How Do They DO That? 

Quick! What’s the first thing that pops into your mind when you hear the word “physics”? Maybe it’s a ball falling to the ground, pulled by Earth’s gravity. Or maybe it’s a magnet attracting a piece of metal. But what about a cat leaping through the air or a snake slithering across the ground? Could those fit the bill too?

Physics describes the behavior of matter and energy—including the movements of all living things. And some animals take advantage of the laws of physics to pull off truly amazing feats, from walking on water to delivering the world’s fastest punch! Check out some of these awesome animal moves—and the physics behind them.

Quick! What pops into your mind when you hear the word “physics”? Maybe you picture a ball. It falls to the ground, pulled by Earth’s gravity. Or maybe you see a magnet attract a piece of metal. But what about a cat leaping in the air or a snake slithering across the ground? Could those fit too?

Physics describes the behavior of matter and energy. It includes the movements of all living things. And some animals use the laws of physics to perform truly amazing feats. They can walk on water or deliver the world’s fastest punch! Check out some of these awesome animal moves, and discover the physics behind them.

The peacock mantis shrimp uses its club-shaped front limbs to unleash one of the fastest and most powerful punches in the animal kingdom. The blows help the sea creature fight off predators and bust through the shells of prey such as snails and clams. A mantis shrimp’s punch clocks in at 84 kilometers (52 miles) per hour and delivers a force of 1,500 Newtons (340 pounds). That’s pretty impressive for an animal just a few inches long!

There’s no way for the little crustacean’s muscles to create this much force on their own. Researchers at Duke University in North Carolina found that the mantis shrimp uses a bendable part of its exoskeleton, or hard outer shell, like a spring—storing potential energy.

Before each punch, the spring-like structure is compressed and locked in place. Once the mantis shrimp is ready to strike, the spring releases, converting potential energy into kinetic energy, or energy of motion. This results in the tiny boxer unleashing a powerful punch.

The peacock mantis shrimp has club-shaped front limbs. They deliver one of the fastest and most powerful punches in the animal kingdom. The sea creature uses these blows to fight off predators. It also busts through the shells of prey, like snails and clams. A mantis shrimp’s punch travels at 84 kilometers (52 miles) per hour. It carries a force of 1,500 Newtons (340 pounds). That’s pretty impressive for an animal just a few inches long!

The mantis shrimp’s muscles can’t create this much force on their own. Researchers at Duke University in North Carolina found the little crustacean’s secret. It’s in a bendable part of the creature’s exoskeleton, or hard outer shell. The mantis shrimp uses this part like a spring, to store potential energy.

Before each punch, the mantis shrimp compresses the spring-like structure. It locks in place. When the mantis shrimp is ready to strike, the spring releases. The potential energy turns into kinetic energy, or energy of motion. And the tiny boxer releases a powerful punch.

Most snakes slither by shifting their head left and right, weaving their body into an S-shape to propel themselves forward. The motion relies partly on friction between the snake’s belly and the ground. This rubbing force helps the snake grip and push itself forward. “Otherwise, the snake would just slip around and not go anywhere,” says Rieser.

Snakes called sidewinders live in sandy deserts. They’ve evolved a different way of getting around. Instead of slithering, a sidewinder lifts its head and neck up off the ground and then sets them down far off to one side. This motion travels like a wave down the snake’s body, causing it to peel up and shift over bit by bit down its length. As the snake repeats this cycle, small sections of its underside push against the sand, almost like walking on feet.

Rieser has found that unlike other snakes, sidewinders have scales with tiny pits on their belly. These can generate friction in any direction, helping the sidewinder stabilize its sideways movement.

To slither, most snakes move their head left and right. That weaves their body into an S-shape to drive them forward. The snake’s belly rubs over the ground, creating friction. This rubbing force helps the snake grip and push itself forward. “Otherwise, the snake would just slip around and not go anywhere,” says Rieser. 

Snakes called sidewinders live in sandy deserts. Instead of slithering, they move in a different way. A sidewinder lifts its head and neck up off the ground. Then it sets them down far off to one side. This motion travels like a wave down the snake’s body. Bit by bit, its whole body peels up and shifts over. As the snake repeats this cycle, small sections of its belly push against the sand. It’s almost like walking on feet.

Rieser has found another difference between sidewinders and other snakes. Sidewinders have scales with tiny pits on their belly. These can create friction in any direction, and that helps the sidewinder perform its sideways movement.