Many readers know that snake viper belongs to the class of reptiles. But not everyone knows that this family of creeping reptiles has more than 58 species.
The habitats of these creatures are very diverse; for example, they can be found in most of the African continent, in Asia, as well as in most of European territory.
Vipers feel great both in arid steppes and in humid climate forests of the equator. They can settle on rocky mountain slopes and inhabit northern forests.
Basically, vipers prefer a terrestrial lifestyle, but among their relatives there are often individuals that lead an underground lifestyle hidden from prying eyes. A bright representative this type can be called earthen viper from the genus Atractaspis.
Ground viper
The main factors for the life of snakes of this family are the availability of food and a sufficient amount of light. They are not so demanding about everything else. Class of vipers, as previously noted, very diverse, but we will talk about four representatives in more detail. So, get acquainted.
The common viper lives throughout the European part of the globe, in parts of Asia, even in the north, right up to the Arctic Circle. She leads a sedentary lifestyle - she does not like frequent changes of habitat.
The snake overwinters in crevices of the ground, in rodent burrows and other secluded places. It usually leaves its winter habitat in mid-spring, but this depends on the geographic location.
The photo shows a common viper
Geography of habitat steppe viper very extensive. It can be found in the steppes of the European zone, especially in the western part. She settled in Eastern Kazakhstan, the steppe regions of the Caucasus and the coast. About vipers Many interesting facts are known, for example, they are capable of performing forced marches to altitudes of up to 3000 m above sea level.
Snakes often choose for their habitat certain territory, where besides them there are no other representatives of this class. In winter, creeping creatures take refuge underground, and they bury themselves to a decent depth (1.0 meter or more).
Pictured is a steppe viper
But the fact is that even with a slight minus, the snake can die, so these cautious creatures play it safe and go to spend the winter at a depth that can retain heat. Vipers often hibernate in large groups, but can also hibernate alone.
Having awakened from a long winter sleep, with the onset of spring, vipers crawl out of their shelters and find rocky surfaces, where they enjoy sunbathing.
In our country common and steppe viper can be found everywhere and meeting it does not bode well for a person. After all, the venom of large individuals is fatal to humans, not to mention small animals and birds, for which a small amount of the deadly substance is enough to die when bitten. Full-fledged viper bite causes the death of the victim within a few minutes.
The character and lifestyle of the viper
Vipers cannot be called record holders in running, because they are too slow. They are able to spend the entire day lying down without unnecessary movements. But with the onset of dusk, snakes become more active and begin their favorite pastime - hunting.
It should be noted that large individuals can lie motionless for a long time, expecting that the prey itself will fall into the affected area, and then the viper will not miss the chance to feast on what itself came to it as lunch.
The main distinguishing feature of vipers is that they are fluent in the art of swimming; swimming across a wide river or a fairly large body of water is a breeze for them.
This is probably why vipers can most often be found on the banks of reservoirs, but they also do not disdain swamps, and here they are simply teeming. People often use the phrase “a swamp infested with vipers,” and this is not without its common sense.
Vipers love to settle in wetlands
Everyone knows that snakes lack limbs, but this does not bother them. After all, they can move freely with the help of their natural plasticity and soft spine. Gracefully wriggling among the stones, the creeping creatures are capable of developing quite a decent speed.
But God did not endow these creatures with good hearing and visual acuity. Snakes completely lack an auditory opening, and their eye sockets are covered with a dense transparent veil. The eyelids of reptiles are fused, and therefore they cannot blink.
It is reliably known that black viper poisonous The only representative of this class does not pose a danger to humans. Signs of a viper: Snakes have two large teeth in which venom accumulates.
Pictured is a black viper
The toxic substance is produced by paired glands located on both sides of the eyes, and they connect to the teeth through ducts. It is interesting that in all species it was noted interesting structure teeth. The poisonous fang is located on a bone, which is very mobile.
Therefore, when the snake’s mouth is closed, the tooth takes a horizontal position, but as soon as the creature opens its mouth slightly, the poisonous fang stands up and takes a vertical position.
Common viper. This particular type of snake is considered the most common. This reptile reaches half a meter, but there are also larger specimens, whose length from head to tip of tail is 80 centimeters.
Distinctive feature the viper is its pattern, reminiscent of a zigzag
The structure of her head is triangular, and this part stands out noticeably against her thick body. Nature has endowed vipers with a wide variety of shades - from inconspicuous gray to bright red-brown. There are also black, olive, silver, and bluish vipers.
Characteristic feature coloring is a dark zigzag running along the entire ridge. It is not so often that you can find a viper with dark stripes located across it. On the head of reptiles there is an identifying characteristic mark in the form of the letter V or X.
