Serpentes Species Basic Info (Physical Quirks)

Movement

Due to their lack of legs, Serpentes move quite differently from other Animalian. They scoot along the ground on the lower portion of their bellies, however there are a few different ways in which they achieve this forward movement.

The way that many larger, more heavy bodied Serpentes move is often referred to as Rectilinear locomotion. This kind of movement is done in a more straight line, the Serpentes using each of their rib muscles to lift a small part of its stomach before placing it back down farther ahead, kind of like each rib muscle is a set of legs giving them the appearance of moving like a catipiler. This way of moving is quite inefficient and slow, but is almost noiseless making it perfect for those trying to be stealthy.

Lateral undulation is what most animalia consider to be the classic way that Serpentes move. They move their bodies back and forth in an attempt to push off of any material they come into contact with on the ground. Their stomachs will deform and grip any object it touches before using it to propel itself forward. The ability to push itself off of multiple objects at a time gives it quite a bit of speed.

Serpentes that use Sidewinding as their main form of movement at first are often considered to be odd by those that don’t understand what they are doing. When a Serpentes uses Sidewinding for their movement it is because they are trying to navigate smooth or slippery surfaces such as ice, tile or sand. This type of movement is not too different from Lateral undulation in that they bend their body to move, however they appear to do so in a sideways moving manner. Rather than sliding along the ground though they lift parts of their body and place it a short distance to the side causing their body to roll along the ground more than slither. It may look a bit silly, like they are stepping sideways, but it works to move along places taht would otherwise be impossible to slide across.

Concertina movement can also appear a bit odd to those who are unfamiliar with it. This form of Serpentes movement consists of the Serpentes pulling all of its lower body into one area before pushing off as far as they can in one mighty shove. This sudden jolt can often cause their upper body to fall forward requiring their arms to catch them. They then will pull the rest of their body after them preparing to launch themselves again. This type of moment isn’t very graceful, but it is very fast. It also requires a lot of friction under them to do making the situations where it can be used limited. However if a Serpentes is in a pinch and needs to rush, this half way jump, half way walk move is what they will likely resort to.

Tongue

The Serpentes tongue is quite unique in both its shape and its day to day function. Their tongues can not taste food, well not in the normal sense of the word. Rather then having taste receptors on it, their tongues have the ability to pick up scents in the air more like a noise. The forked nature of their tongs allow them to grab smells from a wide area in front of them before being retracted back into their mouth and depositing the smells into an organ on the top of their mouth. When these smells are brought back it is only then that the Serpentes can actually ‘smell’. Because of this it is not uncommon for Serpentes to constantly flick their tongue out of their mouth in an attempt to smell and understand the area around them better. This quick tongue flick comes as second nature to them just like breathing or blinking is for other Animalian. When curious or confused the length of time their tongue remains out may extend to quite a bit longer in an attempt to gather more information about the area around them. Some Serpentes will also increase the number of times their tongue pops out per minute if they are upset or stressed. Although this action is more of an attempt to calm themselves then to actually gather more information.

Size vs Height

When measuring a Serpentes for its height, it is always done from the ground up when they are standing upright. To get a Serpentes measurement for clothing from the tail to the tip of the head is incorrect as this is considered to be their length, and since their tails are never covered, they are not calculated into any outfit measurements.

Sitting

Unlike other Animalia, the Serpentes do not have legs making it hard sometimes for other species to know when they are sitting versus standing. They do not sit on the backs of their tails like some my expect, instead they lean more on their side and may appear as if they are simply not standing as tall as they sit on their waist rather then using part of their tail to be propped up. When sitting on chairs they will often wrap their tails around the base of their chairs to help give them a bit of stability. Alternatively, they can also coil their tails under themselves and make their own areas to sit

Eyes

Like Coleoptera, the Serpentes do not have eyelids nor do they have tear ducts, making it impossible for them to cry or blink. However, this isn’t to say they aren’t emotional. Often the ridge above a Serpentees eye can move enough to clearly emote how they are feeling to others. When they are sad, rather than crying, many Serpentes will hold their hands tightly near their chest and their body will shake as if trying to release the sorrow within them, but are unable to without tears. Seeing a Serpentes sad is often distressing to Aves and Vulpes. To keep their eyes protected, Serpentes have a thick, transparent scale over their eyes called an ‘eye cap’. This eyecap comes off when they shed, however, if they arn’t careful doing so they can permanently damage their eyes.