The snow has long melted, the cold has finally receded, which means that connoisseurs active rest outdoors, summer residents and lovers of country life begin to think about their own safety. The forest is not only a source of fresh air, beautiful views, mushrooms and berries. Its shady massif serves as a home for a variety of creeping reptiles.
Snakes are cold-blooded reptiles. Their habitat is scattered across all continents, with the exception of Antarctica. The catalog containing the name of snakes contains about three thousand species. On the territory of the Russian Federation their numbers are limited. According to official data, only ninety species live on our territory. Among them there are individuals that pose a threat human life, as well as those who are completely harmless. Types of snakes and their names are of interest to many people who want to protect themselves and their loved ones.
Viper
This is perhaps the most well-known animal to Russians, falling into the category of “poisonous snakes”. This species has different names. They are often influenced by the reptile’s habitat. The common viper can be found in forests and forest-steppe zones. Favorite places to live are swamps, clearings, and areas near water bodies. It is most widespread in the European territory of the state, in Siberia, in Far East.
It is small in size compared to others. Typically, it reaches a length of no more than seventy-five centimeters. But closer to the north there are individuals that grow up to one meter. The viper does not attack a person without reason. When meeting him, he usually tries to run away. Only in case of a threat does it take a defensive position: it hisses menacingly and makes warning throws. For this reason, you need to avoid sudden movements if you encounter a viper.
Already
By nature they are completely harmless creatures. Very often they die at the hands of a person who has not studied the names of snakes, their descriptions and differences from each other. very similar to poisonous viper. People who confuse them with each other purposefully kill reptiles, wanting to protect themselves from being bitten. Snakes are widespread throughout the European part of the state, with the exception of the polar regions. Very common in the Far East, near Lake Baikal and Siberia. The name of snakes often influences the naming of the area in which they live. So, in Ukraine there is the city of Uzhgorod and the river Uzh, named after this animal.
They reach a length of ninety centimeters. They prefer to live near bodies of water with flowing water. Unlike Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians are in no hurry to kill snakes. Residents tame them. These harmless creatures are actually very easy to make contact with. And it won’t be difficult for a person to make friends with them. Cold-blooded snakes are naturally excellent mousecatchers. They can even be used on the farm.
Copperhead, or yellow snake
This reptile received its name due to its color. Contrary to popular belief, it is not poisonous snake. She lives throughout the state. Recently, people have begun to increasingly destroy its natural habitats. This has led to the fact that the number of individuals of this species is rapidly declining. In addition, copperheads, like snakes, are destroyed by people themselves, mistaking them for poisonous snakes.
The length of the reptiles is relatively small, only seventy centimeters. Common habitats: forests in the Federation. Copperheads especially liked the edges of deciduous, coniferous or even mixed forests. The most favorite habitat is one that is well warmed by the sun's rays. It is extremely rare for copperheads to be found in open areas.
Gyurza
A direct relative of the viper. It belongs to its family, which means it is similarly poisonous. Compared to the viper, the viper is a very large snake, with well-developed muscles. The length of the individual reaches one and a half meters. Lives in the southern territory of Siberia. The venom of the viper has many properties that allow doctors to appreciate and widely use it to create medicines. This snake itself is very brave. But despite this, she never attacks a person unless he himself provokes her. If the collision occurs unexpectedly, for example, a viper is stepped on, it immediately attacks the offender, like other snakes. Photos and names of other members of the family, for example the Armenian or big-nosed viper, can be found in any encyclopedia.
Cottonmouth
The name of the snakes in this category will be presented below. There are three types: Ussuri and stony. They are characterized by their habitat. The common copperhead lives over a fairly wide area from the mouth of the Volga River all the way to the banks Pacific Ocean. It reaches seventy centimeters in length, the color is dirty gray or brown with large dark spots located along the ridge. The head is covered with scutes, which is how the snakes got their name.
The animal's venom contains hemotoxins, which provoke heavy bleeding and widespread necrosis. In addition, it contains a certain percentage of neurotoxins that have strong impact on nervous system human body, as well as causing paralysis. There have been no official reports of deaths following a copperhead bite. However, this does not mean that you can safely provoke a snake when you meet. The bite is extremely painful, as are its consequences.
Tiger snake
The name of this species of snake comes from its characteristic color. Lives in the Far East. It has a bright green color with dark stripes across the body. In the front part of the body, the spaces between them are painted red. They reach a little more than a meter in length. They prefer to live in fairly damp places. They hunt frogs and fish.
The poisonous teeth of a tiger snake are located deep in the jaw, that is, they are created for prey that has already entered the mouth. If for any reason a snake manages to bite a person, he will suffer painful poisoning, very similar to the effects of viper venom. The bleeding is difficult to stop. After a bite, the victim should immediately consult a hematologist so that he can prescribe a course of special therapy.
