Asp - what or who is this? According to biblical legend, it is a terrible and poisonous serpent with horns, with white and black sand-colored spots scattered on its skin. He was imagined in people's imaginations as a winged dragon with two legs and a bird's beak. On medieval tablets it was said that Aspid lives in the mountains, that he never sits on the ground, preferring only huge stones. According to legend, this monster allegedly devastated the surrounding area, destroying livestock and people. And nothing can kill him, except to burn him in a blue flame. So, who is the asp really: a biblical tyrant serpent or a real reptile living on our planet? Let's find out!

Who is this asp?

The word “aspid” is not currently used, and therefore in the middle or end of a sentence it is written with a lowercase rather than a capital letter. Asps are a large family that includes more than 347 various types. All of them are combined into 61 genera, or superfamilies. In Greek asp - “ poisonous snake" The modern classification includes in this family a whole group of sea snakes that previously belonged to a completely different family.

The most prominent representatives of this group of reptiles are:

• water cobras,
• shield cobras,
• mambas,
• kraits,
• decorated asps,
• collared cobras,
• african spotted adders,
• tree cobras,
• denisonia,
• false adders,
• deadly snakes,
• tiger snakes,
• Solomon's adders, etc.

Adder family. Sizes and colors

Asp is an amazing snake! The body length of most representatives of this family ranges from 40 centimeters to 4 meters. For example, the Arizona adder stretches up to 60 centimeters, and the so-called black mamba - up to 3.8 meters. The body color of these snakes can vary, but often there are two types. For example, arboreal and terrestrial species of asps (cobras, mambas, vipers) are painted predominantly in solid gray, brown, green or

But there are also species that have unclear and even vague tones. Thus, small and burrowing species of venomous snakes may be colored or even have a bright contrasting pattern consisting of red, yellow, black and alternating rings. By the way, this coloring directly indicates the toxicity of its owner. Many species, similar to those painted in, pose a serious danger to predatory animals.

The structure of the poisonous tooth of asps

As mentioned above, an asp is a snake with deadly poison. All species of this family, without exception, are poisonous. The deadly substance is in their teeth. Let's find out what the legendary teeth of poisonous snakes - adders - look like. Let's start with the fact that there are two of them: paired teeth are located at the anterior end of the maxillary bone, which has a noticeably shortened shape.

Both teeth are much larger than all the others and have a peculiar shape: they are curved back and equipped with a poison-conducting channel, from which deadly poison is injected into the victim’s blood. It is worth noting that the poisonous teeth of all representatives of the slate family are quite primitive, since they are located motionless in the oral cavity.

The most primitive species of these snakes have from 8 to 15 small teeth in their mouths, located on the upper jaw, but most of their relatives still have 3-5 teeth. It is noteworthy that in such aggressive adders as African mambas, all the small upper teeth (except two poisonous ones) have already fallen off independently in the process of evolution.

Asps in mythology

As mentioned above, the asp is not only a representative of the current family of poisonous snakes, but also mythological monster described in Biblical traditions. In this case, the word “Aspid” will be used as a proper name, and therefore written with a capital letter. Let us remind you: according to legend, this serpent devastates the surrounding area, taking livestock and people with it. You can only kill him with fire, since Aspid is not an inflammable creature.

According to legend, the Aspid can press one ear to the ground and plug the other with its tail. Why does he need this? The fact is that the mythological Aspid is the same snake (or dragon) as modern reptiles, so it is easy to put him into a trance through certain spells. In order not to listen to the spellcasters, he plugs his ears. In Russian folklore, the serpent Aspid is compared to the Serpent Gorynych and the terrible Basilisk. Some folklorists still identify this character with the two-meter Egyptian cobra with which Queen Cleopatra poisoned herself.

ἀσπίς, ἀσπίδος - "asp". By modern classification this family includes a group of sea snakes that were previously a separate family Hydrophidae, now included in Aspidov as a subfamily Hydrophiinae. Thus, the family Elapidae includes 2 subfamilies: Elapinae(cobras, coral snakes, etc.) and Hydrophiinae(sea snakes).

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Morphology

With their slender build, smooth dorsal scales and large symmetrical shields on the head, adders outwardly resemble grass snakes; they are often also called “poisonous snakes.” Body length ranges from 40 cm in the Arizona adder to 4 m in the black mamba and 5.5 m in the king cobra. The head in most species is rounded in front and is not delimited from the body by a cervical interception. The pupil is round; in the genus of deadly snakes it is vertical. The left lung is rudimentary or completely absent.

The coloration is varied, but two options are the most typical. Large terrestrial and arboreal forms (cobras, mambas, etc.) have a gray, sandy, brown or green color, uniform or with an unclear pattern. Smaller forms (coral and decorated slates) have a bright, contrasting pattern on the body, consisting of alternating red, yellow, and black rings.

Teeth

All species of this family are poisonous. The venom secretion system includes glands that produce venom, muscles that squeeze venom from the glands, a channel through which the secretion is transported from the gland to the injection system, and poisonous teeth, with the help of which the venom is injected into the victim. Paired poisonous teeth are located in the anterior part of the shortened maxillary bones; they are noticeably larger than the other teeth, curved back and equipped with a poison-conducting channel; fixed motionless (primitive feature). The Australian death snake is an exception in this regard. Acanthophis antarcticus, which is very similar in morphology and feeding behavior to terrestrial vipers. Their poisonous teeth are fixed on a very mobile square bone. The venom-conducting channel in asps originates from a groove on the front surface of the tooth by gradually closing its edges. Usually only one of the poisonous teeth functions; the second is a “substitute” in case of loss of the first. In addition to fangs, many asps have an upper jaw equipped with small teeth; mambas and American asps do not have them.

Spreading

Asps inhabit tropical and subtropical regions of all parts of the world (except Europe), sometimes found in the steppes of temperate latitudes; reaching its greatest diversity and richness of forms in Australia and Africa.

The most ancient and primitive species of asps inhabit Australia, and more than half (22) of the genera of the family are represented on this continent. Since the younger families of venomous snakes - vipers and pit vipers - did not penetrate into Australia, adders occupied various ecological niches here, and as a result of convergent adaptation, species that were externally similar to vipers and pit vipers developed among them (for example, the viper-shaped death snake Acanthophis antarcticus, which was mentioned above).

Another ancient center for the distribution of asps is in Africa, but compared to Australia, younger and more advanced species live here. African adders are very diverse (10 genera, 21 species) - among them there are both terrestrial and burrowing ones; only here are true arboreal species (mambas) and purely aquatic adders (water cobras) found.

In Asia, asps are represented by evolutionarily young and relatively specialized forms (6 genera, 31 species). Largest number The species here are formed by kraits and decorated asps. The largest of all venomous snakes, the king cobra, also lives in Asia. Terrestrial and burrowing species predominate.

America was populated by aspidids later than other continents, and the species diversity here is low (51 species, grouped into 3 genera). America's asps are a very homogeneous group in their morphology and ecology. They are distinguished by a highly specialized dental apparatus: their maxillary bone is very shortened, and on the upper jaw there are only paired poisonous teeth.

Asps live in a variety of biotopes, from dry steppes and deserts to tropical rainforests. These are mainly terrestrial and arboreal snakes; some species lead a burrowing lifestyle.

