Snake Spinner
A thick head leads a body that tapers to a fine tail, slithering round the circle as it speeds up and slows down. Six stacked arcs share one eased keyframe, each a beat behind and a little thinner.
Also known as: tapered arc spinner, slithering loader, tail chasing spinner.
HTML
<svg class="ldr-snake-spinner" viewBox="0 0 48 48" role="status" aria-label="Loading"> <circle style="--i: 0" cx="24" cy="24" r="19" pathLength="100"></circle> <circle style="--i: 1" cx="24" cy="24" r="19" pathLength="100"></circle> <circle style="--i: 2" cx="24" cy="24" r="19" pathLength="100"></circle> <circle style="--i: 3" cx="24" cy="24" r="19" pathLength="100"></circle> <circle style="--i: 4" cx="24" cy="24" r="19" pathLength="100"></circle> <circle style="--i: 5" cx="24" cy="24" r="19" pathLength="100"></circle> </svg>
CSS
.ldr-snake-spinner {
--s: var(--ldr-size, 48px);
--c: var(--ldr-color, #3b82f6);
width: var(--s);
height: var(--s);
}
.ldr-snake-spinner circle {
fill: none;
stroke: var(--c);
stroke-width: calc(6 - var(--i) * 0.9);
stroke-linecap: round;
stroke-dasharray: 16 84;
transform-origin: center;
animation: ldr-snake-spinner-slither 1.3s cubic-bezier(0.5, 0.1, 0.5, 0.9) infinite;
animation-delay: calc((var(--i) - 5) * 0.05s);
}
@keyframes ldr-snake-spinner-slither {
to { transform: rotate(360deg); }
}
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
.ldr-snake-spinner, .ldr-snake-spinner *, .ldr-snake-spinner::before, .ldr-snake-spinner::after, .ldr-snake-spinner *::before, .ldr-snake-spinner *::after {
animation-duration: 3s;
}
}Customizing this loader
- Color: set
--ldr-coloron the element or a parent. Currently previewing#3b82f6. - Size: set
--ldr-size. Every dimension in the snippet is derived from it. Currently previewing64px. - Speed: change the duration on the
animationshorthand. Delays on the children are relative, so they keep their rhythm. - Accessibility: the root carries
role="status"and anaria-labelso screen readers announce the wait. The reduced-motion rule at the end slows the animation for users who asked for less motion.