Sidewinder

The AIM-9 Sidewinder missile was named after this snake, because both use infrared signals to track their targets.1

Juveniles and adults use different hunting methods. Juveniles lure lizards with fast tail movements that look like a moth or slower ones that look like a caterpillar.1

The raised scales above its eyes may shade the eyes or stop sand drifting over them. When the snake strikes against a burrow roof, pressure on these horns folds them down, which is thought to protect the eyes.1

Newborn sidewinders huddle together in a burrow for their first week or so, plugging the entrance during the day. Their combined body heat keeps the group at an average of about 32 °C, which is warm enough for shedding.1

Sidewinding is also used by other desert snakes, such as the horned adder and Peringuey's adder, and by robots that copy this movement.1