However, upon closer examination of the snake, it was identified in separate view and named after the zoologist Nikolsky (Vipera nikolskii).

The black viper has a more slender build than the common one. The body reaches a length of 765 mm, the tail - 80 mm. Males are slightly smaller than females. The head is broad, large, clearly demarcated from the neck and slightly flattened. Color iris. Adult snakes are always black, as can be seen in the photo. The viper on the upper labials may sometimes have white spots. The underside of the tip of the snake's tail is yellow-orange or yellow. Juveniles are gray-brown in color with a zigzag brown on the back. By the age of three, the pattern disappears, the color becomes dark.

The black viper lives in the forest-steppe and steppe regions of the European part of Russia and the Snake is noted in Voronezh, Tambov, Penza, It occurs in the valley and its basin. In the northeast, the habitat extends to the foothills of the Middle and Southern Urals.

The black viper usually adheres to broad-leaved forests and oak forests. IN summer time it can be found in clearings, clearings and edges. Prefers floodplain landscapes of the rivers Vorona, Medveditsa, Khoper, Don, and Samara. Summer and wintering habitats are apparently the same. In humid zones, there are more than 500 representatives of the species per 1 km². The black viper begins to show activity closer to the middle of spring. Mating occurs in May, and in August the female has juveniles (8-24 live individuals). The color of young snakes begins to darken after the first molt.

Nikolsky's viper is most active during the daytime. The main food of the snake is small rodents and (to a lesser extent) birds, frogs and lizards. In rare cases (apparently, with an extreme shortage of food), the black viper can eat fish or carrion. The biology of this species is not yet well understood.

The black viper moves more slowly than snakes, but swims very well. In dangerous situations, it takes an s-shaped stance, hisses and lunges towards the offender. Nikolsky's viper is poisonous. For a person, her bites are very painful, but the victims recover in a few days. Poison is a mixture of protein substances, enzymes and inorganic components. It has a destructive effect on tissues, paralyzes nervous system and promotes blood clotting. Caught individuals secrete a liquid with a repulsive unpleasant odor from the cloaca.

For a long time, this snake was considered a dark form of the common viper, based on the fact that in all its populations there is a certain percentage of melanists. However, after a thorough study of the ecology and morphology of this snake, it was given species status. This greatly increased the interest of specialists in its study. But opinions still differ. Some scientists continue to consider this snake as just a subspecies of the main form.

And even to the north), or in the mountains up to 2600 m above sea level.

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Description

A relatively small snake, whose length, including the tail, usually does not exceed 65 cm. The largest specimens are found in the northern part of the range: for example, snakes over 90 cm long were recorded on the Scandinavian Peninsula. In France and Great Britain, the largest individuals reached a length of 80-87 cm. Females are somewhat larger than males. The weight of an adult viper varies from 50 to 180 g.

The large flattened head with a rounded muzzle is distinctly separated from the body by a short neck. Three large shields stand out in the upper part of the head, one of which - the frontal - has an almost rectangular shape, elongated along the body and is located in the space between the eyes, the remaining two - parietal - right behind it. Sometimes another small shield is developed between the frontal and parietal shields. The nasal opening is cut in the lower part of the nasal shield. The vertical pupil, along with the overhanging supraorbital shields, give the snake an evil look, although they have nothing to do with the manifestation of emotions. The apical shield is not divided. There are usually 21 scales around the middle of the body. Abdominal scales in males 132-150, in females 132-158. Caudal scales in males 32-46, in females 23-38 pairs.

The coloration is extremely variable - the main background can be gray, yellowish-brown, brown or reddish with a copper tint. In some areas, up to 50% of the population are melanistic black vipers. In most individuals, a contrasting zigzag pattern is developed on the back along the ridge. The belly is gray, grayish-brown or black, sometimes with white spots. The tip of the tail is colored yellow, orange or red. In juveniles, the back is often copper-brown with a zigzag stripe.

