Flying robots inspired by tree snakes may sound ridiculous, but they're closer than you might think to becoming a reality.

The image of airborne snakes may seem like the stuff of nightmares (or a certain Hollywood movie), but in the jungles of South and Southeast Asia it is reality. Flying snake is a misnomer, since ...

Researchers explore the lift production mechanism of flying snakes, which undulate side-to-side as they move from the tops of trees to the ground to escape predators or to move around quickly and ...

For some the sight of a snake slithering on the ground is scary enough, so how about one launching itself through the air? Chrysopelea paradisi -- the paradise tree snake -- does just that ...

This may be the last thing that anyone with a touch of ophidiophobia - fear of snakes - would want to hear: flying snakes have surprisingly good aerodynamic qualities.

The snake dangles 49 feet (15 meters) off the ground, tail entwined around a branch. Suddenly, the animal rears up and launches, flinging its body toward the forest floor.

For some, the sight of a snake slithering on the ground is scary enough, so how about one launching itself through the air? Chrysopelea paradisi -- the paradise tree snake-- does just that ...