At a party this winter I met a grad student who had just spent some time in Indonesia studying flying snakes. I'll say that again: flying snakes.

Apparently there are at least 4 different species of snake that can flatten out their rib cages into a cupped shape and glide through the air. "Like a frisbee!", he said cheerfully.

Upon reflection, maybe paving the earth isn't such a bad idea.

(I asked him if any of the flying snake species are poisonous. "Oh yes, all of them!" Great.)