There are many legends, fairy tales and sayings about these scaly reptiles. They are described as cautious and secretive animals. Due to the fact that they are rarely seen by humans, myths have been created about them, for example, that each of them is dangerous. In fact, an attack by a reptile on a person is very rare. IN wildlife, the snake does not strive to fight with a large predator.
Some popular names of snake species: anaconda, king cobra, rice, reticulated brown, rattlesnake, epha, black mamba, tiger, sand python, etc. Next, we will look at each individual species in more detail.
Poisonous snakes
Black Mamba
One of the most dangerous reptiles in the world. This poisonous species snakes distributed in Africa. Black is incredibly dangerous. Its bite can quickly kill a person (within 40 minutes). But, if you inject the antidote in time, you will be able to avoid death.
When bitten, a person feels severe pain. A necrotic edematous area appears at the puncture site. As the toxic substance spreads, symptoms such as vomiting, dizziness and nausea appear.
The snake received this name not because of the black color of its mouth. The snake itself is more olive-gray than black. The black mamba feeds on birds, bats and rodents.
King Cobra
It tops the list of the most dangerous scaly animals in the world. This view of the snake in the photo looks terrifying, and this is not surprising, because the cobra is huge. Her body color is olive.
This animal is known for its impressive size and incredible poisonousness. Maximum size her body is 5.5 meters. In the wild, the king cobra lives for about 30 years. It is very dangerous not only for humans, but also for large mammals, living in the Asian tropics.
The snake hides not only in burrows and caves, but also in trees. Its main food is rodents.
She will never bite a person unless she feels a threat coming from him. Usually, trying to protect itself, the animal bites several times without even injecting poison. But, if its toxin does enter the human body, it will lead to paralysis and respiratory arrest. Interesting fact about king cobra! She can live without food for up to 3 months.
Gaboon viper
Another dangerous type of snake. Her body is covered with reddish, white, black and light brown scales. The Gaboon viper is one of the most massive snakes in nature. Found in African savannas. Loves moisture very much.
The maximum body size of a reptile is 2 meters. Despite the presence of poison, the snake rarely attacks people. The reason is his peaceful nature. The Gabon snake is considered one of the least wary snake species. She rarely reacts to stimuli, preferring to wait out danger in a secluded place. However, these animals still attacked people, but only when they provoked them.
Because Gaboon viper not only careless, but also quite slow, it can be easily caught without any effort. To feast on a frog or lizard, this scaly creature lies in cover for a long time, choosing the optimal time to attack. It hunts only at night.
Desert Taipan
Without a doubt, it is the most toxic of all land scales. Its second name is “ cruel snake" She lives on the Australian continent. There were individuals more than 2.5 meters long.
The color of taipan scales is yellow-straw. Its front part is slightly lighter. It is worth noting that the lower the air temperature, the darker the color of the snake. Like other representatives of its species, the desert taipan feeds on rodents. It is not classified as an aggressive animal.
Reticulated snake
Appearance of a snake quite scary. Its body color can be brown, gray-brown and yellowish. The average body measurement is 1.5 meters. It is found on the island of New Guinea, as well as in Indonesia.
The reticulated brown snake does not tolerate moisture. Most often, it can be found in dry forest or mountainous areas. But deserts do not attract her, because there are few places where you can hide from direct sunlight.
This reptile is extremely dangerous. He has thousands of killed people. The fact is that it quite often creeps into human settlements. The reason is to search for house mice to feast on. The reticulated brown snake also feeds on other scaly animals.
Texas rattlesnake
Despite the calm and balanced disposition of the Texas rattlesnake, its venom can kill a person. It is found in Canada. Because of the small notch on the top of their head, rattlesnakes are also called “pitheads.”
This is a rather cute scaly animal, whose body is colored brownish-brown. One individual can weigh up to 8 kg. In winter, the animal is less active because it does not receive enough ultraviolet radiation. His diet:
- Bird eggs;
- Frogs;
- Small rodents;
- Lizards.
When the rattlesnake feels threatened, it tries to defend itself by vigorously tapping the ground with its tail.
Efa
A very dangerous animal whose poison is extremely toxic. It is small scaly (up to 1 meter). Efa is a good camouflage. The inconspicuous color of the scales allows it not to stand out in natural environment. The animal is widespread in Africa and Asia.
Common viper
This type of snake widely known. It lives not only in Europe, but also in Asia. This is one of the smallest poisonous scales. By the way, a viper bite is rarely fatal, but it can cause serious health problems, such as fainting.
