sand efa(Echis carinatus) Pretty snake nice name efa is very common in the foothills and valleys Central Asia. There is so much talk about this snake here that the efa is already becoming almost legendary. Especially much is said about its danger to humans. A small drop of her poison is enough to kill a whole company of soldiers. If an efa bites, then the person is doomed, even if he survives, he will forever remain a cripple.

Actually, it's not just stories. Of course, much of all the talk about this snake is exaggerated, but the truth is that its venom is indeed very toxic. Every year, many die from efa bites. The sandy efa ranks seventh in the twenty most dangerous snakes for humans. In Africa, her poison dies more people than from all African snakes taken together.

Efa - the snake is not very large, half the size of a cobra or gyurza, its length is about 70-80 cm. Males are on average slightly larger than females. But, despite the small, by snake standards, size, efu is very difficult not to notice. It is golden sandy in color. Large white spots appear all over the body, a light zigzag is drawn on the side. The underside is light yellow, sometimes with brown dots arranged in the form of stripes, and a kind of cross can be seen on the head.

Efa lives throughout northern Africa to Algeria, and in the south it is distributed to Abyssinia. In addition, it is found in Palestine, Arabia, Persia and in the west of the Hindustan peninsula. Lives in hilly sands overgrown with saxaul, in clay deserts, thickets of bushes, on river cliffs and in ruins. In favorable conditions, efa can be very numerous. For example, in the valley of the Murgab River, on an area of ​​​​about 1.5 km2, over 5 years, snake catchers mined more than 2 thousand ef.

Efa is an amazing snake. In many ways, it differs from its cold-blooded counterparts. For example, ephs may not hibernate if the winter is not cold. They may mate in January. And by March, small serpents appear, while in other snakes they appear not earlier than June. Surprisingly, the efa does not lay eggs either, it gives birth to live snakes. The female brings from 3 to 16 young reptiles 10-16 cm long.

Despite the fact that efa is one of the most poisonous snakes, it rarely attacks living creatures that are larger than voles. Most often, centipedes, spiders, grasshoppers, midges become its prey. Maybe this is due to the fact that the efa is quite nimble, cannot, like many snakes, just lie in the sun. But in order to digest big booty, necessary for a long time be at rest.

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

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

In India, the sand efa is very common. Settles in the area where there is sandy soil. Here most of the deaths caused by snake bites are attributed to her; workers in the fields are especially affected by it.

Although the efa is considered one of the most dangerous snakes, more than half of all its attacks occurred due to the negligence of the person himself. If the snake thinks that she or her offspring are in danger, she will defend herself fiercely. The energy, mobility and speed with which the efa defends and attacks make a great impression. As soon as the snake feels danger, it begins to wriggle in a special way, forming two semi-lunar bends from its body and holding its head ready to attack in the middle of one of these bends. At the same time, she does not remain calm for a minute, but constantly turns right and left. The snake remains in the offensive position as long as the person or animal is close and sinks its teeth into every object that it can reach. She is said to be able to jump as high as half her body. Therefore, it is better not to approach the snake at a distance of less than three meters. During the defensive position, this snake still makes a characteristic sound. Its sand efa is produced by friction of the side scales.

As already noted, efa poison is very toxic. It sharply reduces the level of fibrinogen in the blood, which causes heavy bleeding, both in the area of ​​​​the bite and in other "weak" places, especially from the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and mouth. The remaining symptoms of poisoning are typical for most poisonous snakes. Every fifth person bitten by an efa dies. To stop the action of the poison that has entered the body, before the arrival of doctors or until the moment when the victim is taken to the nearest hospital, a number of actions must be taken. The first aid measure for a bite is the immediate suction of the poison from the wounds, so that a significant part of the poison can be removed from the body. Squeezing out the poison with your fingers and suction should be done within 7-10 minutes after the bite. Suction is perfectly safe for the people who perform it. A tourniquet should not be applied. It practically does not delay the process of absorption of poisons.

In order not to have to apply these actions in life, care must be taken, especially if you know that there may be a sand efa nearby. Because of their light spots, the efu is easy to spot on the sand. The snakes themselves try to avoid people, bypass the houses in which a person lives. And then - the efa never attacks without warning, it will certainly warn an uninvited traveler with its rustling, and it can only bite when a person goes at it or tries to grab it.