Nutrition

The diet of aspids is very varied. Snake family Elapidae can feed on mammals, birds, snakes, lizards, frogs, fish. Many of them feed on almost any suitable food they can find, while others eat only one or two specific types of animals. For example, African collared cobra Hemachatus haemachatus prefers tadpoles. Most marine species of this family live on coral reefs, where they feed on fish, eels and squid. Most species of the family Elapidae actively hunting. The snake stalks the victim and then attacks and pierces it with its teeth. The teeth release venom, which causes the victim’s heart and breathing to stop, after which the snake freely swallows the captured animal. However, the Australian death snake

ARIZONAN ASPID (lat. Micruroides euryxanthus) is the smallest snake from the family Elipidae (slates), its length is only 40 cm. Despite the small size of the Arizona asp, it is difficult not to notice it - the spectacular color of this snake immediately catches the eye. It consists of alternating black, red and yellow rings. Perhaps the most important feature of the Arizona adder is not its bright color, but the structure of its dental apparatus. On the maxillary bone behind each poisonous fang (there are two in total) they have another small tooth. However, asps need poisonous teeth not for protection from enemies, but rather for obtaining food. When in danger, this adder draws air into its lungs and exhales it rhythmically, while emitting a series of rapidly alternating clapping sounds. The little snake makes similar unusual sounds to scare away enemies.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia (reptiles)
Order: Squamata (scaly)
Suborder: Serpentes (snakes)
Family: Elipidae (slates)
Genus: Micruroides (Arizona adder)
Species: Micruroides euryxanthus (Arizona adder)

Habitat

Arizona adders are found in the desert areas of the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. They can be found both in dry steppe or desert, and in damp forest. They can be located not only on the ground, but also climb trees.

Description

to his appearance Almost all representatives of aspid snakes resemble grass snakes. They have smooth dorsal scales and a slender build. The underside of the asp's body is covered with wide abdominal scutes. They have symmetrical large scutes on their heads, but there is no zygomatic scute. Most members of this family, including the Arizona adder, have a head that is rounded at the front and is not limited to extending the neck from the body. This snake's pupil is round. Another feature of slates is that the left lung is either completely absent or rudimentary, and in the skeleton there are no rudiments of the pelvis and hind limbs.
The Arizona adder is a miniature snake, one of the smallest in the adder family. It reaches a length of approximately 40 cm. The coloring of this species of snake is very impressive, it has a contrasting pattern, which consists of a sequential alternation of bright red, yellow and black rings.
The Arizona adder is a very dangerous and extremely poisonous snake.
Its venomous paired teeth are located side by side on the front of the noticeably shortened upper jaw bone. They are noticeably larger in size than other non-poisonous teeth; moreover, they are curved back and have a poison-conducting channel. Moreover anatomical structure The canal comes from a groove on the front surface of the tooth. These teeth are fixed motionless. Most often, only one of the poisonous teeth is functional, with the second being a replacement in case the snake loses the first, which happens quite often. New teeth grow to replace lost teeth, so that asps are never left without teeth at all. An important feature of the structure of the dentition of the Arizona adder, in addition to the shortened upper jaw, is the presence of a small tooth behind the poisonous fang on the maxillary bone. This structure is due to the fact that all adders are burrowing snakes.
Despite the small size of the snake, the venom of Arizona adders is very strong and dangerous. It has a pronounced neurotoxic effect. At first, the bite has a slight local effect: practically no tumor develops, there is no swelling, redness or extensive external necrosis. But then death occurs very quickly. Some of the main reasons are paralysis of the respiratory center and cardiac arrest.
However, the Arizona adder is not too dangerous for humans: firstly, it loves deserted places and does not crawl near habitation, and secondly, snakes of this species rarely use their teeth to protect themselves from humans or large animals. The fact is that their mouth is narrow and does not stretch well, and their teeth are small (in accordance with the size of the snake itself), and the likelihood of an effective bite is extremely low.
Therefore, in case of danger to its life, the Arizona adder can make clapping, rapidly alternating sounds, drawing air into its lungs and exhaling it rhythmically. By this he warns his enemies that it is better not to approach him.

Nutrition

They usually feed on other animals, swallowing them whole. Moreover, they can eat prey approximately one and a half times wider than the snake itself. Under natural conditions, the main diet of the Arizona adder, like most slate snakes, consists of various reptiles - frogs, toads, lizards and other small snakes. As an additional diet, they can eat small mammals, mainly mouse-like rodents, and insects. Arizona adders never hunt humans or large animals and do not attack first, but if they are disturbed, they will defend themselves and will certainly bite the aggressor.
This small snake is inactive and prefers to wait for its prey in ambush, from there suddenly delivering a lightning-fast fatal bite. But if the intended victim managed to dodge the first throw of the asp, he may give chase. But the snake quickly gets tired of this activity, and after just a couple of meters it stops pursuing and again lurks in ambush.

Additionally

The Arizona adder is considered a very dangerous venomous snake. Its venom has predominantly neurotoxic properties. When bitten, a person feels sharp pain, but the external impact is minimal - usually there is no swelling, bleeding, redness or necrosis. Within half an hour they develop general symptoms poisoning: nausea, weakness, headache, drowsiness, muscle weakness, occasionally vomiting. Neurological symptoms appear later. The fact is that the venom of asps disrupts the transmission of nerve impulses, also blocking some intracellular enzyme systems. It disrupts the respiration of cells, as a result of which the activity of some vital nerve centers fades away. Phenomena of progressive paralysis and respiratory depression occur. In a matter of hours, people develop severe muscle weakness, problems with coordination of movements, and an incorrect gait. It all ends in general ascending paralysis of the motor muscles. Later, paralysis of the respiratory muscles leads to complete cessation of breathing and death.
When bitten by an Arizona adder, proper first aid is very important. You can try to squeeze out the poison, but it makes sense to do this immediately, in the first 5 minutes after the bite. You should not apply a tourniquet or tighten the affected limb; this is useless and even harmful. Complete immobilization of the affected limb is recommended. Snake venoms spread from the site of injury throughout the body through lymphatic vessels, and not through blood vessels. And the outflow of lymph from the limbs depends only on muscle movements. Carrying and transporting those bitten by snakes is only possible in a supine position, because They cannot sit or walk to avoid fainting. You can give the patient hot, strong tea, coffee or broth. Alcohol should not be taken because... it promotes the spread of poison throughout the body.
The most dangerous thing about the Arizona adder is that there is no specific antidote for its poison. Therefore, death from bites occurs in 50% of cases.

Sources

http://www.yadoktor.ru
http://www.zooeco.com
http://www.i-nature.ru
http://animalzone.ru
http://colubrine.ru/
http://dic.academic.ru/
http://base.safework.ru/
http://reptiliy.net/
http://big-snake.narod.ru/

Other names

Sonoran Coralsnake, Arizona coral snake, Serpiente-coralillo sonorense, Western Coral Snake.

Subspecies

In nature, there are three subspecies of the Arizona adder (Micruroides euryxanthus): the nominative subspecies Micruroides euryxanthus euryxanthus (Kennicott, 1860), the other two - Micruroides euryxanthus australis (Zweifel and Norris, 1955) and Micruroides euryxanthus neglectus (Roze, 1967).

Habitat

All subspecies of the Arizona adder are commonly found in the desert areas of the Southwest United States and northern Mexico. These small snakes can be found both in the dry steppe or desert, and in the wet forest. All American adders lead a secretive lifestyle: during the day they hide in a litter of fallen leaves, under tree roots or burrow into the ground, and at night they go out hunting, eating small snakes, lizards, amphibians and rodents. They appear on the surface only during the rainy season or during the breeding season. An important feature of Arizona adders is that due to small in size they can be located not only on or under the surface of the earth, but also climb trees. They rarely crawl out to human habitation, which the indigenous people of America are very happy about - death from an Arizona adder bite occurs within 8-24 hours, and in the absence of timely help, death is inevitable.

Content

The Arizona adder is not too dangerous for humans, but only if they are found in natural conditions. In nature, an asp will prefer to crawl away or make threatening sounds and drive a person away from its territory. The maintenance of poisonous snakes in general and the Arizona adder in particular in home terrarium highly undesirable and fraught with significant difficulties. Even experienced herpetologists do not risk keeping poisonous snakes at home, which require special conditions content. Moreover, the violent death of household members or neighbors from a snake bite falls under Article 109 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Causing death by negligence,” which is punishable by restriction of freedom for up to three years or imprisonment for the same period.
In addition, poisonous snakes do not tolerate captivity well and usually die within a couple of years after being caught.

