This poisonous snake The viper family has never been left without attention. In India they gave her beautiful name“wound”, in Pakistan and Afghanistan - “Pashto”, in Uzbekistan locals call it “boiling snake”. One bite from the sand epha causes death or severe kidney damage in humans. Lethal dose Epha poison is only 5 mg.

And these are not easy legends. The snake ranks seventh among the most dangerous to humans poisonous snakes. More people die every year on the African continent from its venom than from all the snakes in Africa combined.

Description of the snake

This type of viper is no different large sizes. The body length is from 70 to 76 centimeters. Some individuals can reach a length of one meter. Males are usually larger than females.

The appearance of this snake attracts the eye. She is very beautiful and impressive.

• The body is painted bright yellow or golden. There is a zigzag pattern on the surface of the sides, and the body of the efa is covered with white spots.
• The snake's head is decorated with a light pattern in the form of a cross, which in appearance resembles the silhouette of a bird. This distinguishes the efu snake from its fellows.

This pattern allows the ephe to remain unnoticed in the sand, and the special structure of its scales helps regulate body temperature, which is very important in its living conditions.

Where does the sand epha live?

Sandy efa, or sand viper, is common in the deserts of the Southern and Central Asia, North Africa. The main habitat is the Hindustan Peninsula, the territory of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan

Snakes prefer sandy areas with tall bushes or grass. They can also be found on clay or rocky surfaces.

Lifestyle of sand epha

The behavior of the sand viper is very different from the lifestyle and behavior of other snakes. It is distinguished by great mobility and activity, which does not stop even when it digests food. Efa freezes only in spring in well-heated rocky places for a long time.

IN winter time When other snakes hibernate, efa remains active. Even mating in this species occurs in winter. Cubs appear in early spring.

The sand snake is characterized by viviparity. She does not lay eggs and gives birth to 3 to 12 live young up to 15 centimeters in length. Young individuals grow very quickly, their length reaching 60 centimeters by adulthood.

Efa goes hunting mainly in dark time days, but is active during the day. During the day, in extreme heat, she hides in secluded places and crawls out only after sunset. The rest of the time the snake hunts during the day.

The basis of the snake's diet Insects include centipedes, beetles and grasshoppers. Efa also does not mind eating small rodents, chicks, lizards, lake frogs and small snakes.

The sand viper prefers not to approach human habitation. She only attacks if disturbed. Protecting herself and her cubs, she moves with lightning speed. In a fit of rage, an efa can jump up to half the average height of a person, so when meeting you should not approach it closer than three meters.

Efa is distinguished by an interesting way to travel. She moves sideways. First, it throws its head forward, then moves it to the side and the back part forward, and then pulls up the whole body, leaving a bizarre pattern of oblique stripes on the sand. This method of movement increases the area of ​​the snake’s body. In case of danger, the snake quickly hides in the sand with such speed that it seems as if it is drowning in it.

The sand ephas is not the most poisonous snake on the planet. However, every fifth person bitten by a snake suffered from this particular type of viper.

Efa is not at all afraid of humans, so it very often crawls into residential buildings and outbuildings. Vipers pose a great danger in mating season.

Be careful - poison!

• The viper will never attack first. She warns of her intentions with a loud rustling sound, which resembles the sound of water pouring onto a hot iron. The snake makes this sound with the help of scales that have a jagged surface, which make hissing sounds when rubbed, and with a defensive pose, curled into two rings and raising its head above the arc.

It is for the hissing sounds that the reptile received the name noisy or boiling.

• Despite its eye-catching, spectacular appearance The sand epha is a viper that is one of the ten most poisonous representatives of this class.

Sand viper does not provoke human contact. Most cases of bites are caused by the inattention or curiosity of tourists or hunters.

• Viper venom is very toxic. When bitten, the composition of the blood changes, and there is profuse bleeding at the bite site and the mucous membrane of the eyes, nose and mouth.

Every sixth person who suffers from an epha's bite dies. Suctioning the venom from the bite site for 10 minutes is effective. This will help remove a significant portion of toxins from the body. Suctioning the poison will not cause harm to the health of the person doing it, since the poison is not retained. Applying a tourniquet in this situation is not advisable, since toxins are quickly absorbed into the deeper layers of tissue.

The snake that will be discussed in this article belongs to the family of vipers, and they, in turn, are considered the crown of evolution of reptiles and are recognized as the most poisonous snakes in the world. The sand efa, despite its beautiful appearance and quite friendly character, is capable of very poisoning its opponent in a matter of seconds. strong poison, which, even after administration of the serum, will remind the bitten person of health problems for the rest of his life.