Length: 70–80 cm.
Habitat: found in the foothills and valleys of Central Asia, throughout northern Africa to Algeria.

This snake has a short name, like an exhalation: efa. She is known everywhere in Central Asia, in the valleys and foothills she met so often that it seemed to people that the efa was pursuing them.

In fact, this snake is most afraid of people, and when they approach, it makes sounds similar to those that we hear when sharpening knives on a grindstone. It is not for nothing that in Uzbekistan the efu is called "charh iyylon" - which means in literal translation - a noisy snake. With these actions, the efa resembles a cobra, which raises its head and stands up in a threatening stance to stop the ill-wisher.

The most incredible tales are told about efe, especially about its potent poison. Like, from her bite a person immediately dies, and if he doesn’t die, then he remains crippled forever. However, there is some truth in these stories. Indeed, the bite of an efa for a person can be fatal, and there were many cases that if a person did not die, then he was sick for a long time. That is why in the past, sending travelers to long way, advised to stay away from the formidable ef. However, those terrible times have long since sunk into oblivion, and the efu is now as difficult to meet as many other snakes, most of which are on the verge of extinction. Today, travelers travel more often by car, even getting to places where it is impossible to drive.

Efa is a medium-sized snake, its length can reach 70-76 centimeters. For comparison: a gyurza can be 150 cm, a slightly smaller cobra - up to 130. But unlike the gyurza and cobra, the efa is beautiful and spectacular. The side of the snake is decorated with a light zigzag stripe, its whole body is covered with white spots, and on the head there is a kind of cross-mark, which distinguishes the efu from its other brethren. I have often heard that evil people used efu to eliminate their enemies. But the ephs have long shunned people, and they never come close to buildings, they crawl away as soon as they hear a person. And then - the efa never attacks, it will certainly warn the uninvited traveler with its rustling, and it can bite only when a person steps on it.

Efa with her behavior, lifestyle is not like any other snake. I myself have had to deal with it more than once in a variety of circumstances.

In the Sumbar valley near the village of Gerkez, we were on an expedition, the purpose of which was to study reptiles during hibernation. So, on one of the warm January days - and here, in the Turkmen subtropics, they are not uncommon - a local boy came running and said that he had seen a snake wedding. We did not believe him: despite the warm weather, snakes, as a rule, do not wake up from hibernation. But I knew that efs were an exception. For the winter, they do not hide deep, but in warm weather they can crawl out. But for snakes to mate in January... Unlikely. Nevertheless, we hurried after the boy. And, indeed, we saw: a snake ball, like a kind of creature, moved among the dry stalks of grass. I was not mistaken: they were ephs, they did not pay any attention to us, at such moments almost all creatures lose their caution.

In total, scientists have counted more than 2,500 species of snakes in the world, but only 410 of them are poisonous. They differ from each other not only in structure and way of life, but also chemical composition poison, its effect on a living organism. official statistics claims that up to 50,000 people die each year from snake bites. What is the most dangerous snake in the world?

Evaluation criterion

It is definitely difficult to answer which poisonous snake of all their diversity, the most dangerous for humans. Why? Because not only the toxicity of the poison matters, but also the aggressiveness of the snake, the method of attack, the amount of poison injected during a bite, and the location of the teeth. Putting all the factors together, scientists have identified the most dangerous snake on the planet - the sand efu for the following reasons:

  • more people died because of it than from all other poisonous snakes combined;
  • every 5th bitten person dies even today, in the age of high medical technology;
  • if a person still survives, then he has health problems for the rest of his life. Most often, the consequences of a bite of a sandy efa have a detrimental effect on the kidneys and liver.

Appearance: a small snake belongs to the viper family, its average length is 55-60 cm, the maximum is 75 cm, and males are always larger than females. Their skin is very beautiful. The general tone is golden-sandy or gray, on the sides of the body there is a large zigzag pattern, along which white spots stretch. The head is decorated with a dark cross.

The efa is distinguished by its peculiar scales: dorsal scales with sharply protruding ribs, while small and narrow lateral scales are directed obliquely down and equipped with serrated ribs. Efa does not know how to hiss, but with the help of lateral scales, she creates a special noise, warning of an attack. This loud crackling sound is reminiscent of boiling oil in a pan, which is why the sand efu is called a "boiling" snake.

