How do snakes move without legs?

You need your legs to walk and run. A snake has no legs at all — not even one! And yet it can zoom across the grass and even climb trees. What is its secret?

A long, bendy backbone

Inside a snake is a very long backbone, also called a spine. Yours has about 33 bones, but a snake’s spine can have hundreds of little bones joined together.

Because there are so many tiny pieces, the snake’s body is super bendy. It can curl into loops and twist into an S-shape, like a wiggly rope. Strong muscles all along its body pull it into those bends.

Pushing in waves

To move forward, a snake makes its body into wavy curves. Then it pushes the side of each curve against the ground, a bumpy stone or a plant.

Because the snake is pushing backward against all those things, the ground pushes it forward — and it slithers along! It is a bit like how you push off a wall to glide in a swimming pool.

Grippy belly scales

A snake’s tummy is covered in wide, flat scales. These scales can grip the ground, almost like the tread on a shoe or a tyre. The scales catch on rough spots so the snake does not slip backward as it slides.

Wonder fact: Some snakes can move in a perfectly straight line, creeping forward slowly using only their belly scales, with no wiggle at all!