This timid tiny snake can safely cartwheel.

Researchers have discovered a species of snake that can actually cartwheel. The dwarf reed snake, Pseudorabdion longiceps, is small and nocturnal, and hides in leaf litter or under rocks or logs during the day. Its small size makes it vulnerable to birds and other snakes, such as the striped coral snake. However, researchers have documented the unusual defense mechanism, in a paper published Wednesday in the Biotropica journal. While conducting herpetological surveys for other species, researchers came across a startled adult dwarf reed snake that began “throwing the coils of its body into a loop and began rolling to try and escape,” managing to move 1.5 meters (around 5 feet) down the road in less than five seconds. Cartwheeling appears to be very metabolically taxing, so the snakes cannot sustain it for long periods of time, and it usually lasts only a few seconds.