"I thought my eyes would never see,
A crawling snake slipping up a tree.

I've learned how snakes do it,
WOW! Learning it is fun.

Now I'll tell you,
Here's how it's done.

A snake has a belly,
All covered with scales.

That they can poke out,
Like little sharp nails.

Snakes use their scales for clingers,
Like you use your fingers.

Their clinger scales,
Are like your fingernails.

They are pointed and sharp,
like teeth of a shark.

These clingers dig in,
And cling to tree bark.

Another reason for a snake's
tree climbing success.

Is curving its body,
Into the shape of the letter S.

The snake's top half pulls,
The bottom half pushes.

It creeps up the tree.
And out of the bushes.

Up the tree, pull-push it crawls,
Sometimes it slips...and down it falls.