Spreading

The common viper is distributed mosaically in the strip of forests of Eurasia from Great Britain, France and northern Italy in the west, to Sakhalin and the Korean Peninsula in the east. In France, the main habitat is within the Massif Central. In Europe, the southern limit of its range is through northern Italy, northern Albania, northern Greece and European Turkey. IN Eastern Europe the viper sometimes penetrates the Arctic Circle - for example, it lives in the Lapland Reserve and on the shores of the Barents Sea. To the east - in Siberia and on Far East- distribution in many places is limited by the lack of suitable wintering burrows. The viper is found to the north on the Lena up to the 62nd parallel, in Western Siberia up to the 64th parallel, east to the Trans-Baikal Territory. From the south, the range is limited to the steppe regions. The southeastern edge of the distribution area is located in Mongolia (Mongolian Altai), northwestern and northeastern China (Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Jilin Province).

Lifestyle

Life expectancy can reach 15, and according to some data, even 30 years. However, observations in Sweden show that snakes rarely survive two or more three years reproduction, which, taking into account the achievement of puberty, gives an age limit of 5-7 years. The viper quickly adapts to any terrain, in the Swiss Alps it rises up to 2600 m above sea level. Habitats are more diverse in the northern and eastern parts of the range, where the snake often develops peat   swamps, moorlands, clarified mixed forests, coasts of various freshwater reservoirs, wet meadows, field margins, shelterbelts, dunes. In the south of Europe, biotopes are mostly limited to damp depressions in mountainous areas. Distributed unevenly, depending on the availability of places suitable for wintering. Saddled, as a rule, does not move further than 60-100 meters. The exception is forced migration to the wintering place, in this case the snakes can move up to a distance of 2-5 km. Wintering usually occurs from October-November to March-April (depending on the climate), in the north of the range it lasts up to 9 months, for which the snake chooses a depression in the ground (burrows, crevices, etc.) at a depth of up to 2 meters, where the temperature does not fall below +2… +4 °C. In the event of a shortage of such places, several hundred individuals may accumulate in one place, which crawl out to the surface in spring, which creates the impression of great crowding. Subsequently, the snakes crawl away.

In the summer, it sometimes basks in the sun, but mostly hides under old stumps, in crevices, etc. The snake is not aggressive and, when a person approaches, it tries to use its camouflage coloration as much as possible, or crawl away. Only in the event of an unexpected appearance of a person or with a provocation on his part, she can try to bite him. This cautious behavior is explained by the fact that it needs a lot of energy to reproduce the poison in conditions of changing temperatures.

reproduction

The mating season is in May, and offspring appear in August or September, depending on the climate. The viper is a viviparous - the development of eggs and hatching of cubs occurs in the womb. Usually up to 8-12 juveniles appear, depending on the length of the female. It happens that at the time of childbirth, the female wraps around a tree or a stump, leaving her tail in the air, “scattering” kites on the ground, which from the first moment begin an independent life. Juveniles are usually 15-20 cm long and are already poisonous. Many believe that only born individuals are more poisonous, but this is not true. The opinion that young individuals are more aggressive is also incorrect. As soon as they are born, snakes usually molt. In the future, molting of young and adults occurs 1-2 times a month. Before their first hibernation in October-November, they never eat, because before hibernation they must digest all the food they eat in order to avoid metabolic problems.

I

According to the complex of components poison common viper similar to the poisons of other European and tropical species vipers. It consists of high-molecular proteases of hemorrhagic, hemocoagulating and necrotizing action, peptide hydrolases, hyaluronidases and phospholipases, which at the time of the bite through the lymph nodes enter the circulatory system.

For humans, the bite of an ordinary viper is considered potentially dangerous, but it is extremely rarely fatal. For example, in the UK, only 14 deaths were recorded between 1876 and 2005, the last of which occurred in 1975 (a five-year-old child died from a bite). About 70% of those bitten either do not experience any symptoms at all, or feel a burning pain directly in the area of ​​​​the bite. Often, redness and swelling develop around the wound - hemorrhagic edema. With a more severe degree of intoxication, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, blanching of the skin, increased sweating, chills, tachycardia are possible within 15-30 minutes. Finally, with particularly hypersensitivity, loss of consciousness, swelling of the face, a significant drop in blood pressure, heavy bleeding (DIC), kidney failure, convulsive or coma can occur. In the vast majority of cases, the effects of a bite disappear after 2-4 days, but can stretch for a longer period up to a year. In particular, improper self-treatment can lead to complications.

