing skills of brown night tree snakes (

Boiga irregularis

), which the researchers describe in their study in the journal "Current Biology":

They loop around a tree like a lasso and then slowly slide upwards.

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These approximately three meter long snakes were originally only native to the north of Australia and the offshore islands there.

But humans probably dragged them as stowaways on American troop transports to various Pacific islands in the 1940s and 1950s.

Since the vipers had no natural enemies there, they were able to reproduce unhindered - to the chagrin of some bird species.

Guam, the largest island in the Mariana Archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean, was hit particularly hard.

Source: WORLD infographic

Most of Guam's native forest birds have disappeared.

There is only a relatively small population of Caroline starlings and one other cave breeder.

Julie Savidge, director of studies from Colorado State University

To protect the birds, the researchers had installed nesting boxes on masts.

However, it was easy for the snakes to climb the poles.

To keep them from pillaging the hatchery, the scientists attached protective sheets to the boxes.

The biologists assumed that these wide and smooth surfaces would be insurmountable for the snakes.

But you thought wrong: the reptiles continued to rob the nests.

Just how did they make it into the boxes?

To clarify this question, the researchers looked at footage from surveillance cameras.

We'd been watching video for about four hours when we suddenly saw this snake lassoing the pillar and winding its body upward.

Thomas Seibert, co-study author, Colorado State University

In the video you can see how brown night tree snakes swing the lasso:

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Actually, snakes climb trees using the accordion method.

They support themselves with the end of their body on the tree and push themselves forward, then hold on to their front part and pull their end towards them.

With the lasso technique, however, your entire body is in contact with the object you want to climb, so that you have more grip and do not slip off even on smooth surfaces.

In the laboratory, the researchers filmed climbing experiments with some night tree snakes and analyzed the method in more detail.

It was found that the animals initially put their backside like a loop around the pillar.

The head and front part point upwards.

Then they push themselves upwards inch by inch with small, wave-like movements within the lasso loop.

Source: Tom Seibert / Colorado State University / Jayne, Bruce (jaynebc)

Disadvantage of this type of locomotion: It is quite tedious and requires a lot of strength.

According to the scientists, the snakes run out of breath quickly.

Therefore, the snakes will probably only use the lasso method if it is really worthwhile.

Technology pushes them to their limits.

The queues have to take longer breaks to rest.

Bruce Jayne, biologist and specialist in locomotion and muscle function, University of Cincinnati

When snakes are used as mini masseurs

A spa in Egypt's capital Cairo offers snake massages.

Source: WELT / Kevin Knauer

With the new findings, the researchers now want to develop protective measures for the birds that even lasso-wielding snakes cannot overcome.

They would also like to observe other tree snakes to see whether they have also mastered the extraordinary climbing technique.