In nature, red-brown and light brown representatives of this species are found. This snake is inactive, however, during the breeding season (November-December), it becomes quite active.
Egg-eater snake
Found in Africa. Based on the name of the species, it is easy to conclude that it feeds on eggs. Such a phenomenon as sexual dimorphism is not observed in these snakes. The peculiarity of these individuals is that they have very mobile cranial bones.
They allow egg eaters to open their mouths wide, swallowing even large eggs. It should be noted that the shell is not digested by the snake's stomach, therefore, after ingestion, the animals cough it up. In a pile of leaves, it is quite difficult to notice such a scaly one, since it does not stand out with its variegated color. There are light and dark individuals of this species.
Worm-like blind snake
This individual is very similar in appearance to an enlarged earthworm. The vermiform blind snake is a small representative of the class of scaly animals, its body length does not exceed 35 cm.
This snake is distinguished from an earthworm by the presence of shiny scales, which are difficult to miss. Dark stripes may be visible on the sides of her body. The species is distributed in Dagestan, Asia Minor, the Caucasus and the Balkans.
By analogy with worms, blind snakes dig holes in the ground. They feed exclusively on insects. As for interaction with people, this individual does not pose any danger to them.
Radiant snake
One of the most beautiful representatives of its species. The body of the radiant snake has a rainbow tint. Moreover, it appears even in the presence of artificial light. The animal's habitat is Southeast Asia.
It is attracted to moist forest areas with loose soil. The snake spends most of the day in it, performing digging actions. This night view scaly, which during the day takes refuge in burrows or wooden snags. The radiant snake always avoids people, but once captured, it will not give up. The individual will break out, bite and emit a stench.
Climbing out of the ground, the animal strives to catch prey as quickly as possible and return to the secluded place from which it crawled out. His caution caused another useful property– rapid swallowing of the victim.
Already ordinary
Distributed on the Euro-Asian continent. The snake stands out from other snakes with small yellow markings along the edges of its head. In this species of scaly animals, sexual dimorphism is clearly visible: the female snake is much larger than the male.
The main food of this snake is small frogs. But she can eat fish or mice. In the wild, it often becomes prey for other animals, especially birds of prey.
climbing snake
This snake is interesting for its predilection for trees. By analogy with a boa constrictor, the snake wraps its entire body around the victim and suffocates it. By the way, it feeds on small vertebrate animals and bird eggs, and less often on iguanas. Dark thin stripes run along the entire length of its red-brown body. The scales of this snake are very smooth.
Common copperhead
This inconspicuous snake is distributed throughout almost the entire territory. modern Europe. Despite the ability to swim well, copperheads rarely crawl into wet forest areas; they are attracted to forest clearings.
The main food of this snake is small lizards. By the way, she hunts them only during the day. Very rarely, the copperhead attacks mice or sparrows. Cases of cannibalism have been recorded among representatives of this species. The main forest enemy of such an animal is.
Boa constrictors
Anaconda
Most known species boa constrictor The anaconda is famous for its huge size, up to 6.5 meters in length. No modern snake can boast of such dimensions. It is found in the South American tropics.
Interesting fact! In 1944, the longest one in the world was found. The length of her body was more than 11 meters. The scales of this huge boa constrictor are dark green in color. There may be dark circles on his body and yellow circles on the sides. Despite the lack of poison, this animal can cause harm to humans, primarily through painful bites. But you won’t have to expect any damage from him if you don’t bother him.
Anaconda loves water, so it can be found near rivers and lakes. She can lie in the sun for a long time, warming herself, but still spends most of the day in the water. By the way, that's where she sheds. Most often, the anaconda's prey is aquatic birds, but it also hunts mammals, lizards and fish.
Common boa constrictor
Boa constrictor is a type of snake, which rarely crawls into dry areas. It is found near bodies of water. This species is common in Central America. Birds and small animals become its prey.
Due to the lack of poison and interesting appearance, some people prefer to keep these large scaly ones at home. However, you need to be prepared for the fact that in captivity they will have to be fed with live rodents or chickens. Unusual patterns are visible on the body of the individual. She reaches sexual maturity by 3 years.
Dog-headed boa
This beautiful light green boa constrictor is found in the South American tropics. It is considered one of the largest snakes, up to 3 meters long. On the back of this animal you can clearly see white scales forming thin, uneven stripes.
The dog-headed boa is very fond of trees. Thanks to its tenacious tail, it is able to firmly anchor itself on a thick branch, even hanging upside down. This is one of the few types of snakes that are easy to tame. In captivity, he behaves calmly and cautiously, resting most of the day. The diet of the dog-headed boa consists of birds.