What does sand efa look like?

These cold-blooded animals are not large in size; their average body length is 70–75 cm, and individuals longer than one meter are very rare. Males are slightly larger than females. Their body is decorated with white spots, and two zigzag lines run along the sides, giving the snake an elegant and unusual appearance.

There is a design on the head that looks like a cross or a bird soaring in the sky. The eyes are big round shape, the color of the iris depends on the overall color of the scales, the pupil is vertical. The ventral side is light yellow, and the color of the scales can be either golden or brown - the exact color depends on the area where the snakes live.

The body of the epha is covered with small and rough scales, some of them grow in the opposite direction and are used by the snake to notify others of its appearance - they make a special sound, similar to rustling or a kind of rustling.

Did you know? The sand epha is capable of jumping to a height of more than one meter and approximately three meters in length. An angry female, guarding her nest, will rush at her opponent with lightning speed without warning of the attack. That is why snakes are especially dangerous during the mating season.

Is the bite dangerous for humans?

It is not for nothing that the sand epha is one of the ten most poisonous snakes on Earth. Every fifth person bitten by the sand ephas dies. The toxins contained in its venom have a special effect on the hematopoietic process - they sharply reduce the level of fibrinogen, a special protein responsible for blood clotting.
Without providing the necessary assistance, the bitten person will soon begin to bleed heavily - from the wound at the site of the bite, nose, ears and even throat. A particular danger is the long wait for the body's reaction to the poison - death can occur 40 days after the epha's bite.

It should be noted that these snakes prefer to lead a reclusive lifestyle and avoid meeting people. As practice shows, most efa bites occurred because of humans - the victims either stepped on the reptile or stirred up its nest, even if this happened unintentionally.

Where does it live?

Efa prefers to hide in thickets of branchy bushes that grow in sandy areas, on the banks of shallow rivers, as well as in areas where loess and clay soils predominate.
This type of poisonous snake is widespread in the deserts of India, northeast Africa and in the arid areas of countries East Asia and the Arabian Peninsula.

What does it eat?

Sand ephs differ from their relatives by their increased activity - they are in constant motion, even after a hearty lunch. The main part of the sand epha's diet consists of various insects - locusts, beetles and centipedes. Adults are not averse to pampering themselves with small rodents, chicks and even small lizards.

Important! One of the main rules of providing first medical care When bitten by poisonous snakes, the procedure is to suck out the poison from the wound at the site of the bite. This technique significantly reduces the amount of toxins that enter the human blood. But this is effective only in the first ten minutes after the bite.

The snake goes out hunting after dark, but encountering it during the day is not uncommon.
True, on particularly hot days she does not leave her hole, preferring to move in the cool of the night. If the temperature drops slightly in winter, they can easily overwinter without hibernating.

Mating season and reproduction

Mating dances among Ephs begin with the beginning of winter, and mating begins in January. Another feature of this breed of snake is viviparity. The female gives birth to babies in March; in total, the offspring range from three to fifteen nimble babies. Their body length immediately after birth does not exceed 15 cm.

Now you know what one of the most poisonous snakes on the planet looks like. When planning to visit countries where you can come face to face with the sand ephemeral, stay away from its favorite habitats - rocky cliffs and dense bushes.

Where they live: northeast Australia

Length: 3.5 meters

The strength of the venom is such that one bite can kill about 100 adults or 250,000 mice. Maximum dose (per bite) 100 mg.

The history of taipan exploration is associated with many dramatic events. Very for a long time people could not get this snake, and all the scientists’ information was based only on the legends of local residents about it.

The taipan was first described from a single specimen in 1867. In the next 56 years, no new information there was no information about this snake. However, at that time there was an urgent need to develop an antidote. After all, more than 80 people died from taipan poisoning in Australia every year.

Finally, on June 28, 1950, a young catcher from Sydney, Kevin Baden, went in search of this snake. He found the taipan, but when the catcher took the snake in his hands, it was able to dodge and bite his finger. Baden died, but the snake was still taken to the research center.

Mulga (Pseudechis australis) - Brown King

Habitat: Australia

Length: 2.5 - 3 meters

Mulga venom is considered highly poisonous and is produced in large quantities. In one bite average snake Mulga can secrete 150 mg of poison.