Distribution area - Northern and partially Central Africa, Asia (Arabian Peninsula), Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, India, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan. A record number of ef lives on the Hindustan Peninsula and the island of Sri Lanka. And on the Murghab River, which flows through the territory of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, snake catchers caught more than 2 thousand sandy eph in 5 years. They are also found in the United States.

They prefer sandy deserts with solitary saxauls and semi-deserts with sparse thickets of shrubs and grasses. They develop clay soils and rocky areas.

Lifestyle: the sand efa spends its whole life in motion, in a hurry somewhere, it is almost impossible to see it basking in the sun. Even in hibernation efa does not fall. Although if the weather turns bad, then she can hide in a shelter for a while.

If males and females mate in January, then offspring appear in March, if mating occurs in March-April, then offspring are born in July-August. The viviparous efa gives birth to 5-15 cubs at a time.

Efas feed on small living creatures - insects, mice, chicks, lizards, lake frogs, scorpions, centipedes.

This dangerous snake moves very quickly and peculiarly - sideways. She throws her head to the side, then pulls up her whole body, leaving behind her a characteristic trace in the form of a loop.

Behavior: Serpentologists believe that the sand epha is the most dangerous snake on the planet. Her poison is extremely toxic, she is not afraid of people, she crawls into the territory of the settlement, attacks often, vigorously and swiftly. Given the speed of movement and the fact that the snake can make half-meter jumps, it is dangerous to be closer than 5 meters from it.

It is from her bites that most deaths are recorded. She is especially aggressive during mating and molting.

The effect of the poison on humans: the poison of the sand efa has a complex composition. Once in the body, it disrupts blood clotting, causes a decrease in pressure, kidney necrosis. A characteristic clinical picture is observed: sharp pain, swelling and inflammation of the tissues in the bite area. Numerous internal bleeding accompanied by profuse bleeding from the nose, gums, eyes. Frequent hematemesis, dizziness, weakness, drowsiness, severe headache, fever, man is delirious. The poison can cause convulsions and shock. Has a prolonged effect. Even after providing medical care the patient needs to be observed, since deterioration with a fatal outcome can occur within 40 days after the bite. This is a record among snakes.

After a bite, the victim should be taken to the hospital as soon as possible, because without the introduction of a special serum, death is inevitable.

One of the most tragic cases occurred in Cairo in 1987. Three kids wandered into an abandoned house, where they stumbled upon a nest of a sand epha. The snake bit everyone. The children died within 2 hours.

The most venomous snake on earth is the sea striped belcher. She lives in Indian and Pacific Oceans. There are especially many of these snakes near the northwestern coast of Australia, off the coast of Indonesia, New Guinea, the Philippines and the Solomon Islands. This is very interesting reptile up to 1 meter long, which can dive to a depth of 200 meters and absorb oxygen from the water with its skin, remaining under water for up to 8 hours. This is a viviparous snake. At one time she gives birth to 1-2 cubs. Belchera feeds on small fish and shellfish.

The venom of the striped snake acts as a neurotoxin, being the most toxic of all. known to science snake venoms. From her bite, a person dies within 1 minute, and just one drop of it can kill a thousand people.

Fortunately, the Belchera is a very peaceful reptile. Divers can safely swim past her, and she will not attack, fishermen carefully remove entangled snakes from the nets, and they do not touch them. A striped snake bites a person only if it is hurt or annoyed.

Brindle

Latest Scientific research confirmed that the most venomous land snake is the tiger. A drop of her poison kills up to four hundred people.

It lives in Australia, is found on the island of Tasmania and in New Guinea. The skin can be olive, dark brown and black with transverse golden stripes. It grows from one and a half to two meters. Main food - small mammals, amphibians and birds. Viviparous and very prolific, in one litter there are up to 30 cubs.

After a bite, a person dies after 30 minutes due to paralysis of the respiratory center and cardiac arrest. Antitoxic serum must be administered within 3 minutes, otherwise death is inevitable. It saves only that the tiger snake attacks only in the very last resort and most likely will crawl into the bushes when meeting a person.

Violent or ferocious

This is the second most poisonous land snake on the planet after the tiger. One drop of it can kill 100 people.