A clear black stripe runs through the center of the eyes along the entire area of the head. Interesting fact: Snake catchers counted the number of scales on the body and found that there were 21 scales around the body in the middle part (rarely 19 or 23).
In principle, the snake will not bite innocent people. Only if an unwary traveler steps on her, then she will give a worthy rebuff. Such snakes are called peace-loving. She will prefer to quickly move away from the place where she can be noticed and hide.
Steppe viper. This type of reptile is much smaller in size previous type and an adult, as usual, can rarely reach half a meter. Unlike its relative the common viper, the steppe viper has a pointed, slightly raised snout.
Vipers have poor eyesight, which is compensated by their quick reaction
The nostrils cut through the lower part of the nasal septum. There is a black curving stripe along the entire length of the body and along the ridge. Dark spots appear clearly on the sides. If you turn the reptile onto its back, you can see that its belly is gray with numerous specks of a light shade.
If we compare steppe bite And common viper venom, then the first option will be less dangerous for humans. Gaboon viper . A bright representative of African poisonous snakes. This is a truly respectable individual.
The Gaboon viper is found in Africa
Its body is thick - 2.0 meters or more, and the weight of fattened individuals reaches 8-10 kg. The snake is quite remarkable for its bright variegated coloring, which resembles a painted carpet self made.
The drawings are filled with various geometric shapes various bright saturated colors - pink, cherry, lemon, milky, blue-black. This snake is recognized as one of the deadliest, but due to the fact that it is very phlegmatic, many believe that it is not as dangerous as everyone thinks about it.
You can pick her up by the tip of her tail without any danger to her health, put her back, and she won’t even want to make a menacing appearance. But teasing a snake is extremely undesirable, because it remains angry for a long time and it is unlikely that you will be able to “conspire” with it.
Among other things, the Gaboon viper has the longest teeth full of poison. Looking at photo of vipers can see features reptiles.
Snakes are not poisonous representatives of vipers. Distinguish snake from vipers can be seen by the bright orange spots located on the side of the head. In addition, they have round eye pupils, and in the previously described species, and in all others, the pupil is narrowed and located vertically.
Also, this type of snake does not have the characteristic zigzag on its back. Although the coloring of the water snake is very similar to the coloring of the viper, because many people confuse the checkerboard arrangement of spots with the characteristic meander along the ridge.
The photo shows a water snake, which, due to its similar color, is often confused with poisonous vipers
But up close you can see that the spots are interrupted and do not form a continuous zigzag. From the head to the tip of the tail it tapers evenly and triangular in appearance the head is unusual for him.
Viper food
By nature, all types of snakes are predators. They are capable of swallowing prey whole, and not only small rodents and birds, but also fairly large animals, such as others. Sometimes the prey is much thicker than the reptile’s body, which does not prevent the snake from swallowing it whole.
The viper is able to perform such actions thanks to the special joints of its jaws. The structure of the lower jaw allows it to stretch forward and then return to its original position.
In addition, the halves of the jaws are connected at the chin and, if necessary, can easily move apart.
The composition of the viper's diet depends on its habitat. Usually for lunch they prefer mice and. But chicks are their favorite food. Small animals, amphibians and lizards are added to this list. It is very interesting to watch the viper when it hunts.
The main prey of steppe vipers are rodents and insects. Being excellent at climbing trees, it is not difficult for them to check the nests of birds, as well as birdhouses, in order to find their favorite delicacy there - chicks. Bird eggs also bring them pleasure. However, this snake loves to pamper itself with a delicacy in the form of small ungulates.
The Gaboon viper is a hunter by nature. It will take a place in an ambush, wait until dusk, and when the warm-blooded animal approaches the required distance, it will pounce and swallow it whole. She loves to eat hares and other inhabitants of her range. She will not disdain to taste the dwarf, which has strayed from the herd.
Reproduction and lifespan
The mating season for snakes occurs in the spring - usually in May. The pregnancy of a viper, like many other reptiles of the reptile class, depends on the weather and lasts from three months to six months. What is most surprising is that sometimes a pregnant snake can even overwinter.
They usually give birth to 10-20 young of their own kind. When born, they immediately inherit poisonousness from their parents. A few hours after birth, the young individuals molt. You can observe an interesting moment during childbirth.
The photo shows the birth of a viviparous snake
The female wraps herself around the tree, and the born cubs fall straight to the ground. The cubs live on the forest floor or in burrows and feed on insects. A snake can begin to reproduce at a fairly advanced age for reptiles - about 5 years. Males become sexually mature at 4 years of age.