As first aid for a bite, doctors recommend calming down, applying a pressure bandage (but not a tourniquet), reducing the load on the limb up to immobilization, and providing plenty of fluids. Opinions on the benefits of suctioning the poison from the wound are divided: some experts believe that with this procedure, up to 30-50% of the entire poison can be removed within 10-15 minutes, the other considers it harmful, since bacterial flora can enter the blood along with saliva, causing purulent inflammation. Of the wrong and erroneous, but still occurring methods of treatment, there are transverse incisions at the site of the bite, cauterization, applying a tourniquet, and snowing.

Enemies

The greatest danger to an ordinary viper is a person, primarily his economic activity aimed at deforestation and other changes in natural landscapes. In Europe, cases of deliberate extermination and catching of vipers for the sake of selling for keeping in private terrariums are also not uncommon. In Romania, illegal trapping of snakes for the purpose of collecting venom is practiced. Among forest dwellers the main enemies of vipers are hedgehogs, which are immune to snake venom. The hedgehog uses the following tactic when attacking: it bites the snake's body and immediately curls up into a ball, substituting its needles for a retaliatory strike. The procedure is repeated several times until the viper weakens and dies. Common foxes, badgers, ferrets, owls, serpent eagles, and rarely storks also prey on snakes.

Notes

  1. Anan'eva N. B. , Borkin L. Ya., Darevsky I. S. , Orlov N. L. Five-language dictionary of animal names. Amphibians and reptiles. Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / under general edition acad. V. E. Sokolova. - M.: Rus. yaz., 1988. - S. 363. - 10,500 copies. - ISBN 5-200-00232-X.
  2. , p. 230.
  3. , With. 329.
  4. Olson, M.; Madsen, T.; Shine, R. Is sperm really so cheap? Costs of reproduction in male adders, Vipera berus // Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. - 1997. - T. 264, No. 1380. - pp. 455-459. - DOI:10.1098/rspb.1997.0065.
  5. Strugariu, Alexandru; Zamfirescu, Stefan R.; Gherghel, Julian. First record of the adder ( Vipera berus berus) in Argeş County (Southern Romania) // Biharean Biologist. - 2009. - Vol. 3, No. 4. - S. 164.
  6. , With. 274.
  7. , With. 79.
  8. Vipera berus (Linnaeus, 1758) - Viper common (indefinite) . Vertebrates of Russia.

It is useful to know what a viper looks like and how it differs from other reptiles, because no one is safe from meeting with it. It stands out among other snakes with a short, thick body. Its length can be from 30 cm to 3 m. The weight can also be different. There are specimens up to 15 kg. The head is separated from the body by a narrowing in the form of a neck. The muzzle is blunted in front. There are scaly formations between the nostrils. Some species have such formations above the eyes. The pupils are in the form of vertical slits. In the dark, they can expand greatly, so the viper snake sees well even at night.

The common viper belongs to the genus true vipers and the viper family

Appearance of the snake

The coloration of snakes is varied, it can vary from almost black to light brown and even red. It is determined by the environment. So, in specimens living on trees, a greenish tint predominates. Many individuals have a dark zigzag line running down their backs. From the side of the abdomen, the color is lighter, sometimes there are white spots. The end of the tail can stand out in brightness.

These reptiles overwinter in warm burrows up to 2 m deep. Wintering begins in mid-autumn and ends in spring, after the establishment warm weather. The snakes come to the surface and immediately begin to breed. They live an average of 15 years, sometimes more, up to 30.

The distribution range of vipers in nature is very wide. They can be found in the forest, and in the swamp, and in the sands of the desert. They are found on all continents except Antarctica and Australia. There are 292 species of vipers.

The common viper belongs to the genus true vipers and the viper family. It reaches 60-80 cm in length. It lives mainly in conditions with low temperatures. It is found even at a latitude close to the Arctic Circle. At other latitudes, it settles high in the mountains.

Snakes, scientifically speaking, are a suborder of the class of reptiles of the scaly order. Snakes can be found on all continents of the Earth, except for cold Antarctica.

Among the snakes there poisonous species but most snakes are not venomous. Poisonous snakes use their venom primarily for hunting, and in self-defense, they use it only when absolutely necessary.

Many non-venomous snakes first suffocate their prey (a snake and a boa constrictor, for example), and only swallow the prey whole.

Anaconda

The largest snake in nature is the anaconda.

Again, scientifically speaking, anacondas are a genus of snakes consisting of several species. And the most large view the snake is giant anaconda, the photo of which you see above.


