How does a snake move without legs?

Have you ever seen a snake glide through the grass? It has no legs at all. No feet, no toes, no knees. Yet off it goes, smooth and quick.

Imagine lying on your tummy on a soft rug. Now try to move without using your arms or legs. That feels tricky, doesn't it? So how does a snake move without legs?

A snake's long body is full of strong muscles. The muscles pull one side of the body, then the other side. That bends the snake into wavy curves, like a wiggly letter S. These curves get the snake ready to move.

Now look at the ground under the snake. It is full of little rocks, sticks, bumps and tufts of grass. What do you think a curve does when it touches a bump?

Each curve presses its side against a bump. This is a push off, which means pressing back on something so you move ahead. The rocks and sticks stay put, so the snake moves instead!

With every push off, the snake slides a bit forward. You do the same thing in a swimming pool. You press your feet on the wall and zoom away.

The curves never stay in one place. The muscles keep making new curves near the head. Each curve rolls back along the body toward the tail. So the push off happens again and again, and on the snake goes.

Push off. A snake bends into curves that push off bumps, so its body slides forward.

Now you know the snake's wiggly secret, and you can share it with someone you love.