The fierce snake, or inland taipan, lives in the central part of Australia, is rare. The body reaches a length of 1.9 meters. Her hallmark is the ability to change the color of the skin depending on the season. It darkens in winter and brightens in summer. It reproduces by laying eggs - from 10 to 20 in one clutch.

From the bite of an inland taipan, a person dies within an hour. Its poison blocks the work of the muscles (nerve action) and at the same time coagulates the blood (coagulative).

A cruel, or ferocious, snake does not justify its name, because it behaves calmly and without good reason does not attack.

The closest relative of the fierce snake. It is also incredibly poisonous, besides it is very aggressive and quick to kill, it even attacks bases. apparent reason. Makes 3-4 lightning strikes, biting the victim and leaving her almost no chance of survival. Due to the strong toxicity of the poison and hostility, it is often called the most dangerous snake on the planet along with the sand epha.

The habitat of the three-meter reptile is Australia, New Guinea and the island of Tasmania. The skin is a uniform light or dark brown color. Feeds on small animals. It reproduces by laying eggs. The clutch usually contains 10-15 eggs.

Taipan bite leads to death in a few hours. The poison paralyzes the respiratory center and disrupts blood clotting. If you do not enter the antidote, then death is inevitable. Even with the introduction of serum, every second bitten dies.

For a very long time, scientists did not have the opportunity to study the common taipan. Only in 1950, the young kite catcher Kevin Baden own life got one specimen. Thanks to the brave young man, scientists were able to create an antidote for the poison of the taipan.

The most dangerous snakes in the world

In addition to the top five named above, the most scary snakes in the world are:

  • Malay Krait,
  • mulga (brown king),
  • black Mamba,
  • green mamba,
  • african boomslang,
  • philippine cobra,
  • common viper,
  • Indian (spectacled) cobra,
  • egyptian cobra,
  • gabon viper,
  • australian spinetail,
  • bungara,
  • rattlesnake,
  • puff adder,
  • hook-nosed Sea Snake,
  • harlequin (eastern) asp,
  • bushmaster or surukuku,
  • horned viper.

The article lists the most dangerous snakes in the world, a meeting with which can end very sadly for a person.

We present you the top 10 the most venomous snakes on the planet. Snakes can be found anywhere, from the forests and steppes of Russia to Australian deserts and African tropics. According to statistics, snake bites cause about 125,000 deaths per year worldwide.

The good news is that the chances of dying from a snakebite are minuscule compared to the risk of dying from cancer, heart disease, or a car accident. Bad news: Being bitten by a snake is a very painful way to die. Those who were lucky enough to survive described various eerie symptoms, such as the inability to breathe normally, numbness of the limbs, and failure of various organs. And although doctors have developed many antidotes, the cure still needs to be obtained. However, even the most poisonous snake in the world does not sleep at all and sees how to bite a person. Usually these creatures want to be left alone. And it is better to fulfill this desire if you value your life.

10. Kaisaka, she is a labarium (Bothrops atrox) - a lethal dose of poison 50 mg

For the yellow color of the chin, this representative of the pit-headed snakes from the viper family is also called the “yellow beard”. Kaisaka is an aggressive creature that often crawls into human habitation. Found in Central America and tropical South America. The poison of this snake acts very quickly, a fatal outcome occurs within a few minutes. Often the victims of labaria are coffee and banana plantation workers.

9. Black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) - 10-15 mg

The snake, which is sometimes called the "black mouth", it is also a black mamba inhabits the savannas and woodlands of tropical Africa and can often be found near termite mounds. The body color varies from gray to dark brown, and the name of the reptile comes from the black cavity of the mouth, this can be seen in the photo with the attacking mamba. The black mamba is a fast snake that has an extremely potent venom containing a toxic mixture of neurotoxin and cardiotoxin. It kills most victims, including a human, in 20 minutes. Despite its aggressive reputation, the mamba does not attack a person first and only attacks when it is cornered or taken by surprise. And mamba is the most long view venomous snake in Africa and the second longest in the world.