The largest giant anaconda caught weighed 97.5 kg with a length of 5.2 meters. This snake was caught in Venezuela in wild jungle. Residents of remote villages claim to have seen larger anacondas, but there is no evidence of the existence of larger specimens.

Like the other three anaconda species discussed below, the giant anaconda spends most of its time in the water. Anacondas prefer bodies of water with no current or with a weak current. They are found in lakes, oxbow lakes, quiet rivers of the Amazon and Orinoco basins.


Anaconda does not move far from water. Basically, anacondas crawl ashore to bask in the sun.

As we wrote earlier, anacondas belong to the subfamily of boas. Now let's talk about boas.

Boa

Boas are mostly large ovoviviparous snakes. The subfamily of boas is mainly known for the genus common boas. The most typical representative of this genus is the common boa constrictor of the same name. Individuals of this species reach 5.5 meters in length.


Boa constrictors strangle their prey, wrapping rings around it.

Boas of this species can have an unusual color, given that they are very unpretentious in keeping, they are often kept in terrariums.

But in terrariums it is popular to keep another type of boas - dog-headed boas.


Dog-headed boas have a beautiful red-orange color when young and a bright green color when adulthood. The length of this type of boas does not exceed three meters.

Another representative of boas with a bright color is the rainbow boa.


This type of boa constrictor is also popular with those who like to keep snakes at home.

Cobra

Some of the most famous snakes are cobras. Science identifies 16 species of cobras, many of which are quite large.


Cobra has an amazing skill, she can raise her body to a vertical position. If the cobra is large, then in this position it can be on a par with a person.


Cobras are poisonous snakes. Their bite can be very dangerous to humans.

Cobras are heat-loving snakes, they never live in countries where snow falls in winter.

Vipers

Vipers are the inhabitants of our latitudes. Vipers are poisonous snakes, the mention of which causes fear in people.


Vipers can have a very varied coloration. Each subspecies can be very different in appearance from other subspecies, while all subspecies of vipers have a characteristic zigzag on the back.


Vipers are active during the day, they love the sun and spend a lot of time basking in the sun.

If the viper smells a person, she prefers to leave. These are completely non-conflict snakes, and if you do not touch them

Already

One of the most peaceful snakes of our nature is already. This snake is easily recognizable by the yellow spots on its head.

Already.

They are no longer poisonous and there is no reason to be afraid of them. The snakes live on the banks of calm water bodies, such as lakes and swamps, backwaters and oxbow lakes.

Already.

It is worth noting that there is a subspecies of snakes that lives far from water bodies.

Copperheads

Copperheads are small snakes that live on the edges of forests. Copperheads feed mainly on lizards, sometimes insects.

Copperhead.

Although copperheads have poisonous teeth, their size is too small and their mouth is not capable of grabbing a person. Except for the finger. But even in this case, their bite does not pose a serious danger.


Outwardly, the copperhead looks like a small viper. The rhombuses and zigzag patterns on the back of the copperfish are very similar to those of the viper.

Polozy

Snakes are a generalized name for several types of snakes.

In our area, the Caspian snake is known - this is enough large snake It is not venomous, but very aggressive.

Caspian snake.

It is because of the aggressiveness that they do not like snakes. Although they do not pose a danger to life, and when meeting with them, you can simply go on your way.


On the islands of Japan, you can find island snakes, which are distinguished by an unusual color. This species is a resident of the sea coast.

We will end our story with a description of one of the most big snakes planets - python.

The python can reach a length of four meters, which is about a meter less than the anaconda, but still impressive.


Despite big sizes, pythons are very dexterous and quick-witted predators. Outwardly, they could be attributed to boas, but pythons are a separate genus of snakes.


Pythons are native to Asia and Australia, and can also be found in parts of Africa. Pythons always live near bodies of water, although their life may not be connected with water. There are species of pythons that spend most of their time in the crowns of trees.

cat snakes

Cat snakes are a genus of small snakes that are distant relatives already. The genus consists of 12 species that are distributed in Africa, southern Europe and southwestern Asia.




One species lives in Russia - the Caucasian cat snake. These snakes in Russia can only be found in Dagestan.

