It is sad that so many people in our culture view these marvels of nature with such disdain. Yet, the snakes unusual, and for many, unnerving serpentine form has resulted in very specialized styles of locomotion, prey capture and swallowing. To solve the problem of no legs, snakes have developed several modes of locomotion. For fast, efficient movement, snakes use muscles and belly scales to move in the familiar S or serpentine motion. To maneuver through narrow passages, the snake braces itself in small S-shaped loops, then extends forward in what is described as concertina, or accordion movement.
Large snakes use what is called rectilinear movement to move in a straight line.
At any given time, only two-thirds of the snakes body is on the ground. The rest is lifted up and pulled forward by muscles. This is a slow, effective way to ambush prey. Desert vipers utilize a technique called sidewinding to move speedily over loose sand. The snake throws its body forward in loops while lying at a sixty-degree angle to the direction of travel.