The average lifespan of vipers in nature is 10 years. Steppe vipers begin to reproduce at the age of 3. Life expectancy is shorter than that of ordinary vipers, only 7-8 years. The Gaboon viper, like all described species, is viviparous.
Males, like true gentlemen, never bite each other during courtship. The gestation period lasts about 12 months. She is capable of producing from 10 to 40 cubs.
For thousands of years, people have been watching snakes, fearing, hating and... admiring their beauty, wisdom, and grace. And yet these creatures remain one of the most mysterious. Poison that can kill or save, the peculiarities of reproduction and lifestyle make humanity associate snakes with witchcraft and witchcraft rituals.
Physiology of male and female
One of the first “snake” mysteries that a person faces is the sex of the reptile. It is difficult to describe the horror experienced by anyone who is faced with a ball of hissing individuals intertwining with each other, ready to sting from all sides. It is unlikely that in ancient times people could have realized that a snake’s ball is just a search and an attempt to fertilize females ready for mating.
The physiology of snakes is fraught with many interesting things, ranging from the number of lungs, asymmetrical arrangement internal organs, the ability to “see” heat, kill prey with poison or eat it alive. Even sex determination is a complex procedure, and not every specialist can confidently handle it.
External signs by which males and females can be distinguished are reliably hidden. The hemipenes, the organ for fertilization, are located in the tail, in the so-called pockets on the abdominal part. They increase in size sufficient to be released from the body cavity only if there is a partner nearby who is ready for fertilization. Females have paired hemiclitores, which are almost impossible to see.
Important! Some snakes are hermaphrodites, parthenogenesis is a phenomenon found in the families of Blind and Warty snakes.
Visually, you can determine the sex of an individual very approximately. Males (except constrictors) are usually larger and longer than females, the tail looks more powerful and thicker due to the paired genital organs. They are more beautiful, brighter in color. Some snakes (pythons, boas) have retained vestigial remains of limbs in the back of the body, more like hooks or spurs. In males, these processes are longer and more powerful; they often serve to excite females.
But all these signs are very relative, it is difficult to rely on them when determining sex, so during research, a blood test, examination using special equipment, and observation of behavior in a natural or artificial environment often come to the rescue.
Snakes mating
Waking up after hibernation, males crawl to the surface in search of food and a mating partner. Females wake up later, but not yet leaving their shelter, she makes it known that she is ready to bear offspring with a specific smell, causing several dozen gentlemen to gather near the entrance to the hole. Trying to achieve a female, to get to her with one of the hemipenises that have increased in size due to the flow of blood, the males curl into balls around her, but very rarely harm each other. As soon as one of them reaches the goal, penetrating the genital organ into the cloaca, the rest immediately go in search of another partner.
This is interesting! Sexual intercourse in snakes is one of the longest in nature. Fertilization can last up to 10 days without interruption. Sometimes partners inflict rather severe wounds on each other.
After mating is completed, the male leaves a “plug” in the snake’s body, which prevents others from mating with it.
Bearing offspring
Among snakes there are those that lay eggs in nests built in the most hidden corners, as well as ovoviviparous and viviparous.
Ovoviviparous
Ovoviviparous snakes - boas, tiger snakes- they bear their offspring in their own body, but the baby grows and develops in the tail part of the mother’s body in the egg. It feeds on protein, the mother supplies it with oxygen, and so on until the baby develops so much that it is ready to be born and be completely independent.
Such a unique way of giving birth to offspring is characteristic not only of snakes, but also of some fish. Once fully formed, the young snakes destroy the egg in which they grew, being born and hatching at the same time.
Laying eggs
Most snakes, according to traditional people's beliefs about them, lay eggs. They take the construction of a nest very seriously, in which they will stay for a long time. Eggs in a dense leathery shell are vulnerable and can become prey for birds, reptiles, and small predators. One female is capable of “bearing” from 4 to 20 eggs.
This is interesting! Snakes have the unique ability to store a male's sperm for years. One gentleman can become the father of 5-7 generations of baby snakes, which helps preserve the population in the most unfavorable periods.
Viviparous snakes
In viviparous women, after fertilization, the embryos begin to feed in the mother’s body; food, like everything else, is the yolk formed in the oviduct, but they receive additional nutrition and oxygen thanks to special metabolic processes maternal body. Cubs are born ready to get their own food, and they can fend for themselves. Among the livebearers are vipers, stripes and others.
The process of embryo development largely depends on weather conditions . At optimal temperature (26-32 degrees) and humidity up to 90 percent, a month or 39 days is enough. Cold weather can slow down the process for up to 2 months. Sometimes the female carries the babies for 3 or more months.