In August 2014, I visited the Nurgush nature reserve, but my hands did not reach to make out the photographs taken there. Recently, when selecting shots for the photo contest “Reserves and national parks of Russia are 100 years old,” I remembered several portraits of snakes from the reserve. In the protected zone of the Nurgush reserve (the one where outsiders are allowed to access) there is a clearing on which many years ago, even before the formation of the reserve, there was a summer camp for cattle. The remains of which, in the form of a heap of rotten pieces of wood overgrown with lichen, can still be seen on the edge of the clearing. This place is very fond of snakes. Vipers bask in the sun on wooden debris, among which they can hide in case of danger. No wonder this clearing is called Serpentine. Even though they look different, they are all the same common viper(lat. Vipera berus). Some of them are light gray in color with a dark pattern on the back, some are completely black. This is a manifestation of melanism, excessive dark pigmentation. It is easy to distinguish from harmless vipers by the absence of yellow spots in the back of the head, and if you get to know them very close, then the snake has a round pupil, and the viper has a vertical pupil, like a cat. But the viper, too, should not be afraid of panic. For all its toxicity, she herself prefers not to catch the eye of a person and hides at the first danger. Only when cornered or taken by surprise does it hiss and lunge menacingly. You should not even consider your life over if the worst thing happened - you were bitten by a viper. Over the past half century, there have been almost no deaths from the direct bite of a viper (unless Small child was stung in the face), more from the consequences of its improper treatment (cutting the wound, pulling it with a tourniquet, cauterizing and other nonsense). But more on that below.

What does a common viper look like

This snake is 35-50 cm long. The common viper can be different color but there is one hallmark for all vipers: it is a dark zigzag on the back, from the back of the head to the end of the tail, which is accompanied on each side by a longitudinal row of dark spots. It can be assumed that the main color of vipers is silver, but this is conditional, since there are light gray, yellow, green and brown individuals. In some areas, up to 50% of the population are melanistic black vipers. The abdomen of the viper is dark gray or even black. The end of the tail is always a lighter color, more often lemon.

The head behind is noticeably wider than the neck, rather flat, the neck is clearly separated and slightly laterally compressed, the tail is relatively short, noticeably thinner in the last third of its length and ends with a short hard tip. The male has a shorter and thinner body and a relatively thicker and longer tail than the female.

Vipers have large, round eyes. Some say that they reflect some kind of deceit and aggression. The color of the iris is usually bright fiery red, in dark females it is light reddish-brown.

Where do vipers live

The common viper is distributed mosaically in the forest belt of Eurasia from Great Britain, France and northern Italy in the west, to Sakhalin and the Korean Peninsula in the east. In Eastern Europe, the viper sometimes penetrates beyond arctic circle- for example, she lives in the Lapland reserve and on the banks Barents Sea. To the east - in Siberia and the Far East - distribution in many places is limited by the lack of suitable wintering burrows. From the south, the range is limited to the steppe regions.

In the habitat, the viper does not have any special preferences, it can be found here and there: in forests and deserts, on mountains, meadows, fields, swamps and even in the steppes. The main thing is that there should be enough food and light, and she does not show the rest. special requirements. Especially a lot of vipers are found in marshy places. Here they live sometimes in terrifying numbers.

The viper lives in some hole in the soil, under the roots of a tree or between stones, in a mink (from which it first drives out the hosts), in a crevice in the soil - in general, in some kind of similar shelter, near which there should be a small open place where it I could bask in the sun.

Common viper lifestyle

Vipers spend their entire lives (and they live twelve to fifteen years) in the same territory. Distributed unevenly, depending on the availability of places suitable for wintering. Saddled, as a rule, does not move further than 60-100 meters. The exception is forced migration to the wintering place, in this case the snakes can move up to a distance of 2-5 km. In summer it sometimes basks in the sun, but mostly hides under old stumps, in crevices, etc. Despite the fact that vipers love light and warmth, it cannot be argued that this snake leads a diurnal lifestyle, on the contrary, during the day they are slow, they like to soak up the sun, and with the onset of twilight, vipers become active and crawl out to hunt. Even her eyes are adapted to seeing in the dark: the pupil can increase and decrease, which is rare in reptiles.

Vipers feel great at a body temperature of nine to thirty degrees. If the temperature drops below nine or rises above thirty-five degrees, the animal dies. Therefore, the snake is forced to spend the whole day in the shelter, crawling out into the sun several times to warm up.