Sand boa
Tree Mascarene boa
A very rare species, endemic to Round Island. Maximum length- one and a half meters. The peculiarity of the species is its sharp tail tip. The color of the animal’s scales is dark olive or brown. But there may be small white stripes on his body. The lifestyle is nocturnal.
These creatures live on almost every continent and have a bad reputation for most people. Dislike for snakes is based primarily on their lethality - the presence deadly poison allows them to kill even the largest animals. However, it is worth remembering that venomous snakes make up only a quarter of all known species.
Below is a rating of the most beautiful representatives of the suborder of snakes.
It is one of the very common snakes found throughout North Africa (excluding Morocco) and the Arabian Peninsula.
Up to 70 cm long, brownish-yellow in color, with more or less clear transverse spots of dark brown color, the entire color of the snake is extremely harmonious with the color sandy desert. The number of scales in each belt is 29-33; the anal scute is undivided, and the caudal scutes are divided into two.
10. Horned viper
A slender and muscular snake, very fast. The scales are smooth and come in a wide range of colors, including black, blue, gray, greenish, olive and brown. However, individuals from the same habitat usually have similar colors. The throat and chin parts are white. The variety of colors makes this snake difficult to identify.
Distributed in North and Central America, from Canada to Guatemala, with the exception of the western United States. Lives in open areas, such as fields, lake shores and steppes. Active during the day. It feeds on reptiles, birds and small mammals. Oviparous, clutch contains 10-20 or more eggs.
9. Black snake
The subspecies is distributed from southeastern Louisiana to southern Texas. Inhabits mainly oak forests, found in major cities such as Dallas and Houston. The basic color tone varies from brown to orange or yellowish, the skin between the scales is reddish. A row of large angular spots of dark brown color runs along the back; on the sides there are the same rows, but the spots are smaller. The head is one color, dark gray with white edging of the lips. The underparts are white, with vague gray markings on the ventral scutes. Juveniles have a row of dark brown, transversely elongated spots on a gray background.
8. Snake Elaphe obsoleta lindheimeri
The narrow-headed mamba is found in the rain forests in the eastern part South Africa: in Natal, Mozambique, Eastern Zambia, Tanzania. The average length is 180 cm, but sometimes snakes grow up to 250 cm. Adults of this species are usually emerald green in color
She is active mainly in daytime, but these snakes can be active at night under favorable conditions. Its prey in natural conditions includes birds, lizards and small mammals. Very closely related species are the western green mamba and the black mamba.
7. Narrow-headed mamba
Reaches a length of up to 1.3 meters. In coloration it is a striking example of mimicry - very similar to poisonous coral adders.
It feeds on small lizards, various amphibians and large insects. Life expectancy is about 10 years.
6. Striated King Snake
5. Rainbow Boa
The length of the rainbow boa reaches up to 2 m, but usually 150-170 cm. The main color background is from brown to reddish and fawn with large light spots surrounded by dark rings along the back. On the sides there are dark spots of smaller size with a light semi-lunar stripe on top. On the sides, near the belly, there are a number of even smaller dark spots. In the rays of the sun, the scales with an unusually strong metallic sheen shimmer with all the colors of the rainbow, especially when the snake moves. Newborn boas are also spotted.
A large and massive snake. Body length can reach from 1.5 to 4 m or more (depending on gender (females are usually larger than males) and lifestyle).
Coloring is variable. Large dark brown spots of various shapes are scattered on the body over a light yellowish-brown or yellowish-olive background, forming a complex pattern. A dark stripe runs through the eye, starting from the nostrils and extending into spots on the neck. Another stripe goes from the eye down and runs along the upper labial scutes. There is a dark arrow-shaped spot on the top of the head.
4. Tiger Python
Dog-headed boas reach a length of 2 to 3 m. The color is bright green with white spots on the back, sometimes connected by a thin white line running along the ridge. The color of the belly varies from off-white to light yellow. Young boas are red-orange, occasionally green. A very tenacious tail allows the snake not only to move deftly and quickly among the branches, but also to rest on a thin branch, strengthened by its tail, hanging two half-rings of its body on each side of the branch and resting its head on top. When kept in captivity, the dog-headed boa usually spends the entire day quietly, resting on the branches, and eats after dusk.
3. Dog-headed boa constrictor
Lives in damp areas. Leads a secretive, nocturnal lifestyle. It feeds on salamanders, lizards and frogs, as well as earthworms and other species of snakes. For protection, it uses its resemblance to coral adders.
2. Spot Collared Snake
The total length varies from 25 to 38 cm, the subspecies D. punctatus regalis has a length from 38 to 46 cm. Females are larger than males. The head is small. The body is graceful and slender. The color varies from light gray to black, and there is almost always a bright yellow or orange stripe. The belly is orange and the tail is red below. When excited, the snake raises its coiled tail, showing bright colors.
