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Sidewinder

Tingle's 2020 table reprints Secor, Jayne and Bennett 1992: a sidewinder burst of 2.3 mph (3.7 km/h) on a rubber mat. Mosauer's 2.1 mph (3.3 km/h) on sand does not count.

A sidewinder can travel 2.3 mph (3.7 km/h), a verified measurement.

Also known as Crotalus cerastes, sidewinder rattlesnake
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Top speed

Published as 3.7 km/hPublished as 3.7 km/hPublished as 3.7 km/h

Jessica L. Tingle 2020, Table 3, cell for Crotalus cerastes: 2.3 mph (3.7 km/h), burst speed trials on a track with rubber matting at 30 C, Secor et al. 1992, several individuals, two trials each. The figure is that 2.3 mph (3.7 km/h). Mosauer 1935's 2.1 mph (3.3 km/h) on sand is the other controlled cell and is not a separate record.

VerifiedIntegrative and Comparative Biology (opens source in a new tab)

In context

  • 74% of walking paceConstant · A typical walking pace, 5 km/h
  • 9.8% of Usain Bolt's 100 m world-record paceSourced · Usain Bolt, 100 m in 9.58 s. World Athletics, Berlin 2009. Averaged over the race
  • A football field in 1 minConstant · American football field, 100 yd (91.44 m)

Worked out from the sourced figure above, which stays the ranked number.

Quick answers

People also ask

How fast can a sidewinder travel?

A sidewinder can travel 2.3 mph (3.7 km/h), a verified measurement.

Is that figure claimed or verified?

Sidewinder is labeled Verified. Independently measured and published, for example in a peer-reviewed study or with certified timing.

What is the source?

The figure cites Integrative and Comparative Biology, “Facultatively sidewinding snakes, Table 3, 3.7 km/h.”

Where does Sidewinder rank?

Sidewinder is 4th of 7 on Fastest Snakes.

Mechanism

Why it's so fast

Tingle's 2020 table reprints Secor, Jayne and Bennett 1992: a sidewinder, Crotalus cerastes, burst of about 2.3 mph (3.7 km/h) on a rubber mat at 30°C. Mosauer's 2.1 mph (3.3 km/h) on sand does not count.

Species
Crotalus cerastes
Speed
2.3 mph (3.7 km/h)
Trial
Rubber mat, 30°C

  1. Sidewinding on a mat

    A sidewinder throws a loop of the body and sets it down, which is how it moves on sand. The ranked 2.3 mph (3.7 km/h) was on a rubber mat at 30°C, not on sand. Mosauer's 2.1 mph (3.3 km/h) on sand is a different trial and stays off the rank.

  2. A named experiment

    Secor, Jayne and Bennett 1992 is the citation Tingle reprints. The conditions are part of the number. A hotter or cooler trial is not a separate figure, so this does not adjust 2.3 mph (3.7 km/h) for temperature.

Provenance

Every measurement

Claimed, measured and official figures side by side, each with its source. The ranked figure is marked.

  1. 3.7km/h2.3mph1.0m/s2.0knRanked figure

    Jessica L. Tingle 2020, Table 3, cell for Crotalus cerastes: 2.3 mph (3.7 km/h), burst speed trials on a track with rubber matting at 30 C, Secor et al. 1992, several individuals, two trials each. The figure is that 2.3 mph (3.7 km/h). Mosauer 1935's 2.1 mph (3.3 km/h) on sand is the other controlled cell and is not a separate record.

    The same table says 2.1 mph (3.3 km/h) for Mosauer 1935 on sand. A popular figure near 18 mph is not either cell.

    Verified
    Integrative and Comparative Biology (opens source in a new tab)

Reference

Specs

Species
Crotalus cerastes
Speed
2.3 mph (3.7 km/h)
Trial
Rubber mat, 30 C, Secor et al. 1992

Context

Background

Tingle's 2020 review, Table 3, says 2.3 mph (3.7 km/h) for Crotalus cerastes and attributes it to Secor, Jayne and Bennett 1992: burst trials on a rubber-matted track at 30 C, several individuals, two trials each. The figure is 2.3 mph (3.7 km/h), qualifier verified, because that paper measured it and the review reprints the cell.

The same table says 2.1 mph (3.3 km/h) for Mosauer 1935, burst trials on sand. That slower sand figure is not a separate record. The review's own range for sidewinding specialists, 0.684 mph to 3.4 mph (1.1 to 5.5 km/h) across four species, is not a sidewinder peak. A popular claim near 18 mph is not these trials. The number is travel speed. It is not a strike.

Head to head

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