Vipers winter in the soil at a depth below the freezing layer, climbing into the holes of moles and rodents, the passages of rotten roots of trees and shrubs, deep cracks in rocks and other shelters. Sometimes they accumulate in one place in small groups. Numbness in vipers during the period hibernation lasts for middle lane Russia for about six months.

The viper has a lot of enemies in nature, such as owls, foxes, hedgehogs, ferrets, minks and eagles. The greatest danger to the common viper is man, primarily his economic activity aimed at deforestation and other changes in natural landscapes. Among forest dwellers, the main enemies of vipers are hedgehogs, which are immune to snake venom. The hedgehog uses the following tactic when attacking: it bites the snake's body and immediately curls up into a ball, substituting its needles for a retaliatory strike. The procedure is repeated several times until the viper weakens and dies.

What does a viper eat

The food for vipers is mainly made up of warm-blooded animals, especially mice, which the snake prefers to any other food. From the observations of scientists it follows that she catches mice not only on the ground, but also underground. Chicks, especially those birds that nest on the ground, often fall prey to vipers. It can also prey on adult birds. She eats frogs and lizards only as a last resort.

The viper lies in wait for its prey and bites (for example, wood mouse), and then lets go in order to later find the corpse on the trail, since under the influence of the poison that has penetrated into the wound, the bitten animal quickly dies.

Vipers are predators from birth. Young snakes catch insects - locusts, beetles, less often butterfly caterpillars, ants, slugs and earthworms. In turn, vipers become prey birds of prey and animals.

viper breeding

The mating season is in May, and offspring appear in August or September, depending on the climate. Mating begins only when the spring weather has settled. The number of cubs produced by a female depends on the age of the mother: younger ones have five or six cubs, older ones - 12-14, even 16 pieces.

The viper is a viviparous - the development of eggs and hatching of cubs occurs in the womb. The intrauterine development of viper embryos is very interesting. The walls of the upper shell of the eggs are penetrated by blood vessels, so the embryo feeds on both the yolk of the egg and those dissolved in the mother's blood. nutrients. It happens that at the time of childbirth, the female wraps around a tree or a stump, leaving her tail in the air, “scattering” kites on the ground, which from the first moment begin an independent life. Juveniles are usually 15-20 cm long and are already poisonous. As they grow, they molt, leaving behind crawling out like snakes.

The viper is born evil and remains evil for the rest of its life. Small vipers, freshly hatched from their eggs, hissed and bit angrily when touched. Immediately after birth, each little viper crawls away, and the mother does not pay any attention to the cubs.

What is dangerous viper

Vipers are the most common venomous snakes in central Eurasia. Their bite is dangerous to humans, but not fatal. If a person is not allergic to snake venom, then the bite does not pose a danger to life.

This snake is not aggressive and, when a person approaches, it tries to use its camouflage coloration as much as possible, or crawl away. Only in the event of an unexpected appearance of a person or with a provocation on his part, she can try to bite him. This cautious behavior is explained by the fact that it needs a lot of energy to reproduce the poison in conditions of changing temperatures.

The viper never attacks a person first, only biting if it is being chased, grabbed or stepped on. At the sight of a person, the viper is always in a hurry to crawl away, hide, or lie quietly.

When attacked, the snake curls up and draws its neck into the middle of the formed flat circle, so that with each bite it quickly extends it by 15, at most 30 cm. Retracting the neck is always a sign that the viper wants to bite, immediately after the bite, it again quickly retracts the neck preparing for the next attack.

When attacking, the viper focuses primarily on lightning speed, and not on accuracy. When attacked, she often misses, but immediately makes another attempt until she achieves her goal. You have to be careful, because the viper never attacks silently. Even if she is hunting, before attacking her prey, the snake emits a loud hiss. This hissing or snorting is made with the mouth closed and is caused by her inhaling and exhaling air more forcefully than usual. When air is exhaled, the sound is strong and low; when inhaled, it is weaker and higher.

The viper injects a small amount of poison into the victim. She saves it, since the production of poison is a very energy-intensive process and takes a lot of strength from the snake. The viper has large hollow fangs with a deep groove. The snake injects venom into its prey by reflex contraction of the temporal muscles that surround the venom glands.