Reproduction

Since the Arizona adder is a rather rare species of snake, and given the small number of representatives of this species in zoo collections, their reproduction has been poorly studied. It belongs to the oviparous species of snakes. The mating season for representatives of this species occurs once a year and begins in the spring and continues in the summer. Already at the end of summer, the female lays a clutch of 2-3 eggs. She makes her nest in a pile of fallen leaves or a hole in the ground, warming the eggs with her body heat and protecting them from temperature changes and surrounding views. During these periods, Arizona adders are very aggressive and should not be
approach their habitats unless absolutely necessary, causing a completely natural defensive reaction on their part.

Health to you and your pets!

Snakes have always caused fear in humans. Since ancient times, these creatures were depicted on orders and banners, they were described in myths and legends. Today we decided to talk about the asp - a snake that actually lives in our world, which is described in the Bible as the Tempting Serpent.

What kind of snake is this?

Asp is a type of poisonous snake that has a beautiful bright color. His body is painted with red and yellow rings. The venom of the asp is very strong, and if you do not see a doctor after being bitten by this snake, the person dies within 24 hours.

The asp is a predator. It feeds on small mammals, large insects, amphibians and lizards.

Description of appearance

This snake cannot be found in Russia; it lives in Africa, South and North America, most species are distributed from Uruguay to Mexico.

Ordinary coral adder and cobra reach a size from half a meter to eighty centimeters. The coral giant adder (habitat - the Amazon basin) is the largest of this genus, and its length can be up to one and a half meters. There is also a harlequin adder - a snake up to a meter in length, whose bite is considered the most poisonous compared to other brothers.

This snake can be easily recognized by its wavy body with a short tail and a small, slightly blunt head. The color is bright, consisting of three colors. In waterfowl, the tip of the tail is slightly flattened, which allows them to swim well.

The asp's teeth are short, almost invisible, the jaw is weakly stretchable, and the mouth is small.

These snakes do not often attack humans or large animals. They are not aggressive and can bite only in self-defense, in case of accidental contact or a targeted attack on them. Most asp bites on humans are associated with gardening, when the hand accidentally felt the snake, and the asp, escaping, bit the “object” that frightened him.

Adder behavior

Asp is one of the most careful snakes. It is very difficult to find and see, because the snake spends most of its time in a shelter, which can be a small hole, withered foliage, or rotten tree roots. Adders are also excellent at burying themselves in the ground. The asp will leave its house only to find food, or during the breeding season. This snake is also often caught during rains, since it cannot breathe in a wet shelter. However, these snakes are very fond of high humidity, and it is almost impossible to find them in dry places; they live in the humid forests of the tropics. Some waterfowl species prefer to spend more time in the water, choosing a place with dense vegetation to live.

The asp differs significantly in its bite behavior. If a viper or other poisonous snake, after attacking a victim, tries to quickly escape from the scene of the crime, then the coral adder will hang on the hand or other part of the body for a long time so that the poison can act faster.

Differences between an asp and a king snake

The color of the venomous adder is very similar to the color of some completely harmless snakes, such as the kingsnake and milk snake. It is very difficult to distinguish them, since all species have red and yellow colors on a black background in their body pattern.

The first difference is the presence of points of contact between the yellow and red rings. If there are any, then this is a poisonous snake.

You can also find a difference simply in the color of the tail: in the adder it consists only of black and yellow, but in the king snake the tail is colored the same as the whole body.

The asp's head is more blunt and colored black and yellow oh, and the king snake has an elongated head, and its color is red and black.

These rules are valid only for snakes living in America; in other parts of the world, adders have a completely different color; their rings can be blue or pink, or may be completely absent.

Asp in myths and legends

The asp is not only a real snake, but also a mythical one; it is often found in fairy tales and legends. One of these legends says that there is a relic that has been located for several centuries at the foot of Mount Athos, in the Great Lavra. This is the tongue of the asp, once given to St. Athanasius by Emperor Phocas. To this day, the water infused at this site is healing.

In the Bible, the asp is described as a huge horned serpent, its body is sand-colored, and there are black and white rings on it. This snake was also described as a winged monster with a snake body and bird legs. According to the legends of the Middle Ages, this adder never sat on the ground, choosing stones for planting. Since he was afraid of the snake charmer, he pressed one ear to the ground and covered the other with his tail. And he flew into villages in order to devastate them, and there was no way to kill him with anything other than fire.

In the Middle Ages, the asp was depicted as huge, like the Egyptian cobra, which Cleopatra once chose as the weapon of her death. The most striking example of the image of this snake is the well-known monument to Peter the Great, where his horse crushes an asp with its hooves. He is also depicted on the coat of arms of Russia, where St. George the Victorious pierces him with his spear.

The extensive family of slate snakes contains about 180 species, grouped into 41 genera. All species of this family are poisonous. Paired poisonous teeth are located at the anterior end of the noticeably shortened maxillary bone; they are much larger than the other teeth, curved back and equipped with a poison-conducting canal. The structure of this canal in its most typical form clearly demonstrates its origin from a groove on the front surface of the tooth: the front wall of the canal is formed by the closed edges of the groove and a “seam” is noticeable on the surface of the tooth, under which the canal is located. However, the poisonous teeth of slate snakes are still primitive, since they are located motionless in the oral cavity.

In the most primitive Australian species of slate snakes, another 8-15 small teeth are located on the upper jaw; in most slate snakes, the number of these teeth is reduced to 3-5, and in African mambas and American adders no longer have any teeth on the upper jaw, except for paired back-curved poison-conducting fangs.

Usually on each maxillary bone there are 2 such canines lying side by side, but only one of them is functioning at a given time, and the other is a “substitute” that comes into action when the first one is lost. Snakes periodically lose their poisonous teeth, and replacement teeth grow to replace them, so that the snakes are reliably provided with their formidable weapons. In addition to the maxillary bone, the palatine, pterygoid and dentary bones are also equipped with small teeth.

In the skeleton of the aspids we no longer find any rudiments of the pelvis and hind limbs. These snakes have no left lung.

The head is covered with large scutes, and the absence of a zygomatic scute is characteristic of all slates (this feature, however, is found in individual representatives of other families). The vast majority of slates have a rounded head at the front, smoothly, without a cervical interception, passing into the body, eyes with a round pupil. Only in certain evaded species (for example, in the Australian death snake) the head is triangular in shape and delimited by a sharp cervical interception. The dorsal scales are smooth, the underside of the snake’s body is covered with greatly expanded ventral scutes. Due to their slender build, smooth scales and large head shield, many slates are very similar in appearance to colubrid snakes. Therefore, aspids are often also called poisonous snakes. However, this name creates a fair amount of confusion, since among the colubrids themselves there are also quite a few poisonous species(see description of the already-shaped family).

Body coloration is quite varied, but two options are the most typical. Large terrestrial and arboreal forms ( cobras, mambas etc.) have a uniform or unclear pattern of gray, sandy, brown or green body color. Smaller burrowing forms ( coral and decorated adders) have a bright, contrasting body pattern, consisting of alternating red, yellow, and black rings.

Distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of all continents (excluding Europe) and reach greatest wealth and diversity of forms in Australia and Africa. Australia is inhabited by the most ancient and primitive species of aspids. Since the younger families of venomous snakes - vipers and pit vipers - could not penetrate this continent, the aspids occupied various ecological niches here. The evolution of adders on this continent, free from other venomous snakes, led to the creation of species very similar in appearance to vipers and pit vipers (for example, viper-like death snake- Acanthophis antarcticus). This process is called convergent adaptation (it is well known for Australian marsupials, which, in the absence of higher mammals, formed similar forms here - marsupial wolves, squirrels, rats, etc.). The large number of genera (22) indicates a long history of slates in Australia.

