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The animal kingdom is teeming with lots of different types of species and it also means many are at risk of being eating by others.

For snakes, having predators is a normal part of life, and many species have adopted various defence mechanisms to protect themselves from danger.

From hissing and striking to camouflaging and giving off odours to ward off potential threats, there are lots of ways the reptiles are able to successfully defend themselves.

However, some smaller snakes are particularly vulnerable to being captured by predators, so one type has developed an unusual method of escape... cartwheels!

The dwarf reed snake is able to swiftly cartwheel away when it senses the presence of a predator!

This unique behaviour was noted by a team of researchers back in 2019 after they spotted an adult dwarf reed snake crossing a road in Malaysia.

When they approached the reptile, it was startled and curled its body into a loop before it began rolling to escape. The snake, which travelled down a sloped portion of ground, was able to cover about 1.5 metres in just five seconds because of the speed it was able to gain.

It was then captured and placed on a flat area of ground to see if it's behaviour would be any different on a more level surface.

There was no difference noted, with the snake repeated the same cartwheeling motion a number of times.

Its cartwheeling includes a phase where the snake its able to launch itself off the ground, meaning it's body is completely in the air for a short time before it comes back down.

The dwarf reed snake's ability to roll itself away from danger in this way is very rare.

The snake is also unique as it carries out what's known as active rolling, which is when it uses its own energy to achieve the movement.

This also means it has more control over the rolling motion and it can make itself go in specific directions.

Active rolling is different from passive rolling, which is when an external force like wind or gravity causes the movement.

Most species where this type of motion has been seen, including some ants, desert spiders, salamanders, toads and pangolins, are passive rollers, relying on gravity to move their bodies, unlike the dwarf reed snake.

"There is still so much to be learnt about the behaviour and ecologies of the snakes found in Southeast Asia and more observations and studies in the future will surely reveal many more interesting aspects of their natural history," the authors of the study said in their research paper.