while birds , and even humans using glider wings , are much better at their airborne maneuvers , the snake 's performance compares favorably to that of other gliding animals , such as flying squirrels , lizards and even ants , socha said .
scientists already knew that flying snake .
no snake - shaped planes to answer one part of the puzzle , the team created physical models of the cross - section and tested them in a water tunnel , which , if set up properly , can have the same flow characteristics as air , by charles q. choi snakes do n’t need to be on a plane to fly : five species of the gliding reptiles can soar as far as 100 feet ( 30 meters ) in the tropical rain forests of southeast asia .
 
clues from 3 - d printing to learn more about the aerodynamic forces the snakes generate , socha and his colleagues used a 3 - d printer , which works by depositing layers on top of layers to create 3 - d objects .
the findings , published today ( jan. 29 ) in the journal of experimental biology , show that the southeast asian snake 's flattened , ufo - like cross - section gives it the right aerodynamic surface , according to biomechanist jake socha , of virginia polytechnic institute and state university in blacksburg , and his colleagues .
scientists have discovered the secret behind how these snakes stay airborne — they twist their bodies into an s shape that resembles an alien ’s flying saucer from the side .
as frightening as the idea of a 4 - foot ( 1.2 - meter ) flying snake might be to some , these mildly venomous reptiles are harmful only to small prey .
[ see images of the flying snake ] gliding animals the weird flying snake , chrysopelea paradisi , curls its tail around a tree branch more than 50 feet ( 15 meters ) above the ground before launching upward , curling its body and gliding to the next tree limb .