Africa is also the ancient center of the distribution of slates, but in comparison with Australia, younger and more advanced species live here. Ecologically, African slates are very diverse (10 genera, 21 species). Among them there are both terrestrial and burrowing; only here are true arboreal species (mambas) and purely aquatic slates (water cobras - Boulengerina) found.

The fauna of aspids in Asia is represented by evolutionarily young and relatively specialized forms (6 genera, 31 species). The largest number of species here are kraits and decorated asps. The largest of all venomous snakes, the king cobra, also lives in Asia. The ecological diversity of aspids here is relatively small: terrestrial and burrowing species predominate.

America was populated by aspids later than other continents, and the process of speciation here is still at the first stage (51 species, united in only 3 genera). Coral adders of America are a group very homogeneous in their morphology and ecology. Their dental apparatus is highly specialized: the maxillary bone is very shortened and the upper jaw has only paired poisonous teeth. All coral adders are burrowing snakes to a greater or lesser extent.

The diet of slate snakes is varied; Many have a predilection for snakes (mainly small and non-venomous species), but the rest of their diet consists of small mammals, reptiles and amphibians, less often birds and invertebrates.

The venom of slate snakes consists of many components of different effects and is not the same in composition in different types. However, in general, among the active principles in the venom of aspids, neurotoxins predominate, which causes a characteristic clinical picture when bitten. Local phenomena in the area of ​​the bite almost do not develop (there is no swelling or redness), but death quickly occurs due to depression of the nervous system, primarily paralysis of the respiratory center.

Oviparous species predominate, but there are also many ovoviviparous species. Viviparity is characteristic mainly of burrowing forms, as well as most Australian slates. In some oviparous species (for example, the king cobra), the clutch of eggs is guarded by the female.

False adders(genus Aspidomorphus) are one of the most primitive snakes of this family. On the long maxillary bone behind the poisonous fangs there are 8-12 small teeth. Seven species of these small snakes, up to 1 mu long, live in Northern and Western Australia, and one species (A. muelleri) lives in New Guinea and the adjacent islands. The venom of false asps is very weak, and according to their small size, they hunt mainly for insects.

Extensive genus denisonii(Denisonia) contains 19 species found throughout the continent.

Magnificent Denisonia(Denisonia superba), up to 1.5 m in length, lives in densely populated areas of South Western Australia and poses a known danger to humans and domestic animals. A female Denisonia gives birth to up to 40 young. At the same time, it is remarkable that she has a simplified semblance of a placenta connecting circulatory systems embryos and mother.

Six types brown snakes(genus Demansia) are widespread throughout Australia, and also penetrate into New Guinea and other islands. The dental system of brown snakes is very primitive - behind the poisonous fangs on the elongated maxillary bone there are from 7 to 15 small teeth. All brown snakes are oviparous.

The most common type is mesh brown snake (Demansia textilis) reaches a length of over 2 m and lives in arid areas throughout the continent. Juveniles have bright transverse rings on the body, while adults are uniformly colored. This snake's food consists of lizards and small mammals. Females lay 15-30 eggs, from which young hatch after 2 months.

Sand brown snake(D. psammo-phis) is noticeably smaller than the previous species, no more than 1.5 m in length. This snake is colored grayish-brown above and yellow below. It inhabits dry rocky habitats, hunts mainly for lizards and is diurnal. The venom of this snake is not very strong; bitten lizards 15-18 cm long die in about 10 minutes.

Black snake or black echidna(Pseudechis porphyriacus), distributed throughout Eastern and Southern Australia, reaches a length of 1.5-2 m. The shiny black color of the upper body combines effectively with the reddish color of the belly. The black snake lives in moderately damp low-lying areas and along river valleys, willingly goes into the water, swims and dives well. It feeds on frogs, lizards, and snakes. Juveniles prefer insects and other invertebrates. In captivity, the black snake eats mice well. When disturbed or irritated by something, a black snake slightly spreads its neck ribs to the sides, flattening and expanding its neck. Male black snakes often engage in tournament combat among themselves. Raising their heads and bending their necks, they step on each other, trying to cover their opponent’s head with their heads. When one of the opponents manages to do this, with a sharp movement he wraps his body around the opponent’s torso. Hissing and writhing furiously, both snakes squeeze each other.

Suddenly, as if on cue, they stop fighting and disperse to prepare for the next fight. Each of these “rounds” lasts about a minute, and they are repeated until the wrestlers are completely exhausted. Snakes can be so carried away by the tournament that they do not unravel, even if they are lifted from the ground. The reason for such fights is obviously a territorial instinct combined with sexual arousal. It is typical that during the tournament the rivals do not bite each other.

The most dangerous of Australian snakes lives in the north-east of Australia and New Guinea - taipan(Oxyuranus scutellatus). The dimensions of the taipan are very impressive - up to 3-3.5 m, and poisonous teeth more than a centimeter long reward the victim with a solid dose of poison when bitten. In terms of quantity and strength of poison, the taipan surpasses all snakes in Australia; a horse dies from its bite in a few minutes, and several known cases bites of people by taipan invariably ended in their death. The taipan is very aggressive: at the sight of danger, it curls up, flattens its body, vibrates the end of its tail and, raising the front of its body high, makes several lunges in the direction of the enemy. Fortunately for local residents, the taipan is a fairly rare snake found in sparsely populated areas.

Tiger snake(Notechis scutatus) is inferior in size to the taipan, reaching only 1.5-2 m in length, but its poison is very strong; it is believed that tiger snake the most powerful venom of all land snakes. The danger of encountering this snake is further aggravated by the fact that it is widespread throughout almost the entire continent, except for the northernmost regions, and also inhabits Tasmania and a number of islands off the southern coast. The black body of the snake is intercepted by faint sulfur-yellow rings, and the belly is yellow in color. 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. It is estimated that the venom contained in the glands of a large tiger snake is enough to kill 400 people. It is ovoviviparous and produces abundant offspring - usually up to 72 young snakes. (There is a known case when 109 embryos were found during an autopsy in a large female.)

Deadly snake(Acanthophis antarcticus) is notable for its great external resemblance to vipers. Its wide head with prominent cheekbones has a triangular shape with a sharp cervical intercept, the supraorbital shield protrudes sharply to the side, and the scales on the upper side of the body are equipped with ribs. Its body is short and curly, and it also behaves like a viper. When danger appears, the snake lies motionless, not fleeing or taking a frightening pose, but relies on its protective coloring, which makes it invisible. Due to this manner of behavior, the traveler more often comes close to a snake and is bitten by it. The poison of the deadly snake is three times weaker than that of the tiger snake, and it is noticeably smaller in size. But still, half of the people bitten by this snake die. Its wide distribution (Australia, New Guinea and neighboring islands) aggravates the harm it causes.

In Central and Western Australia, the distribution is close to previous view fire snake(Acanthophis pyrrhus), having bright red color torso.

The world's largest venomous snake lives in Southeast Asia. king cobra or hamadryad(Ophiophagus hannah). The average size of an adult cobra is 3-4 m, but some record-breaking specimens reach a length of 5.5 m. On the head of the king cobra, behind the occipital scutes, six additional large scutes are located in a semicircle. The slender body of the snake has a yellowish-green color with black oblique transverse rings, which are usually narrow and indistinct on the front part of the body, and become bright and wide towards the tail. However, within its vast range, the color of the king cobra is very variable. Juveniles have brighter transverse striping.

