The gymnasts of the animal kingdom! Incredible footage shows some snakes performing CARTWHEELS

With their long, thin bodies, snakes are known for their silent, gliding movements when approaching unsuspecting prey.

However, a new study has found that some species are also gymnasts, able to cartwheel when needed.

Researchers from Universiti Malaysia Sabah studied pygmy reed snakes in Southeast Asia and were amazed to see the animals somersault when threatened.

“My colleagues and I were thrilled when we successfully acquired images documenting the cartwheeling behavior of this species,” said lead author Dr. Evan Seng Huat Quah.

“We think this behavior may be more widespread in other small snake species, particularly members of the subfamily Calamariinae, but the lack of records is likely an artifact of the challenges in recognizing and observing these enigmatic species.”

In the study, the team set out to understand the movements snakes make when they feel threatened.

Typically, snakes will display a range of tactics including flight, camouflage, coloring, scent, intimidation, and even faking their own deaths.

Occasionally, some small species will also use passive rolling when frightened.

However, the new study finds that pygmy reed snakes have turned to cartwheeling to escape predators.

The team ventured to the Malaysian state of Kedah, home to the dwarf reed snake – a small, nocturnal snake.

To simulate an approaching predator, the researchers poked a snake with a stick.

In response, the snake performed “active cartwheels,” repeatedly flinging the coils of its body in the air and rolling down inclines.

In the study, published in Biotropica, the researchers wrote: “Rolling or twisting behavior as an escape mechanism has been recorded in a few species and performed primarily by invertebrates.

“These include desert towers and an unidentified Salticidae, moth worms and larvae of four genera and six species of tiger beetle, the mantis shrimp, the ant, centipede and some isopods.

“However, the behavior is extraordinarily rare in vertebrates.”

The team now hopes to study the snakes of Southeast Asia to see if other species also cartwheel.

“There is still much to be learned about the behavior and ecology of the snakes found in Southeast Asia, and further observations and studies in the future are sure to uncover many more interesting aspects of their natural history,” the team concluded.