In many families of snakes there are species that do not lay eggs, but give birth to live baby snakes. Typically, viviparity is simply the result of eggs being retained in the female's oviducts. Those. eggs develop not in the ground, not in moss, not in a pile of dry leaves, like most snakes, but in the mother’s body. At the same time, a dense network of blood vessels develops in the snake’s oviducts and oxygen from the mother’s blood seeps into the egg, ensuring the baby’s breathing. It gets its nutrition from egg yolk. Zoologists call this phenomenon with the clumsy word “ovoviviparity.” All boas are ovoviviparous (not to be confused with pythons - these are representatives of two different subfamilies!), many vipers, and adders.
However, some snakes have developed true viviparity. In this case, as in mammals, the embryo is connected to the mother by thin blood vessels, and receives not only oxygen, but also nutrition from the mother’s body. Such viviparity is characteristic of the American garter snake, our common viper, many sea snakes.
Snakes that managed to master viviparity received a lot of advantages. First of all, their eggs are constantly under reliable protection. In this case, the mother can calmly hunt, and not sit by the nest, tied, like king cobra, which constantly guards the eggs. In addition, the snake can choose the most suitable places at any given time - well-warmed, which is especially important in the north, or cool, which is very important in tropical deserts. It is very difficult to find a place where favorable conditions are constantly maintained for a long time.
In many families of snakes there are species that do not lay eggs, but give birth to live baby snakes. Typically, viviparity is simply the result of eggs being retained in the female's oviducts. Those. eggs develop not in the ground, not in moss, not in a pile of dry leaves, like most snakes, but in the mother’s body. At the same time, a dense network of blood vessels develops in the snake’s oviducts and oxygen from the mother’s blood seeps into the egg, ensuring the baby’s breathing. It gets its nutrition from egg yolk. Zoologists call this phenomenon with the clumsy word “ovoviviparity.” All boas are ovoviviparous (not to be confused with pythons - these are representatives of two different subfamilies!), many vipers, and adders.
However, some snakes have developed true viviparity. In this case, as in mammals, the embryo is connected to the mother by thin blood vessels, and receives not only oxygen, but also nutrition from the mother’s body. Such viviparity is characteristic of the American garter snake, our common viper, and many sea snakes.
Snakes that managed to master viviparity received a lot of advantages. First of all, their eggs are constantly under reliable protection. At the same time, the mother can calmly hunt, and not sit at the nest, tied, like a king cobra, which constantly guards the eggs. In addition, the snake can choose the most suitable places at any given time - well-warmed, which is especially important in the north, or cool, which is very important in tropical deserts. It is very difficult to find a place where favorable conditions are constantly maintained for a long time.
Many people are accustomed to believing that all snakes lay eggs, and happy offspring hatch from them. There are actually ovoviviparous snakes that do not layeggs, but bear them within themselves. This fact (captured on video) shocked some and provoked an existential crisis for others.
Reptile Collective breeds captive snakes for sale, specializing in ball pythons, hog-nosed snakes and Kenyan sand boas. It sounds harmless enough, especially if you're cool with snakes. But recently their humble company shocked Facebook users and almost caused an existential crisis for hundreds of thousands of people.
The employees published on their Facebook page short video, showing the birth of a sand boa. This reptile is ovoviviparous and you will not see any eggs. They are inside the female, and the cubs leave the egg shell while still in the mother’s body, and it looks as if the snake directly gives birth to snakes.
Some readers may find the video disturbing. If you are not sure, just trust us: there the snake gives birth to six snakes (they different colors, and that's okay).
In comparison, Facebook users feel less good. Roller with viviparous snake went viral and received more than 9 million views in three days. This popularity is primarily due to the fact that many did not know that some snakes give birth in this way, and do not lay eggs.
“I thought snakes were laying eggs. Forgive me for my ignorance."
"Never mind. We’re all like that here.”
“I thought so too. And I’m like, damn, what’s going on?”
"Baby, you're not the only one."
“I'm completely confused. I was taught that snakes lay eggs.”
"What the heck. I thought snakes laid eggs.”
Some users blamed school education for everything.
“So boas are now mammals? All my biology classes failed me.”
“I’ll go find all my teachers.” primary school and I’ll fire them myself. Snakes lay eggs, but it’s 2017 and things are probably different.”
In fact, only about 70 percent of all snakes lay eggs, with the rest being viviparous or ovoviviparous. Snakes with eggs most often live in warm regions, while viviparous - in cold (where the eggs could freeze).
The non-venomous sand boa is a pseudopod snake (they have small rudimentary appendages instead of hind limbs). Females grow up to 80 centimeters in length, males up to 60 centimeters. Distinctive feature The appearance is the location of the eyes - on the top of the head and directed upwards.
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