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It inhabits India south of the Himalayas, Southern China, Indochina and Malacca, the Greater Sunda Islands to Bali and the Philippines. It lives in forested areas, choosing areas with dense undergrowth and grassy cover, but is often found in developed areas. The king cobra climbs trees well and is an excellent swimmer, but spends most of its time on the ground. It is diurnal and hunts mainly on snakes, which make up most of its diet. Along with non-venomous colubrids, the victims of the king cobra include such poisonous snakes as kraits (genus Bungarus), ornate adders (genus Calliophis), and cobras (genus Naja). Only occasionally does it diversify its diet with large lizards.

The king cobra is oviparous. To lay eggs, the female builds a special “nest”, raking dry leaves and branches into a round pile with the front part of her body. In the center of the heap, the cobra lays eggs (about 20, occasionally up to 40) and covers them with leaves on top. She herself is placed at the top and jealously guards the clutch, attacking any animal approaching the nest. Sometimes the male takes part in protecting the nest.

The venom of the king cobra is very strong, and the amount injected during the bite is large. Therefore, its bite can lead to death within half an hour. There are known cases of death of elephants bitten by this snake.

The king cobra has been repeatedly reported to have a nasty tendency to attack people and chase them without any reason. apparent reason. This is all the more strange since snakes generally bite people only for the purpose of self-defense, when a person tries to grab, kill a snake or accidentally steps on it. Obviously, cases of aggressive behavior of the king cobra are explained by the peculiarities of its “nest” life. A snake guarding a clutch of eggs seeks to drive away any intruder and rushes at him, protecting its nest. And people who have been subjected to such an attack, not knowing about the proximity of the nest, attribute “gratuitous” aggressiveness to the king cobra.

Real cobras(genus Naja) inhabit all of South Asia and Africa. Of the six species of cobras, the most famous and widespread is Indian cobra or spectacled snake(Naja naja).

The total length of her slender, strong body is 160-180 cm. The rounded and slightly blunt head smoothly merges into the body. The eyes are small, with a round pupil, the head is covered with large scutes, the upper jaw is armed with paired poisonous fangs, followed by 1-3 more small teeth, separated from them by a gap. The body is covered with smooth scales and turns into a long, rather thin tail.

The color of the Indian cobra is very variable throughout its vast range, and, in addition, completely differently colored snakes can be found in the same area. The general background color ranges from yellowish-gray to brownish and even black. The belly can be light gray or yellowish-brown. In young individuals, wide dark transverse stripes are clearly visible on the body, which gradually fade and disappear with age. The most noticeable thing about the color of the Indian cobra are the so-called “spectacles” - a clear light pattern on the back of the neck, which becomes clearly visible when the snake is in a defensive pose. When in danger, the cobra vertically raises the front third of its body and, holding its head horizontally in the direction of the enemy, spreads the 8 anterior pairs of cervical ribs to the sides. At the same time, the neck flattens and expands, and the pattern of “glasses” stands out clearly on the stretched skin on the dorsal side. The significance of the bright eye-shaped pattern on the dorsal side of the snake is very great - it deters a predator from attacking, even if that predator manages to run to the snake from the rear when it cannot bite it. This pattern can vary from two large, white-edged dark spots connected by a downward-facing light arc, to one dark spot with a wide white border. The subspecies of Indian cobra, whose pattern most often consists of one ring, is called the “monocled” cobra. In some subspecies (in particular, in our Central Asian cobra), the pattern of “spectacles” on the neck is completely absent.

Distributed in the south Central Asia, in Eastern Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Ceylon, throughout Southeast Asia north to Southern China and the island of Taiwan and throughout the Sunda and Philippine Islands. In this vast territory, there are about ten subspecies of the Indian cobra, which differ greatly not only in color, but also in lifestyle and behavior.

Lives in our country Central Asian cobra(Naja naja oxiana), inhabiting Southern Turkmenistan, southern Uzbekistan and Southwestern Tajikistan. Here this snake adheres to the foothill belt, not entering the mountains above 1500 m above sea level. The cobra's favorite habitats are hilly areas with sparse grass cover and an abundance of shelters in the form of rodent burrows, placers and rubble of stones. In mountainous areas, cobra is found in river valleys and gorges. It also willingly settles near people - in ruins, in cemeteries, along ditches on irrigated lands and even in villages. However, the cobra can also live in the depths of the waterless desert, many kilometers from the nearest rivers. This snake is never numerous and does not form clusters, like some other species of snakes. Even in the most favorable places in spring time It is possible to meet no more than 2-3 snakes per day. The cobra is most active in the spring; during this period it leads a diurnal lifestyle. In the summer, when it is too hot during the day, the cobra appears only in the early morning and evening hours. In autumn the cobra is active again in daytime hours, but comes to the surface much less often than in the spring. Its food most often consists of amphibians (green toads, lake frogs), as well as reptiles (boas, ephas, lizards), birds (small passerines, nightjars, etc.), bird eggs and small rodents.

Cobras mate in the spring, and in July the females lay 8-12 eggs, each about 35 mm long. In September, young eggs about 30 cm long emerge from the eggs. It should be noted that the characteristic pose of a threat in a cobra is an innate element of behavior, and snakes that have just emerged from the eggs already expand their necks and vertically raise the front part of their body at the sight of any danger.

The venom of the Central Asian cobra is very strong and has a pronounced neurotoxic effect when bitten. The bitten animal initially becomes lethargic and passive, but soon convulsions occur, breathing becomes rapid and shallow, and after some time death occurs due to paralysis of the respiratory center. Local phenomena (tumors, hemorrhages) are not observed with a cobra bite.

Although the cobra is very poisonous, it bites very rarely, and there are extremely few reliable cases of cobra bites in our country. Cases of death of domestic animals from a cobra bite are equally rare. The reason for this is mainly the demonstrative behavior of the cobra when danger appears. If the viper, to which people and livestock are bitten much more often, always lies motionless and silent, delivering an unexpected defensive bite when confronted with it, then the cobra does not wait until it is stepped on. Seeing the approaching danger, she takes a defensive pose and makes a loud hiss. This is usually enough to convince a person and even a sheep that the path is closed here. But even if the enemy comes close, the cobra does not always use its poisonous teeth, but sometimes first inflicts a false bite, sharply throwing the front part of the body forward and hitting the enemy with its head with its mouth closed. With this technique, she tries to scare away without using her main weapon, thus protecting her teeth from possible breakage. Therefore, it is practically very difficult to be bitten by a cobra in natural conditions.

The cobra's bite pattern is unique. While vipers deliver a lightning-fast stab with their long teeth and immediately throw their head back, the cobra with its shorter teeth usually does not rely on a fleeting sting. Often it grabs onto the victim and does not immediately lean back, but several times forcefully squeezes and “switches” its jaws on the victim’s body in order to surely sink its poisonous teeth into the tissues of the body and inject the required dose of poison.

The nominal subspecies of the Indian cobra (N. n. naja), common in India, Pakistan and Ceylon, differs from our cobra primarily in the presence of a characteristic “glasses” pattern on the back of the neck, for which this snake received the name spectacled. The spectacled snake lives in a variety of places, settling in ruins, under tree roots, in termite mounds, ravines, scree, in piles of brushwood, in close proximity to human habitation. It penetrates into the mountains high - up to 2700 m above sea level. The average size of the spectacled snake is slightly larger than that of our Central Asian cobra, and its fertility is noticeably higher. Mating in the Indian cobra occurs in January - February, and in May the females lay 10-20 eggs (clutches of up to 45 eggs are known). Males and females stay in pairs both during the breeding season and subsequently, until the young hatch. The egg laying is guarded by the female, sometimes by the male. Egg development lasts about 70-80 days.

The spectacled snake has quite a few enemies, among which the first place belongs to the mongoose - the famous Riki-Tiki-Tavi by Rudyard Kipling. This small predator from the civet family fearlessly attacks snakes of any size and, deftly jumping away and avoiding the throws of a cobra, chooses the moment and grabs the snake’s neck with its sharp teeth. Although the mongoose has a reduced sensitivity to cobra venom (25 times less sensitive than a dog), it also tries not to expose itself to snake bites when fighting.