Mulga is found throughout almost the entire territory of Australia - the entire northern and most of the western territory of the mainland. They can be found in all states except Victoria and Tasmania. Mulga habitats include forests, meadows, grasslands, deserts, deep crevices and abandoned burrows. They don't live in tropical forests.

Mulga feeds on other reptiles: snakes (including poisonous ones), lizards, frogs, as well as birds and mammals. Their body is well adapted to digest other poisonous snakes; their venom is not dangerous for the mulga.

Habitat: Australia, South Asia, islands of the Malay Archipelago

Length: 1.5-2 m

One dose is enough to kill 10 people.

Prefers dry places rich in shelters (burrows, bushes, dead wood). Very often it crawls onto cultivated lands, into courtyards, and into people’s houses. That is why there are so many cases of snake attacks on people.

The most common species is the pama or ribbon krait, found in India, southern China and Burma. Its one and a half meter body is covered with wide alternating yellow and black rings. Its venom is very strong, even a viper dies from the bite of this snake, although vipers are considered susceptible to many types of poison. If you encounter a krait during the day, there is little chance that it will attack. At this time, the snake is extremely lethargic, avoids the sun, seeks shade and moves slowly. If she is disturbed, she usually does not rush, but crawls to the side and curls up into a ring. But at night, kraits are extremely unfriendly; they can attack even if they are not threatened.

Their poison is very strong. A bitten chicken dies within 15 minutes, and one dose is enough to kill 10 people. The scientist Roussel conducted experiments to find out how the krait poison works. A dog bitten by a snake, 10 minutes after the bite, began to twitch its wounded limb and raised it up, but could still stand. After 5 minutes she lay down and started barking. Within 25 minutes of the bite, both hind legs were paralyzed. During the second hour, the paralysis worsened: the dog began to breathe heavily and died by the end of this hour.

Since kraits can lead a diurnal lifestyle, and, moreover, they are quite numerous, there are constant meetings between snakes and humans. More often than any other snake, the krait crosses the path of a traveler, penetrates not only into open huts, but even into locked houses, curling up on the threshold of a door, in the corner of a room, in a closet, and slips into bedrooms and bathrooms.

Where it lives: Australia, except for the northernmost regions, Tasmania and a number of islands off the southern coast

Length: 1.5-2 m

Among all the snakes that inhabit our planet, tiger snakes have the most powerful venom. Small animals bitten by a tiger snake die instantly, not even a few seconds pass. And all the poison contained in the glands of one snake is enough to kill 400 people! Snake venom affects nervous system the victim and paralyzes her. When the poison reaches the nerve centers that control breathing and heartbeat, the victim dies.

An encounter with a tiger snake is very dangerous, although local residents reassure tourists. They say even though tiger snake the most poisonous, she is the most cowardly: she never crawls into houses, does not deliberately rush at people and generally tries to stay away from them. Attacks only when defending.

The egg is viviparous and brings abundant offspring - usually up to 72 snakes. (There is a known case when 109 embryos were found during autopsy in a large female.

When excited, the tiger snake raises the front part of its body high, greatly flattening its head and neck. Small animals bitten by a tiger snake die instantly, literally without leaving the spot.

Habitat: India, southern China, Burma, Siam, Afghanistan, and the southern regions of Turkmenistan to the Caspian Sea

Length: 1.4-1.81 m

“When Buddha once wandered the earth and fell asleep under the rays of the midday sun, a cobra appeared, expanded its shield and shaded the face of the god from the sun. Pleased with this, the god promised her extreme mercy, but forgot about his promise, and the snake was forced to remind him of this, since the vultures were causing terrible devastation among them at that time. In defense against these birds of prey Buddha gave the cobra glasses, which kites are still afraid of today.”

As long as it is not disturbed, the snake lazily lies in front of the entrance to its home, usually basks in the sun, and when a person appears, as a rule, it quickly hides. Only when brought to the extreme does she rush at the attacker.

Cobra venom has neurotoxic effects. A minute later, complete paralysis sets in. I spectacled cobra so toxic that a chicken dies from its bite in 4 minutes, and a laboratory mouse dies in 2 minutes.

But the cobra never bites a person unless absolutely necessary, and even if it makes a throw towards the enemy, it often does not open its mouth (a fake throw). Never anger a cobra. Even if it is nearby, you should not hit the snake with a stick or throw any objects at it. This will only anger the reptile, and it will attack in self-defense.

