Meeting Abstract

36.4  Friday, Jan. 4  Stopping the snake strike. YOUNG, Bruce A*; PETERSON, JoHanna; WALDRON, Zack; SMITH, Tamara; Washburn University; Washburn University; Washburn University; University of Nebraska – Kearney bruce.young@washburn.edu

The snake strike is generally represented in one of two incongruent ways. In the first the strike is understood as essentially a ballistic lunge, in which the snakes exhibit little or no fine control or modulation. In the second the strike is understood as a highly precise episode of neuromuscular coordination. Resolving these divergent conceptualizations of the snake strike could provide insight into both the motor control of the strike, and the efficacy of envenomation. High-speed kinematic analyses of the rattlesnake strike have reported contradictory results as to whether or not the snake decelerates prior to impact; deceleration, if it occurs, would be a key feature of the strike and clearly demonstrates active control. To explore this in more detail, the snake strike was examined using a combination of high-speed digital videography, force plate analysis, and center of gravity modeling. Furthermore, a diverse group of strikes were examined including the defensive strike of cobras (Naja), predatory and defensive strikes of different size rattlesnakes (Crotalus), and the defensive strikes of the puff adder (Bitis) and the jumping viper (Atropoides). An examination of the center of gravity, rather than simply the head, reveals a greater complexity to the snake strike. The kinematic diversity of these strikes arises primarily from the mechanical linkage of the center of gravity and head, rather than from any direct neuromuscular modulation.