Among the population of India, the spectacled snake enjoys special reverence; many legends and tales are associated with it. In addition, snake charmers use it in their performances. They keep cobras in round wicker baskets, and before the performance they remove the lid from the basket and let the cobra stand in its spectacular pose. When playing a wind instrument, the caster sways from side to side in time to the music. The snake, of course, does not hear the music, since snakes do not have an external organ of hearing, but it follows the man and, without taking his eyes off him, sways after him. The audience gets the impression that the snake is “dancing” to the music. Experienced spellcasters approach the snake, touch it with their foreheads, kiss its lips on the tip of its nose and perform a number of other manipulations. Some less experienced spellcasters, not relying on their skills, break off the cobra's poisonous teeth. But this often leads to tragic outcomes: firstly, even with the broken base of a tooth, a snake can inflict injury, and the sprayed poison will find its way, and secondly, instead of broken teeth, no less poisonous replacement teeth will soon grow. In addition, after the performance, spectators often want to make sure that the snakes have poisonous teeth, and if they do not appear, then the “stocks” of the charmer drop sharply. Therefore, experienced spellcasters base their performances not on deception, but on exceptional dexterity, caution and skill, on excellent knowledge of the biology and behavior of snakes, and the individual character of each of the animals demonstrated. The cobra in this regard is a very convenient object, since it never bites unless absolutely necessary, and even if it makes a throw towards the enemy, it often does not open its mouth (a fake throw). Slow and calm, precisely calculated movements of the caster allow him to perform spectacular tricks with the cobra, without causing anger and defensive bites on the part of the snake.

In Southeast Asia, on the Sunda and Philippine Islands, there are 8 more subspecies of Indian cobra, one of which deserves special mention. Spitting Indian Cobra(Naja naja sputatrix) lives on Java, Celebes and the Lesser Sunda Islands. This snake sprays venom in the direction of the enemy at a distance of up to 2 m. Previously, it was thought that the snake squeezes the venom into the mouth and then spits it out with a sharp exhalation. But the mechanism of this action is completely different and much more advanced. The venomous tooth of a spitting cobra has an original structure: the external opening of the venom-conducting canal is directed not downward, like in other slates, but forward, perpendicular to the front surface of the tooth. The disturbed snake raises the front part of its body, turns its head towards the enemy, slightly opens its mouth and then, with a strong and sharp contraction of the muscles, shoots a portion of poison from the poisonous salivary glands through the holes of the poison-conducting teeth.

Two thin streams of poison reach their target with great force and accuracy. The cobra uses the described technique only as protection against large enemies. The snake always aims the jet at the enemy's eyes.

Getting poison into the eye immediately causes sharp irritation and thus disarms the enemy. In addition to irritation, poison that gets into the eyes causes clouding of the cornea and can lead to complete blindness. This can only be avoided by immediate and copious eye rinsing.

In addition to the spitting Indian cobra, the described ability is also characteristic of other subspecies of this snake living in the Malay Archipelago, but to a much lesser extent. Two African cobras are fully proficient in this technique and use it very often - black-necked(Naja nigricollis) and collar(Hemachatus haemachatus).

Egyptian cobra, or gaya(Naja haje), also known as the real asp. This large snake, up to 2 m long, is distributed in Africa north of 15° S. w. and on the Arabian Peninsula. Adults are usually uniform in color, ranging from light yellow to dark brown, with a lighter ventral side. On the underside of the neck there are several wide dark stripes, which become clearly visible when the snake poses in a threatening position. There are also striated specimens, the body of which is decorated with wide dark brown and light yellow bands. It lives in steppe and desert areas, in the mountains, on cultivated lands, near villages. She chooses areas with an abundance of shelters, ruins, bushes or rubble of stones. This snake is most common in Northeast Africa, more rare in the northwest and east of the continent and on the Arabian Peninsula, and in tropical forests West African Egyptian cobra is missing. It is diurnal, hunting small mammals, birds, amphibians and lizards. The cobra spends most of its time on the ground, but sometimes swims or climbs trees. In case of danger, the snake takes a defensive pose characteristic of all cobras, but its extended cervical “hood” is noticeably narrower than that of the Indian cobra.

The Egyptian cobra, due to its spectacular appearance and exceptional venom power, has attracted the attention of people since ancient times. Among the Egyptians, she was considered a symbol of power, and on this basis her image adorned the headdress of the pharaohs. In addition, the bite of this snake was used in ancient times as a simple, reliable and quick way send to the forefathers. Those sentenced to death were given the bite of an asp as a “mercy” instead of public execution. The cunning Cleopatra, besieged by Octavian, having lost hope of breaking free, saved herself from the torture and bullying of the Roman legionnaires with the help of this snake, cleverly hidden in a basket of fruit. The Egyptian cobra, like the Indian one, is often used by snake charmers in their street performances, which are popular with the local population and tourists.

In captivity, the Egyptian cobra lives well, immediately starts eating, preferring small birds and mice. During the winter, the snake usually falls into a lethargic state and refuses to eat. The rest of the time the snake is very active and requires a large room. If you put several cobras together, violent quarrels often arise between them, mainly over food, sometimes ending in the death of one of the “neighbors.”

In the tropical forests of West Africa south of the equator, in Angola and its neighboring countries lives Angolan cobra(Naja anchietae), very similar to the Egyptian cobra, of which some experts consider it a subspecies. The Angolan cobra is rarely longer than 1.5 m; it has a grayish-brown color and a wide dark band on the lower side of the neck.

Widely known for its insidious ability to “shoot” poison into the eyes of the enemy black-necked cobra(N. nigricollis). It lives in the savannas of Africa south of 25° N. ch., from Mauritania to Sudan and from Somalia to the Transvaal. The color of its body varies from light brown to dark brown, sometimes with unclear transverse stripes (in the southern subspecies).

The throat and neck are black below, often with a white transverse stripe. The length of the snake reaches 2 m.

When attacked, the black-necked cobra always repels it with an accurate and lightning-fast “shot” of venom in the eyes. Local residents and travelers often become victims of such “shots”. The snake chooses the shiny eyes of the victim as its target. But sometimes she makes a mistake, hitting a metal buckle, button or watch bracelet with a stream of poison when a sunbeam sparkles on them. Apparently, the cobra takes them for additional eyes of the enemy. The mechanism of venom spraying is similar to that described above for the Indian cobra. In captivity, this process has been studied in detail; It turned out that at the moment of the “shot” the trachea closes tightly so that the movement of air does not break up the thinnest streams of poison. With each “shot”, an average of 3.7 mg of poison is sprayed out, and the black-necked cobra can shoot poison up to 28 times in a row in a state of great irritation. With such a “machine-gun burst,” the snake consumes up to 135 mg of poison - almost the entire supply of it available in the poisonous glands. Measurements have shown that the muscles squeezing poison out of the glands create an instantaneous pressure of up to 1.5 kg/cm2.

Lives in the forests and savannas of sub-Saharan Africa black and white cobra(Naja melanoleuca). Juveniles of this species have narrow white stripes on a dark background of the body, while adults are dark brown or black with a metallic tint. The ventral side is yellow, mottled with black spots and stripes. The length of adult individuals is about 2 m, occasionally up to 2.5 m. This snake is common only in some forest areas of Central Africa, in other parts of its range it is quite rare. There is a known case when one black and white cobra, kept in a zoo, lived 29 years, sharing with the anaconda the record for longevity among snakes. Females lay up to 26 eggs.

Cape cobra(N. nivea) inhabits desert-steppe areas South Africa south of 20°S w. The color of this snake is a single color of amber-yellow, often with a brown transverse stripe on the underside of the neck.