8. Boomslang (Dispholidus typus) - lethal dose 10-12 mg

The most beautiful snake from the already-shaped family lives in Sub-Saharan Africa and hunts by expanding the front of its body. Usually it hangs motionless on a tree or bush, imitating a branch with its shape. For this, the Dutch settlers called it the "tree snake" (boom - tree, slang - snake). Boomslang injects poison while chewing its prey, because its teeth are located almost in the middle of the mouth, and not at its beginning, like other representatives of the ranking of the most poisonous snakes in the world. Its venom is dominated not by a neurotoxin, but by a hemotoxin, which causes the destruction of red blood cells. Boomslang is a very shy snake and, thanks to its good eyesight, is able to avoid meeting a person in a timely manner. However, if you grab her, a bite is inevitable. So from the boomslang in 1957, the famous herpentologist and zoologist Carl Paterson Schmidt died.

7. King Cobra (Ophiophagus Hannah) - 7mg

It is the longest venomous snake on Earth. Most individuals reach a length of 3-4 meters, and there are also 5.6-meter giants. The poison of the queen snake is so dangerous that it can kill an elephant in just a few hours. 15 minutes is enough for a person. Fortunately for humans, the cobra prefers not to waste its main weapon and does not bite without warning. She can bite and “idle”, without injecting poison or releasing a minimal amount of it.

lives King Cobra V tropical forests South and South-East Asia, and prefers to hunt rat snakes. She does not disdain poisonous "colleagues".

6. Taipan (Oxyuranus) - 5 mg

In sixth place on the snake hit parade is the most dangerous snake in Australia and one of the most poisonous creatures on Earth. If you've ever heard the expression "careful, you're dealing with a sensitive, excitable bastard," then it fits perfectly to characterize the taipan. Any movement near this nervous reptile is likely to provoke an attack. Taipan venom contains a neurotoxin that works by paralyzing the victim's muscles, which in turn leads to respiratory arrest. Without an antidote, a taipan bite always ends in death. The bitten person has approximately 30 minutes to get to the hospital.

5. Sand efa (Echis carinatus) - 5 mg

About 5 mg of poison is enough to kill a person. This is arguably the most dangerous and deadly snake on our list, as scientists believe the sand epha has killed more people in its range than other snake species combined. The poisonous reptile is so mobile and aggressive that it bites several times. Efs are not afraid of people, they often crawl into dwellings, basements and utility rooms in search of food. Those who survived an efa attack may develop kidney problems due to defects in blood coagulation.

4. Harlequin Asp (Micrurus fulvius) - 4 mg

The brightly colored Mother Nature snake is found in the southeastern United States and northeastern Mexico. This is the only snake in North America, which lays eggs, but does not give birth to cubs. This poisonous handsome man prefers not to attack people, but if he really had to, he attacks with lightning speed and without help the death of the victim occurs within 20 hours. Therefore, it is better to admire them on video and never meet in life.

3. Indian krait (Bungarus caeruleus) - 2.5 mg

These small reptiles and their relative the banded krait (Bungarus multicinctus) are responsible for thousands of deaths each year across South Asia. In their range from Pakistan to India to Sri Lanka, kraits often crawl into houses to prey on rodents and often bite people while they sleep. The bite of this snake causes paralysis of the facial muscles, and sometimes the entire body. Death from respiratory failure can occur after 1-6 hours if antivenom is not given.

2. Tiger snake (Notechis scutatus) - fatal dose of 1.5 mg

It lives on the southern outskirts of Australia and the nearby islands of the region. As this vicious, venomous predator prepares to strike, it arches its head and neck in the manner of Asian and African cobras. tiger snakes are very aggressive and kill more people in Australia than any other snake on this continent.

1. Nasal enhydrin (Enhydrina schistosa) - 1.5 mg

Although the question of which snake is the most venomous is controversial, enhydrina is often regarded as the deadliest of all.

This reptile is known not only as extremely poisonous, but also as very aggressive. This type of sea snake is responsible for more than 50% of the attacks of all sea ​​snakes per person and is responsible for about 90% of all deaths caused by sea snake bites.

Most sea snakes are venomous, so if you see one in the water, swim away!

Fortunately, none of the top 10 most venomous snakes are found in the Russian Federation. The most poisonous snake in Russia is the Viper, which is also one of the most common. Guaranteed poisonous dose - 40-50 mg. The number of deaths is so small that scientists have not yet been able to determine a more accurate dosage.