The total length reaches 2 m. It has a highly elongated, thin and laterally compressed body, and an elongated and pointed head. The body diameter is only 1.5-2 centimeters. The back is painted a bright light green color. They can be gray, yellow, flesh or cream in color, with white and black lines on the back and sides, forming oblique lines. The belly is light with white or yellow edges of the ventral scutes. The eyes are large with a horizontal pupil.
1. Grass-green whipweed
If you are interested in finding out which snakes on the territory of the Russian Federation pose the greatest danger or, on the contrary, are relatively harmless, then all the information is here!
First of all, it should be said that about 90 species of snakes live in Russia! Many of them are poisonous, while others are undeservedly considered as such. But the question is actually serious and in order to increase your chances of survival, it’s worth understanding this issue! And so, let's start our TOP, starting with harmless (or rather low-dangerous) snakes and ending with the most poisonous, most dangerous snake in Russia!
The video version of the article can be viewed here (the text is continued below):
However, let us agree that we recommend searching for even more information about snakes on the Internet, reference books or other sources (in particular, detailed details about the color varieties of one species, how to distinguish one snake from another, whether this or that is found specifically in the area of interest to you) snake, etc.). This will be useful and you will further increase your survival rate! We wanted to present you with a more complete picture of those poisonous and non-venomous snakes living in Russia! Here we describe snakes that live specifically in our country, but remember that there is always a chance of an unexpected meeting with the most exotic representatives in any geographical area as a result, for example, of escaping from a terrarium or smuggling...
ORDINARY
In our country there are three varieties of real snakes (out of 9 known in the world), the most common of which is the common snake! By appearance Common snakes are often confused with vipers, although it is very easy to distinguish a common snake! The snake has two bright spots (orange or yellow) located near the head.
The size of the snake is quite large and can reach sizes as much as 1.2 meters (some sources indicate 2.05 meters), although specimens measuring 0.8 - 0.9 meters are more common. Naturally, it is NOT poisonous or even aggressive! In case of danger, it prefers to “run away”; for defense it uses a special secreted secretion - a rather smelly liquid. He can also pretend to be dead, quite skillfully by the way. He may try to scare him by hissing and lunging at the offender. But even this good fellow can be provoked to bite, and if you managed to bring the snake to such a desperate attempt at self-defense and it bit you, then there is already something to worry about!
Since it is not poisonous, its growth cavity, unlike its poisonous relatives, is, to put it mildly, not sterile. The mouth cavity of snakes is a real garbage dump. There is a high probability that some kind of unpleasant infection will get into the bite wound, which can lead to blood poisoning or gangrene if the bite wound is not treated with disinfectants. This should not be neglected! Below is a photo of the habitat of the common grass snake.
WATER SNAKE.
As is clear from the name, the entire life of a water snake is connected with water (in general, all snakes love water and, most often, are found near reservoirs or in damp places), this snake feeds mainly on fish, and even frogs. In Russia it is found mainly in the Crimea, Ciscaucasia and Southern Volga region; the entire habitat is also shown below.
Unlike the ordinary water snake, it does NOT have characteristic bright spots near its head, and therefore, it more people thinks it's a poisonous snake (people think no spots means it's a viper! It's not true!). And although it is NOT poisonous, it is quite difficult for an especially unprepared person to distinguish it! Pay attention to the eyes of the snake, remember all snakes are diurnal snakes, so their eyes have a round pupil, unlike vipers for example (night snakes) which have a vertical pupil, like cats. The water snake is much longer than the ordinary one and its usual length is 1.3 meters, and the maximum is about 1.6.
It’s good that in case of danger, this one also tends to hide, after which it hides at the bottom of the reservoir! In defense, he is also capable of biting (in cases where the situation is hopeless, for example, you stepped on a snake without noticing (this generally applies to all snakes, it is better to make a lot of noise so that the snake has the opportunity to hide). The bite is quite painful. The wound also requires careful antiseptic treatment.
COLCHESIAN SNEAK.
The Colchis grass snake is a medium-sized snake (up to 1 meter), non-venomous and very common, it is found infrequently. In Russia, this snake can be found in the Krasnodar Territory, where it is listed in the Red Book. The color of the Colchidonian is coal black on top, white under the head, and black spots on the bottom giving way to white. In behavior, the Colchian snake is similar to other snakes, and of course you should not be afraid of it, offend it or provoke it to bite.
COMMON COPPER.