Very close to real cobras collared cobra(Hemachatus haemachatus), but it is distinguished into a special genus due to some important characteristics. The main difference is that it does not have any teeth on the upper jaw behind the poisonous fangs (real cobras have 1-3 small teeth). A medium-sized snake, about 1.5 years old, has a grayish upper body, along which intermittent oblique transverse stripes are scattered. Very dark snakes are often found. The head is always black, the bottom of the neck is also black, and lower down the belly there are several wide black and white transverse stripes, which are clearly visible when the cobra takes a threatening pose. She, like real cobras, widens her neck, spreading her cervical ribs to the sides, but her “hood” is quite narrow. It lives in South Africa and received the name “spoo-slang” here for its tendency to “spit” venom. The snake does this in the same way as the black-necked and Indian cobras. She uses this insidious technique exceptionally often. When a freshly caught collared cobra sits in a zoo, not yet accustomed to annoying visitors, the viewing glass is completely “spitted on” with a thick layer of poison. However, in addition to such active defense, the collared cobra often uses a passive technique, turning over on its back and pretending to be dead. The same method of defense has been developed by some colubrid snakes.

Unlike true cobras, the collared cobra does not lay eggs but gives birth to live young.

In Asia, the closest relatives of cobras are bungars, or kraits(genus Bungarus). Twelve species of bungar inhabit a wide area from southeastern Iran through India and southeast Asia to the Malay Archipelago. Bungars are small snakes, about 1.5 years long, with a blunt-rounded head that smoothly turns into the body, a slender body and a rather short tail. The body of bungars is obtuse-triangular in cross-section; a keel formed by enlarged hexagonal spinal scales usually rises along the ridge. The poisonous teeth are very small, and behind them there are 1-3 more non-poisonous teeth located on the upper jaw. All bungars are crepuscular and nocturnal snakes and hide in shelters during the day. In general, they are very secretive, often burrowing in the litter and in this respect are a transitional link from ground-dwelling cobras to burrowing ferruginous snakes and decorated asps (see below). The main food of bungars is small species of snakes, as well as lizards and amphibians. Bungar venom is very effective and has a pronounced neurotoxic effect. All bungars are oviparous, and the female guards the clutch until the young hatch.

The most common type of bungars is ribbon krait, or pama(Bungarus fasciatus), inhabiting Northeast India, Burma, South China, Southeast Asia and the Sunda Islands. An adult pama reaches a length of 150-180 cm, its body is covered with wide yellow and black rings. The dorsal keel of the pama is sharply defined and the tail is bluntly rounded. It lives in both dry and moderately humid places, but always with an abundance of burrows, dead wood, bushes and other shelters. It is often found on cultivated land, in courtyards and in houses. During the day it hides in shelters, and if disturbed, it usually does not bite, but curls up into rings, hiding its head inside. Only strong irritation causes the snake to use its teeth. However, in the middle of the night, during the active life of a snake, it is unsafe to step on it - under these circumstances, a bite is very likely. Pama, like other bungars, does not immediately throw its head back when biting, but, clinging with its teeth, squeezes its jaws several times, as if “chewing” the prey or enemy. This helps the snake's small venomous teeth reach the vulnerable tissues of the victim.

In captivity, pama willingly eats snakes (copperheads, etc.), killing them with its poison. Even a viper dies from a pama bite in a few minutes, while at the same time, a viper bite apparently does not affect the pama.

Common in India and Ceylon Indian krait(Bungarus caeruleus) is a small, up to 1.5 m, snake with a brown or black body, decorated with narrow white transverse stripes, and a white belly. Unlike the pama, the Indian krait has a weakly defined dorsal keel and the tail is not bluntly rounded, but thin and pointed. The krait is found in dry places rich in shelters; it is often found in villages and crawls into houses. It defends itself by curling up and hiding its head from the enemy, and is very reluctant to use its poisonous teeth. Since the krait is very numerous and lives in developed lands near human settlements, bites to people occur relatively often. Since the krait’s venom is very strong (the glands of the snake contain up to five lethal doses of poison), its bites easily lead to a sad outcome. In India, the krait ranks second after the cobra in terms of the number of deaths among the population.

Common on the Indochina Peninsula and Greater Sunda Islands yellow-headed krait(B. flaviceps) is the largest species, reaching almost 2 m in length. In Ceylon, in addition to the Indian krait, there is also Ceylon krait, or caravala(V. ceylonicus). In the eastern Himalayas and Assam lives black krait(V. niger).

A further stage of evolution in adaptation to a nocturnal, semi-burrowing lifestyle is represented in Asia ferruginous snakes(Maticora - 2 species) and decorated asps(Calliophis - 13 species).

An amazing feature of the structure of glandular snakes is the extremely strong development of their poisonous glands. These glands extend far back, penetrating the anterior third of the body cavity and pushing back internal organs. The heart of ferruginous snakes is shifted almost to the middle of the body. The significance of this proliferation of glands remains unclear.

Common ferruginous snake(Maticora intestinalis) inhabits Thailand, the Malacca Peninsula, the Sunda and Philippine Islands. (Some scientists consider Philippine ferruginous snakes to be an independent species.) The miniature snake, about 0.5 m long, has a bright color - a red stripe bordered with black runs along the back, and on the sides - yellow stripes with black trim.

It lives in moderately humid areas overgrown with bushes and trees, and crawls among dead wood, under branches, roots, between stones or in holes and cracks in the soil. Hunts mainly on dwarf snakes (calamaria). The venom of the ferruginous snake is very strong, but it rarely bites, trying to get away from its pursuer or scare it off with deceptive movements. Having curled up and pressing its head to the ground, the snake raises its tail, colored bright red below, and, bending it, makes “lunges” towards the enemy, as if intending to bite him. A case is described in which an adult was bitten by a ferruginous snake. Two hours later he began to feel dizzy and suffocated.

Two-banded ferruginous snake(Maticora bivirgata) is distributed in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, the Malacca Peninsula and the Sunda Islands. It is noticeably larger than the previous one - more than 1 m in length.

Its body is blue-black on top with sharply defined light blue stripes on both sides of the back, and bright red on the ventral side.

Decorated adders(Calliophis) are small snakes, about 50 cm long, painted in a variety of colors in bright combinations of black, red and yellow. Thirteen species of ornate adders inhabit Nepal, India, southern China, the Indochina and Malacca peninsulas, the islands of Sumatra, the Philippines, Taiwan and the Ryukyu. They all lead a secretive life, rummaging in the litter, hiding under tree roots and stones. Caught ornate adders do not try to bite, preferring passive defense. The venom of these snakes is potent, but they are not dangerous to humans, since in any case the small and narrow mouth of the snake does not allow it to deliver an effective bite to a large animal.

In Africa, aspidids have widely mastered various ecological niches, adapting to an arboreal, aquatic and burrowing lifestyle. The ancestral forms of true cobras (Naja), purely terrestrial animals, were the original group from which, in the process of evolution, water cobras (Boulengerina), tree cobras (Pseudonaje) and mambas (Dendroaspis), shield cobras (Aspide-laps) and African mottled asps separated (Elaps and Elapsoidea).

Ringed water cobra(Boulengerina annulata) has a dense build, a small head and small eyes. Behind the poisonous fangs on the upper jaw are several small teeth. It is colored yellowish-brown on top with wide black rings across the body. This snake inhabits big rivers and lakes Equatorial Africa from Cameroon and Gabon to lakes Tanganyika and Nyasa. It feeds almost exclusively on fish. Another, closely related species of water cobra (B. christyi) lives in western Congo.

Tree cobras(Pseudonaje) live in the forests of Equatorial Africa. These are large snakes with a coal-black coloration on the back and with black borders on the ventral scutes. The upper jaw of tree cobras, in addition to poisonous fangs, bears 2-4 small solid teeth. Western tree cobra(Pseudonaje nigra) is distributed from Sierra Leone to Togo, and eastern(P. goldi) - from Nigeria to Uganda and south to Angola.