Length: 70–80 cm

Habitat: Found in foothills and valleys Central Asia, throughout northern Africa to Algeria

Lives in lumpy sands overgrown with saxaul, in clay deserts, thickets of bushes, on river cliffs and in ruins. In favorable conditions, efa can be very numerous. For example, in the valley of the Murgab River, over an area of ​​about 1.5 km, snake catchers produced more than 2 thousand ef.

Efa is an amazing snake. In many ways it differs from its cold-blooded counterparts. For example, ephas may not hibernate if the winter is not cold. They can mate in January. And by March, small snakes appear, while in other snakes they appear no earlier than June. Surprisingly, the efa does not lay eggs and gives birth to live snakes. The female brings from 3 to 16 young reptiles 10-16 cm long.

Despite the fact that the epha is one of the most poisonous snakes, it rarely attacks living creatures that are larger than a vole. Most often, its prey is centipedes, spiders, grasshoppers, and midges. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the efa is quite nimble and cannot, like many snakes, simply lie in the sun. But in order to digest large prey, you need to be at rest for a long time.

Efa is characterized by sideways movement. She throws her head to the side, then brings the back of her body forward and pulls up the front of her body. This method creates better body support on a loose substrate. Because of this method of movement, a characteristic mark remains on the sand - individual oblique stripes with hooked ends.

Efa very rarely crawls into people's houses, but it still happens sometimes. Similar cases have been recorded in Egypt. You need to be especially careful with ruins or abandoned houses. In 1987, three children died in Cairo after finding a nest in an abandoned house where no one had lived for many years. The children entered this house out of curiosity and accidentally disturbed the ef family hiding there. The snake, protecting its newly born offspring, attacked the children. They could not be saved because the poison acted very quickly.

A first aid measure for a bite is to immediately suck out the venom from the wounds, so that a significant part of the venom can be removed from the body. Squeezing out the venom with your fingers and suctioning should be done within 7-10 minutes after the bite. Suctioning is completely safe for the people doing it. A tourniquet should not be applied. It practically does not delay the process of absorption of poisons.

Habitat: Australia, northern Africa, Brazil, Argentina, West Indies Islands

Length: from 60 cm to 2.5 m

The most common species are the Egyptian adder, the Coral adder and the Common adder. The Egyptian adder is the most poisonous snake of this kind. A person dies from its bite within 5 minutes. Its average size is about two meters. In coloring it resembles a spectacled snake. It is believed that the asp can cause harm not only when it bites, it can spit poisonous saliva at a distance of almost one and a half meters.

The common adder is found in Australia and New Guinea. Its length is up to 1.5 meters. It has a very unfriendly disposition, as it attacks everyone who comes in its way, be it a pet or a person. From its bite they die quickly and in terrible agony.

If the asp attacks, then there is very little chance of escape. The traveler Anderson told the following story: “One day my friend was collecting herbs. Suddenly, a snake, previously unnoticed by him, pounced and tried to bite his hand. Anderson, without hesitation, ran away. The snake would have been able to catch up with him, but this story ended unexpectedly - the running man did not notice the anthill, tripped and fell into the nearest ditch. The snake, apparently blinded by rage, rushed past without noticing that the man had fallen..."

There is a vaccine against asp venom. But the fact is that the poison acts with lightning speed. A person dies in 7 minutes, so there is simply no time to administer the antidote. 8 out of 10 people bitten die.

Habitat: South and South-West Africa

Length: from 50 cm to 3 meters

The venom of the African boomslang is 2 times more dangerous than the venom of a viper or Indian cobra.

The front teeth on the upper jaw have a groove. This is where the poison flows during a bite. The poison itself is very toxic. As soon as it enters the bloodstream, it immediately begins to destroy cells. Experiments were carried out, as a result of which ducks bitten by boomslang died from poison after 15 minutes, and paralysis occurred within a minute. The venom of the African boomslang is twice as dangerous as that of the viper or Indian cobra.

There is a known tragic incident in 1957. At this time, the famous American zoologist and specialist in reptiles, Carl Paterson Schmidt, died from a boomslang bite. He was trying to catch an African boomslang and study it: he grabbed the snake, and it was able to dodge and bite the zoologist on the hand. Dying, the scientist kept notes until the last moment in which he noted his condition.

Over the past 5 years, 23 people have died from the bite of the African boomslang. True, there are 2 times more deaths due to vipers, and almost 3 times more due to cobras.

With a boomslang, as with any other snake, you must be extremely careful: do not come close, do not anger the snake, do not make sudden movements.