A non-venomous snake from the snake family (although some sources claim that poisonous teeth copperheads still have them, but they are located deep in the mouth and serve as an aid for swallowing food. It also says that the poison itself does not pose a serious danger to humans, moreover, that poisonous bite All the same, it happened that you need to push your finger quite deeply into the copperhead’s mouth. Copperhead - snake small sizes and she herself is not capable of biting in a way that would involve her poisonous fangs. Widely distributed throughout the European part of Russia, in many regions it is listed in the Red Book (for example, in the Bryansk region). It has a short length, usually less than 0.6 measures, but in some cases grows up to 0.9.
From the bite of this snake, only small wounds with droplets of blood will remain, but of course they should also be treated with an antiseptic to prevent infection (this general rule for all bites from non-venomous snakes). A lot of snakes of this species die due to their extermination by humans, because of the myth about the poisonousness of this snake, as well as the inability of humans to distinguish between species.
LEOPARD SNEAKER
Found in Crimea from the Karadag Mountains to the city of Sevastopol inclusive. It is a rare species, on the verge of extinction. Its diet is similar to other snakes. Has a reputation for being good pet due to its ability to effectively deal with mice and rats. Is NOT a poisonous snake.
FOUR STRIPED CLIMBING SKID.
Quite large, non-poisonous (usually 1.5 meters, in rare cases 2.6) In Russia it is found in the Crimea, the Caucasus, the Rostov and Astrakhan regions, the Krasnodar Territory. Uses suffocating techniques, hunts mainly on rodents, gophers, is capable of swallowing a hare whole) loves to destroy bird nests (even in birdhouses), thanks to its excellent ability and love for climbing trees. When in danger, it imitates the behavior of a rattlesnake: it hisses, shakes the tip of its tail and lunges, but if it manages to notice danger from afar, it prefers to move away.
PALLAS SKID (SARMATIAN SKID)
The Pallas snake (or scientifically Sarmatian) is also quite large (1.3 - 1.8 meters). In Russia, it lives in the Volgograd region (where it is listed in the Red Book), the Astrakhan region, the North Caucasus, the Rostov region, the Krasnodar and Stavropol territories. If you catch it or step on it, it will certainly try to bite you, and the bite of the Sarmatian snake will be quite deep. Not poisonous. It behaves like a four-striped climbing snake.
YELLOW-BELLY SNEAKER (CASPIAN SNEAKER)
Large (2.0 in rare cases 2.5 meters) NON-poisonous, but very aggressive, when a person approaches, he is more likely to attack (rather than run away), if the latter comes close enough, he curls up and then jumps out one and a half to two meters, at aiming it right in the face. The bite upon contact is quite painful, but does not cause much harm to health. The yellow-bellied snake (or otherwise the Caspian snake) in the Russian Federation is distributed throughout the steppe territory of the European part, is found in the Crimea, and is listed in the Red Book in the Krasnodar Territory.
CAUCASIAN VIPER
Let's start getting acquainted with poisonous snakes! The Caucasian viper is a very beautiful snake, it is poisonous, but it is still believed that the bite of such a snake is not fatal for humans, but is quite capable of causing serious problems with health (complications) so of course health care required! This snake is found in the Caucasus.
COMMON PICKLE MOUTH
The cottonmouth is able to capture the thermal radiation of its prey. Dimensions reach 0.69 - 1.1 meters. The venom of the copperhead, like the venom of vipers, has an effect on the blood, but it also contains neurotoxins that can cause paralysis of the respiratory tract (accordingly, the venom of the copperhead affects the nervous and circulatory system). The bite itself is very painful and is accompanied by severe bleeding. To avoid death (a few cases are known), seek medical help in a timely manner, usually complete recovery occurs after 5-7 days. In the vast expanses of Russia it is found from the Salsk steppe in the lower reaches of the Don and Volga in the west, to the Primorsky Territory in the east.
STONE MOUTH
The venom of the stone muzzle is similar in its effect to the venom of the common muzzle. The size of the snake can reach approximately 0.8 meters, sometimes more. In our country it is found in Primorye, the south Khabarovsk Territory and Amur region.
USSURIAN COLLECTIVE
The smallest representative of poisonous copperheads (usually no more than 0.68 meters), found in Primorye, Khabarovsk Territory and Amur Region, was also seen in Kunashir. Despite the painfulness of the bite for humans, fatalities are practically unknown, as with other copperheads.
TIGER snake.
You can only meet this snake in Russia in the Far East. The tiger snake can be classified as a poisonous and quite dangerous snake, however, this snake can be either completely non-venomous or have poisonous properties (cases of deaths are known). Ultimately, it all comes down to the food the snake eats. Namely, special toads whose skin contains steranes (bufodienolides), when saturated with such food, the salivary glands of the snake are filled with the same substances. It is interesting that if he has already accumulated a sufficient amount of these poisons, he will behave much more boldly and aggressively (he will defend himself) than someone who has not consumed such toads (he will prefer to quickly crawl away). Grows up to 1.1 meters long!