Five types mamb(Dendroaspis) live in all forest areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Long and slender, thin-tailed snakes with a narrow graceful head and large eyes are adapted to an arboreal lifestyle. On the upper jaw they have only two very long poisonous fangs. On the lower jaw, the two front teeth are greatly enlarged, which helps them hold prey suspended when they have to eat it on tree branches. The food consists of small vertebrates - birds, lizards, rodents. The venom of mambas is exceptionally strong and kills a small rodent in a few seconds. A person can die from a mamba bite within half an hour. These snakes are unusually dexterous, fast and usually bite without warning. In addition, their coloring, as a rule, is in perfect harmony with the surrounding environment, and therefore it is very easy, without noticing, to come close and even touch a mamba hiding in the branches. All this gives rise to great and, one might say, quite justified fear among the local population. However, numerous stories about the deliberate attack of mambas on people are a figment of fantasy. If such cases occurred, they were simply caused by an unexpected collision with a mamba, which under such circumstances usually defends itself with a lightning-fast bite.

The largest of these snakes is black Mamba(Dendroaspis polylepis), reaching more than 4 m in length. Adults are dark brown or black on top, and the ventral side is light brown or off-white. Young specimens are green in color. The black mamba is distributed from Senegal to Somalia and from Ethiopia to South-West Africa. However, it does not penetrate the tropical rain forests of the Congo Basin. This snake is less adapted than other species to life in trees and usually lives among sparse tree or shrub vegetation. When irritated or disturbed, the black mamba opens its mouth wide, using this as a threatening technique.

Narrow-headed mamba(Dendroaspis angusticeps) is often called the green mamba. But we have to abandon the last name, since all 4 species, except the black mamba, are green in color and, in addition, another type of mamba is called “green” in Latin. The narrow-headed mamba is much smaller than the black mamba, usually no more than 2 m in length. The color of the body in both young and adult individuals is uniformly green with yellowish edges of the scales, and the belly is greenish-yellow. This snake lives in the forests of East Africa from Kenya to Natal and on the island of Zanzibar.

In the rain forests of Equatorial Africa from Guinea to Angola and in the region of the great lakes - Tanganyika and Victoria Jameson's mamba(Dendroaspis jamesoni). This two-meter snake has a green color mixed with brown and black tones, its tail is black or black-green. Western mamba(D. viridis) colored green color with dark borders of scales. It is found in West Africa and on the island of Sao Tome. As it turned out, this is not strictly a forest snake. It can be found both in the forest and in open areas. She often visits villages in search of rodents, and is caught on roads, in gutters and even inside buildings.

Two kinds shield cobras(Aspidelaps) common in sandy deserts South Africa south of 15° S. w. Of these, the most common common shield cobra(Aspidelaps scutatus), about 1 leu long, light yellowish-gray in color. Shield cobras are burrowing animals, and as a result the head looks very distinctive. The intermaxillary shield is huge, obliquely cut in front, and widened behind, and its lateral edges protrude over the snout. A similar structural feature was formed independently in burrowing snakes from different families.

Africans deserve special mention variegated adders(Elaps lacteus and Elaps dorsalis). The entire family of aspids was named after their generic name. Unfortunately, due to confusion in nomenclature, the name Elaps was applied to American coral adders(genus Micrurus), and the African motley adders were called Notorelaps. THIS misunderstanding must always be kept in mind when reading literature. Variegated adders are small snakes, their body is intercepted by wide black and white rings. They live only in the very south of Africa and lead a secretive, semi-underground lifestyle. Very close to variegated adders garter asp(Elapsoidea sundevallii), distributed throughout Africa south of 15° N. w. and forming more than ten subspecies.

American slates form a compact, morphologically and ecologically rather homogeneous group. Only three genera formed here - Arizona adder(Micruroides - 1 species), slender asps(Leptomicrurus - 2 species) and coral adders(Micrurus -48 species).

All American adders lead a secretive life, hiding in the litter during the day, under roots or burrowing into the ground, and hunting at night, eating small snakes, lizards, amphibians and rodents. The venom of these snakes is very strong, with a pronounced neurotoxic effect, but most adders are not dangerous to humans, since they very rarely use their teeth to protect themselves from large animals. In addition, their mouth is weakly extensible and their teeth are small, so the likelihood of an effective bite is extremely low.

Arizona adder(Micruroides euryxanthus) is a miniature snake, about 40 cm long, its color consists of alternating black, yellow and red rings. An important feature in the structure of the dental apparatus of this snake is the presence of a small tooth on the maxillary bone behind the poisonous fang. It lives in desert areas in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. When in danger, when disturbed, this snake takes air into its lungs and exhales it rhythmically, emitting a series of rapidly alternating flapping sounds.

Slender adders(genus Leptomicrurus), living in the western part of the Amazon basin, are distinguished by a particularly thin and graceful body. The upper jaw of these snakes has only 2 poisonous teeth. Collared slender adder(Leptomicrurus collaris) is painted black on top, and only on the neck and tail it has a bright yellow ring. The snake's tail is short and blunt, which, in combination with the yellow rings, creates a striking similarity between the anterior and posterior ends of the body. This similarity is used by the snake in moments of danger: having hidden its head under the coils of its body, it raises its tail and swings it threateningly, as if about to bite. Thus, in case of attack, the least valuable part of the body is exposed to the enemy.

Coral adders(genus Micrurus) are small snakes, usually less than 1 leu in length, with a ridged body, a small and blunt head, and a short tail. The mouth of these snakes is relatively small and weakly extensible. The upper jaw is armed with only two small poisonous teeth.

Coral adders are spectacularly colored, their body is surrounded by black, red and yellow rings in various combinations.

Common coral adder(Micrurus corallinus) reaches a length of just over 0.5 le. Its color is characterized by alternating wide red and narrower black rings, separated from each other by thin light green stripes. This species lives in the forests of eastern Brazil, south to the Mato Grosso plateau, and is secretive, nocturnal. When kept in captivity, it crawls out of shelters only at night; its favorite food is small lizards. The snake sheds about 6 times a year, drinks willingly and often, but does not go into the water.

Harlequin adder(M. fulvius) is one of the largest snakes of its genus, reaching almost 1 le in length, and is distributed to the north further than all the slates of America. Its range covers northeastern Mexico and the southeastern United States, north to Indiana and Kentucky. The body color of this snake consists of wide red and black rings, separated from each other by narrow yellow rings.

This snake poses a known danger, since with its considerable size it can easily bite a person. When biting, the asp grabs tightly with its teeth and tightly squeezes its jaws. The percentage of deaths from harlequin adder bites is quite high. If the necessary measures are not taken, the person usually dies 20-24 hours after the bite. Asp venom affects mainly the nervous system (paralysis, collapse), there is no tumor, but sharp pain occurs in the area of ​​the bite.

Cobra adder(Micrurus frontalis) lives in southwestern Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and northern Argentina, its size is slightly more than 0.5 le. Each wide black ring on its body is broken by two rather wide light yellow rings. The wide red rings remain solid. When defending itself from enemies, the cobra adder always hides its head, and flattens the back of its body and raises it vertically, curling its short tail into a ring.

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Ribbon coral adder(M. lemniscatus) lives in Brazil, in the north South America and on the island of Trinidad. It is colored similar to the cobra adder, but the yellow stripes that break up the black ribbon are much narrower. This species is one of the most common adders in southern Brazil. It has its own name among local residents - ibiboboka, which has already penetrated into scientific literature. The largest of the American adders - giant coral adder Collier's Encyclopedia- includes species of the class Reptiles, distributed throughout Africa, including Madagascar, Seychelles, Mascarene, Comoros and Canary Islands. Contents 1 Turtle Squad (Testudines) ... Wikipedia

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