What to do with a viper bite

Most often bites non-venomous snakes leave only small scratches on the body. The bite of a venomous snake leaves deep punctures from the teeth, through which poison is injected. When bitten, the poison can get under the skin, into the muscle tissue or into the lumen of the victim's vessel. The bite into the lumen of the vessel is more difficult, due to the fact that the poison spreads faster throughout the body, causing various violations. There are cases when the bite occurs with one fang, as a result of which a smaller dose of poison is injected and the poisoning proceeds more easily.

The viper's venom is hemo- and cytotoxic, that is, it destroys blood and tissues. It contains hyaluronidase and phospholipase and destroys the walls of blood vessels, red blood cells, proteins, forms blood clots inside the vessels, leading to circulatory disorders. In addition, the poison disrupts cardiac and liver function, and also disrupts the water-mineral balance.

  • Hyaluronidase- splits connective tissue, destroys the walls of small capillaries, increases the permeability of tissues for water and ions.
  • Phospholipase- splitting the lipid layer of erythrocytes, leads to their destruction (erythrocyte hemolysis).

The above enzymes increase the permeability of cell membranes (mast cells) containing biological active substances(histamine, heparin, etc.), which leads to their release and the manifestation of inflammatory and allergic reactions (swelling, redness, pain, itching).

For humans, the bite of an ordinary viper is considered potentially dangerous, but it rarely leads to death. For example, in the UK, only 14 deaths were recorded between 1876 and 2005, the last of which occurred in 1975 (a five-year-old child died from a bite). About 70% of those bitten either do not experience any symptoms at all, or feel a burning pain directly in the area of ​​​​the bite. Often, redness and swelling develop around the wound - hemorrhagic edema. With a more severe degree of intoxication, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, blanching of the skin, increased sweating, chills, and tachycardia are possible within 15-30 minutes. Finally, with especially hypersensitivity, loss of consciousness, swelling of the face, a significant drop in blood pressure, profuse bleeding (DIC), kidney failure, convulsive or coma. In the vast majority of cases, the effects of a bite disappear after 2-4 days, but can stretch for a longer period up to a year. In particular, improper self-treatment can lead to complications.

As first aid for a bite, doctors recommend calming down, applying a pressure bandage (but not a tourniquet), reducing the load on the limb up to immobilization, and providing plenty of fluids. Opinions on the benefits of suctioning the poison from the wound are divided: some experts believe that with this procedure, up to 30-50% of the entire poison can be removed within 10-15 minutes, the other considers it harmful, since bacterial flora can enter the blood along with saliva, causing purulent inflammation. Of the wrong and erroneous, but still occurring methods of treatment, there is the application of transverse incisions at the site of the bite, cauterization, applying a tourniquet, covering with snow.

What to do it is forbidden with a snake bite?

Can't apply a tourniquet. The tourniquet sharply disrupts blood circulation in the bite area and significantly increases the degree of tissue damage. The imposition of a tourniquet for 20-30 minutes sharply worsens the general condition of the patient. The poison is already necrotizing, and you also cut off the blood flow. The case will end with the fact that the arm or leg will have to be amputated.

Can't make cuts, in order for "poisoned blood" to flow out, there is a high probability of damaging a nerve, vessel or tendon, as well as infecting. I remind you once again - the poison is necrotizing, and so the damage is massive. There is no need to exacerbate the picture. Bloodletting is also not necessary. Poison in the systemic circulation is negligible. And the one that is already causing damage to the circulatory system, and even more bleeding will not lead to anything good.

You can not cauterize bite site.

Can't take alcohol, it only speeds up the spread of the poison.

Can't be chipped bite site novocaine or adrenaline, impairs local blood supply, exacerbates tissue damage.

What can be done is to lay the victim so that the head is below the level of the legs. This will keep the cerebral circulation at a more or less acceptable level. The spread of the poison occurs mainly through the lymphatic vessels and increases with muscle contractions. This means that you need to immobilize the bitten limb, as in fractures. Ideally, you need to immobilize the victim himself, give him a plentiful warm and sweet drink (hot tea is fine). The sooner the bitten gets to the hospital, the better.

If possible, the most effective way is to introduce an antidote. If a specific serum is introduced to the victim in the shortest possible time, the action of which is directed to the poison of a particular viper, he will get off with only a slight fright. In the case of vipers, the serum must be injected within the first 30 minutes. Well, an hour is the maximum. When administered after a few hours, its effectiveness will drop significantly, and later it is generally pointless to inject.