STEPPE VIPER
The steppe viper usually does not exceed a length of 0.7 meters, like its brothers from the genus of true vipers, it also poses a danger. However, recently the populations of these predators have been declining due to human destruction of their habitats (they are literally on the verge of extinction), by plowing the land for crops. For humans, the bite of this poisonous snake is dangerous, but it is believed that it is not as serious as the bite of an ordinary viper (however, more detailed information We did not find out about the difference between the poisons, so we also do not recommend joking with this snake; it is also known that there were a few fatal outcomes from bites). In Russia, this poisonous beauty is found in the Crimea, in almost the entire steppe and forest-steppe zone of the European part of Russia, as well as in the steppe regions of the Caucasus.
VIPER
Well, here's another one dangerous snake, called - common viper! Its bite can kill a person, but ultimately there are not many fatalities and they can rather be called rare cases, but they do happen. According to data from online sources, in 70% of cases no symptoms occur at all, or the victim feels a burning pain in the bite area; with more serious intoxication, symptoms such as increased sweating, chills, dizziness, diarrhea, tachycardia, pale skin, nausea, vomiting appear. . With increased sensitivity, the symptoms are much more serious, you can lose consciousness, a convulsive and comatose state appears, blood pressure drops significantly and heavy bleeding occurs, and kidney failure develops! From all this a person can die. It is believed that 166 mg of viper venom is enough for a fatal outcome (less may be enough for children and the elderly), while larger individuals of these snakes are capable of injecting 6 times more, namely about 1000 mg!
With treatment, usually the negative consequences go away in two to four days, but with improper treatment they can last up to a year! It is also worth noting that in terms of size, it is relatively small big snake(usually its length does not exceed 0.65 meters, but throughout history individuals as long as 0.90 meters have been observed). The viper lives for 15 (and according to some sources, up to 30) years. And the main enemy of the viper, besides humans, can also be called hedgehogs, which very skillfully hunt snakes.
TRANSCAUCASIAN GYURZA
The Gyurza is rightfully considered the most dangerous snake in Russia! It weighs about 3 kg and is about 2 meters long (it can also jump 2 meters when attacking a victim)! It is this snake that has the most powerful poison, second in strength only to the cobra. The poison of the viper is significantly stronger than poison viper, which ranks second (although one could give first place, it is very common), because to a large extent the death from viper venom is caused more by allergic reactions to this poison of a particular person than by the force of its influence (although of course it also plays a big role, plus the viper needs to inject more poison than the viper) in contrast to the poison of the viper, which takes lives precisely by its force. In one bite, approximately 50 mg of poison is injected and this is enough. If you do not provide timely assistance to the victim, the person will die within 2-3 hours. In the territory Russian Federation you can find it in the North Caucasus. Nevertheless, this snake is rare and is included in the Red Book of Russia.
Dear readers, if you find any inaccuracies in our article, please let us know so that they can be corrected! We will also be glad to receive your additions and stories of encounters with snakes in the wild. We will tell you what to do if you are bitten by a snake, or how to minimize the possibility of bites in one of our next articles. Thank you for your attention!
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How, during a hike from Subbotikha to Sidorovka, we met a small snake on a recently graded road, which Anton almost stepped on. It's time to show these photos, it's not for nothing that I gave the snake a whole photo shoot.
Snakes are distinguished from other snakes by their “yellow ears” - pronounced markings on the head, often yellow, but sometimes white and orange.
The external distinctive sign of a common snake, visible from afar, is two light spots symmetrically located in the back of the head. Sometimes these spots are blurred or even absent. The general coloration of the dorsal side of the body can vary from completely black to light gray and olive with or without dark spots and stripes. The ventral side is painted in whitish, gray and blackish tones.
The gray-olive or brown-black back has dark spots arranged in a checkerboard pattern, a reticulate pattern and light (white, lemon or orange-yellow) neck spots.
The grass snake is one of the most common snakes in the Palaearctic: its range extends from England, southern Fennoscandia to northwestern Africa, Asia Minor, Transbaikalia and northern China. The territory of the Volga-Kama region is almost completely covered by the boundaries of the species' distribution. The exception is the Perm region, within which the common grass snake apparently does not occur at present north of Perm.
The common snake is usually found in fairly damp places (along the banks of rivers, lakes, ponds, in coastal reeds, in floodplain meadows, in ravines, vegetable gardens and orchards, in swamps and in damp places near springs). Swims and dives well. It can swim considerable distances underwater. It can often be seen near human habitation: in sheds and heaps of garbage, cracks in wooden buildings, haystacks, in basements and under the porches of country houses. Such conditions are similar to natural ones, where it settles, using voids under stones, tree roots, and rodent burrows as shelters. Sometimes it is also found in gardens and vegetable gardens, forested areas of large cities.
