EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Lateral undulation is the most common form of movement and is used by all snakes.

Detailed explanation-2: -Most snakes glide forward by using their ribs and belly scales to push backward, first on one side and then the other. Bigger snakes may push on both sides at the same time. Burrowing snakes and climbing snakes often move like an accordion. They stretch out the front of the body, then pull the rear part forward.

Detailed explanation-3: -During lateral undulation all points along the length of the snake move simultaneously and have sliding contact with the environment as regions bending to the left and right propagate along the entire length of the snake (Gray 1946).

Detailed explanation-4: -For several decades different types of snake locomotion have been categorized as one of four major modes: rectilinear, lateral undulation, sidewinding, and concertina. Recent empirical work shows that the scheme of four modes of snake locomotion is overly conservative.

Detailed explanation-5: -Serpentine locomotion uses the classic S curve and is the most common method of travel used by snakes. In lateral undulation, waves of sideways bending are propagated along the body from head to tail.