Only through human fault does the boomslang become aggressive and attack. In 9 out of 10 cases, when meeting a person, the snake simply tries to hide. Don't touch the snake, then the snake won't touch you.

Habitat: South Africa

Length: up to 150 cm

The venom of the green mamba is very strong, it is even more toxic than the venom of some cobras. The green mamba can attack for no apparent reason.

Mamba is a very beautiful snake. Her scales shimmer emerald green, with shades of blue and yellow. If a mamba attacks, there is very little chance of escape. The snake attacks without warning, and its venom acts so quickly that doctors do not even have time to administer the antidote on the spot, let alone bring it to the nearest hospital.

Of course, it is very difficult to notice this green snake in dense foliage. But still, if you are in places where green mambas can live, try to carefully monitor not only living creatures in the grass, but also look at the trees. If you notice a mamba in the leaves, do not take risks, but avoid it.

Habitat: Dagestan, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya. Türkiye, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and North-West India.

Length: up to 1.5 m

This is the viper, the local one is deadly dangerous snake. Despite the fact that a vaccine against its poison has now been invented, they often simply do not have time to administer it to the victim, and 20% of all those bitten die. Once in the blood, the poison begins to destroy red blood cells and causes blood clotting. Numerous internal hemorrhages, severe swelling in the bite area, and blockage of blood vessels occur. All this is accompanied by severe pain, dizziness, and vomiting. If you don't provide quick help, a person dies within 2-3 hours.

The number of these snakes is large. Up to 5 individuals live on one hectare. Moreover, sometimes vipers gather as a whole group. There have often been cases where up to 20 snakes were found under one small stone at once.

If nothing threatens the viper, it is very slow and prefers to lie in the sun or under some stone. She doesn’t even track prey, but waits, staying in one place. But such slowness and sluggishness are visible. The snake is slow when nothing and no one bothers it, but if necessary, it is capable of moving very quickly, including through trees. When danger appears, she quickly crawls to the nearest shelter. If its path is blocked, the viper emits a loud, threatening hiss and makes a sharp throw with its whole body towards the enemy.

Lives on Earth interesting creature called the sand epha (Echis carinatus) and it belongs to snakes, although it stands out even among its cold-blooded relatives: it reproduces in its own way and moves in an original way. Find out some Interesting Facts It’s interesting about this snake, but it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to make friends with it.

What does the sand epha look like and where does it live?

The efa looks quite attractive: the body is light yellow or sandy in color with a golden tint, decorated with white spots and brown dots (sometimes they merge into thin stripes), and on the side there is a peculiar light broken line; many observers noted the presence of a pattern on the head in the form of a light cross .

Adults reach a length of about 70 cm, males are usually slightly larger than females. Thanks to the ribbed scales located in several rows on the sides, when the f-hole moves, a characteristic sound is heard, similar to both hissing and rustling.

Efa – sand snake, therefore, it lives in the corresponding areas (deserts and semi-deserts) of North Africa, on the Arabian Peninsula, in Central and partly Central Asia. It can use rodent burrows, various crevices or plant thickets as shelters.

Lifestyle of a beautiful snake

Unlike most other snakes, the sand efa constantly leads an active lifestyle and moves a lot, and its favorite method of movement is moving sideways, which is very convenient to do on a loose surface, on which you can subsequently see the “efa trace” in the form of oblique stripes . Leads a solitary lifestyle.

Under favorable conditions, when the winter is not very cold, this type of snake does not hibernate, but is engaged in replenishing its population and already in early spring small snakes are born in the ef.

The parents do not lay any snake eggs, but immediately release them onto White light living crawling offspring in the amount of 3 to 15 pieces and a size of just over 10 cm. The usual breeding time, like that of other reptile neighbors, occurs in June-July.

The diet of this snake includes insects, small rodents and amphibians - food that does not need to be digested for a long time in a half-asleep state. During the hottest period, the sand epha switches to a nocturnal lifestyle; at other times, it is active during the daylight hours.

As practice has shown, efa does not live long in captivity; apparently, a restless snake cannot exist in a limited space.

Be careful, dangerous poison

For all its visual attractiveness and originality, the efa is a member of the viper family and is considered one of the most poisonous snakes in the world (included in the top ten).

On the one hand, the bite of the sand epha is fatal to humans (the poison is very toxic and acts quickly), on the other hand, this snake does not seek the company of people, so many accidents involving it were provoked either by hunters or inattentive tourists.