It tames well and tolerates captivity. In Ukraine and Belarus, there are frequent cases of snakes being domesticated (to kill mice).
Not aggressive at all. It flees from enemies or takes a defensive pose, folding its body in a zigzag, hissing and “flattening” the neck area, and rhythmically twitches the tip of its tail. When caught, it first actively defends itself: it hisses and throws its head forward, which has a terrifying effect on many enemies. If this does not help, when grabbed by a predator or taken in hand, it usually secretes a thick, unpleasant-smelling liquid from the cloacal glands and pretends to be dead, completely relaxing the muscles. Disgusting and pungent, but unstable, the smell of this liquid discourages the appetite of four-legged predators. Rarely bites. For humans, the bite does not pose any danger.
In the video below you can see how the snake uses this method of protection. And tries to scare, deflating and inflating his body.
The smell protection also worked - my hands did not smell very pleasant for a long time after I pulled the snake a little by the tail. The smell is somewhat reminiscent of a slightly rotten jerky. This note can be found in the smell of dried fish or, for example, formalized biological products.
By the way, you might have noticed how small this particular snake is; against its background, a hand in a household glove seems simply gigantic.
It is active during the daytime and usually hunts in the morning and evening hours. It feeds mainly on lake frogs (in some places their abundance is associated with high numbers of grass snake populations), as well as toads, tadpoles and fish fry, lizards, songbird chicks, small mammals and fish, swallowing them alive without first killing them. As a result of this, the swallowed prey remains alive in the snake’s stomach for some time. The process of swallowing prey can last several hours. Swallowing the prey begins with orienting its head into the mouth, even if at first it grabs the prey by the limb, then it gradually tries to grab it by the side, and then by the head. For a long time(up to 420 days) is already able to do without food. When stressed, it regurgitates swallowed prey.
Caught near the water, when the path to land shelters is closed, the common grass snake swims away or dives. If it is impossible to hide, it freezes and, if not frightened, can remain motionless for up to several minutes.
The mating season begins in April - May. In July - August, female snakes look for where to lay eggs: in wet and warm places. Heaps of humus, old straw, fallen leaves are ideal for this; damp moss, rotten stumps and mouse holes are also suitable. In October - November they crawl into various holes and crevices in the ground, where they spend the winter.
Mating occurs in April - May. During this period, they form clusters of several dozen individuals (“mating balls”), consisting of one female and about 20 males. Eggs measuring 12 - 20 x 20 - 30 mm are laid in July - August in rotten stumps, heaps of leaves, peat, and manure. The volume of clutches varies from 4 to 50 (rarely up to 105) eggs. One female with a body length of up to 70 cm normally lays 6 - 16 eggs, individuals with a length of 0.7 to 1.0 m - 12 - 21 eggs, and more than 1 m - usually up to 35 eggs. Sometimes so-called collective clutches occur, when several females lay up to 3000 eggs in the most favorable areas of the biotope. The eggs laid in them are covered with a sticky protein, as a result of which they stick to each other and surrounding objects. “Glued” dense masonry is better preserved due to the reduction of moisture loss in it. Young individuals reach a length of 11 - 26 cm and a weight of 7 - 8 g. Sexual maturity occurs in the third - fourth year of life.
The common snake is found in the food of at least 13 species of mammals, 25 species of birds, 3 species of reptiles, 3 species of amphibians and 2 species of fish in the Volga-Kama region. So, dinner eggs are attacked by ants and ground beetles; hedgehogs and the gray rat eat the juveniles and eggs of the common grass snake; fox, raccoon dog, weasel, mink, polecat, pine marten, badger, wild boar also eat adult individuals; snakes are hunted by white and black storks, gray heron, kestrel, harriers, kites, white-tailed eagle, greater and lesser spotted eagles, buzzard, short-tailed snake eagle, osprey, eagle owl, tawny owl, some species of blackbirds, magpie; steppe viper, copperhead, spindle, green frogs, gray toad eat the sting; There are finds of snakes in the digestive tract of pike.
Among the factors of anthropogenic origin, the strongest negative impact on species populations is exerted by large-scale transformations of landscapes: in rural areas– removal of natural vegetation, reclamation measures leading to a decrease in the humidity of biocenoses, in urban areas – continuous development. Also, significant mortality is observed during migration on roads.
There is a wonderful article about the snake in the magazine “Around the World” No. 6 for June 2009: “The kindest snake” with photographs by Nikolai Shpilenok. Highly recommend.