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Natural Locomotion in Fluids and on Surfaces pp 117–135Cite as

Slithering Locomotion

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Part of the book series: The IMA Volumes in Mathematics and its Applications ((IMA,volume 155))

Abstract

Limbless terrestrial animals propel themselves by sliding their bellies along the ground. Although the study of dry solid-solid friction is a classical subject, the mechanisms underlying friction-based limbless propulsion have received little attention. We review and expand upon our previous work on the locomotion of snakes, who are expert sliders. We show that snakes use two principal mechanisms to slither on flat surfaces. First, their bellies are covered with scales that catch upon ground asperities, providing frictional anisotropy. Second, they are able to lift parts of their body slightly off the ground when moving. This reduces undesired frictional drag and applies greater pressure to the parts of the belly that are pushing the snake forwards. We review a theoretical framework that may be adapted by future investigators to understand other kinds of limbless locomotion.

AMS(MOS) subject classifications. Primary 76Zxx

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Notes

  1. 1.

    \({I}_{0}[f](s,t) ={ \int \limits _{0}^{s}}f(s\prime,t)ds\prime - \frac{1} {L}{\int \limits _{0}^{L}}ds{\int \limits _{0}^{s}}ds\prime f(s,t)\).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30318, USA

    David L. Hu

  2. Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, New York, NY, USA

    Michael Shelley

Authors
  1. David L. Hu
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  2. Michael Shelley
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Courant Institute of Math Sciences, New York University, Mercer Street 251, New York City, 10012, New York, USA

    Stephen Childress

  2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Avenue 77, Cambridge, 02139, Massachusetts, USA

    Anette Hosoi

  3. , Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Michigan, Auto Lab 2027, Ann Arbor, 48109, Michigan, USA

    William W. Schultz

  4. , Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, 14850, New York, USA

    Jane Wang

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Hu, D.L., Shelley, M. (2012). Slithering Locomotion. In: Childress, S., Hosoi, A., Schultz, W., Wang, J. (eds) Natural Locomotion in Fluids and on Surfaces. The IMA Volumes in Mathematics and its Applications, vol 155. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3997-4_8

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