What is the name of the snake family? Aspid snake family (Elapidae). boa family snake

SNAKE
(Serpentes),
suborder of reptiles of the squamous order (Squamata). Legless animals with a thin, strongly elongated body, devoid of moving eyelids. Snakes are descended from lizards, so they have many features in common with them, but two obvious features make it almost always possible to accurately distinguish between the two groups. The vast majority of lizards have limbs. Snakes do not have front legs, although sometimes rudiments of the hind legs are visible in the form of claws. Legless lizards, outwardly very similar to snakes, have movable eyelids. Snakes also differ in the structural features of the head and body, associated with their peculiar way of feeding. Known ca. 2400 modern species of snakes. Although most of them live in the tropics and subtropics, the suborder is distributed almost throughout the world. Snakes are absent only in areas with permafrost, since during hibernation they need an underground shelter to survive the cold season. Only a few species live in the seas. About 500 species of snakes are venomous; of these, about half pose a serious danger to humans.
Anatomy and physiology. Snakes, like all other reptiles, are vertebrates. Their spine may consist of hundreds of vertebrae. A large number of the latter and, as a result, the amazing flexibility of the body distinguish snakes from all reptiles. The vertebrae of snakes are complex and firmly connected to each other. There are almost as many pairs of ribs as there are non-caudal vertebrae. The absence of limbs does not limit the mobility of snakes, since the long body allows them to develop special, highly effective ways of locomotion and catching prey. The specific ways of swallowing it also compensate for leglessness, and these reptiles, using their jaws and a coiled body, surprisingly deftly "manipulate" even relatively large objects. Snake scales are thickenings of the outer layer of the skin. Its living tissues grow, and the cells that are on the surface become strongly keratinized, become rigid and die. Between the scales there are areas of thin elastic skin, which allows the integument to stretch, and the snakes to swallow objects even larger in diameter than themselves. As the snake grows, it sheds. To shed the outer layer of skin, she first tears it around the mouth opening, for which she rubs her head against the ground or other hard surface. Then the snake pulls off the old covers, shifting them back and turning inside out. Often the skin comes off in one piece like a stocking. The snake molts for the first time at the age of a few days, and young animals renew their covers much more often than adults. On average, molting occurs more than once a year, but its frequency depends on the species and habitat characteristics. Shed skin (creeping out) is colorless, and the pattern on it is very faintly visible. The pigment cells that color the integument of the snake lie deeper - in living tissue. Although the patterns are very diverse, three main types can be distinguished: longitudinal stripes; transverse stripes on the back or completely encircling the body at regular intervals; evenly distributed spots. The pattern is often camouflaging in nature and allows the snake to blend into the background. Determining the sex of an animal by color, as well as by other external signs, is difficult even for a specialist. However, the females of most species are larger than the males, and their tails are shorter. The length of the smallest snakes is only 12.5-15 cm with a mass of no more than 10-15 g. But the giants exceed 9 m in length and weigh hundreds of kilograms, being in fact the longest among modern terrestrial vertebrates, and the fossil species were twice as long as the current ones. Opinions on the maximum size of snakes differ. Some herpetologists consider a maximum length of 11.4 m, attributing it to the anaconda (Eunectes murinus), a giant boa constrictor from South America. The largest snake in North America is the common boa constrictor (Boa constrictor) up to 5.6 m long, which, however, is rare for it. Seven species longer than 5.4 m are either boas or pythons, with the exception of the poisonous king cobra (Naja hannah) up to 5.5 m long, which is found in the South and South East Asia. Snakes, along with fish, amphibians, and other reptiles, are cold-blooded or ectothermic animals. This means that they, unlike mammals and birds, do not generate enough heat to maintain a constant body temperature. Therefore, snakes love to bask in the sun. However, they are poorly protected from overheating, which quickly kills them. At least one species of python cannot be called completely cold-blooded, since the female is able to slightly warm the laid eggs by curling around them.
Nutrition. Medium to large snakes feed almost exclusively on other reptiles, mammals, birds, amphibians and fish. Many smaller species eat insects and other invertebrates. The prey is almost always captured alive and, if it is harmless or difficult to kill, the same is swallowed. Large, vicious or too mobile animals are immobilized by snakes with poison, strangled or simply crushed, wrapped around their body. Having grabbed a large prey, the snake firmly holds it with its mouth with the help of numerous sharp, backward-curved teeth. During swallowing, she widely pushes the branches of the lower jaw and pulls them away from the skull. This is possible due to the fact that the corresponding bones are connected by elastic ligaments, and the upper jaw is also mobile. Each half of the lower jaw, independently of the other, moves forward along the prey, pushing it into the throat. Then the muscles of the pharynx and body movements are included in the process, helping the snake, as it were, to strung on a lump of food. No crushing or chewing occurs. The process of swallowing a large prey can last more than an hour. While the jaws and pharynx compress it, the trachea, reinforced with cartilaginous rings, moves down so that the snake can breathe. In this way, an animal can swallow prey that is larger than it, as long as it is of a convenient shape. The ability to eat large animals allows some snakes to feed only a few times a year. However, the same species can also swallow small prey, which, of course, have to be caught much more often. Three or four solid "dinners" a year, especially in the case of prolonged hibernation, are quite enough to maintain good shape, and many cases are known when snakes have gone without food at all for a year or even longer.
Locomotion. It is generally accepted that snakes crawl very quickly, but careful observations prove the opposite. good speed for a large snake, it is about the same as for a pedestrian, and most species move more slowly. The maximum speed for these reptiles, and then at a short distance, is a little more than 10 km / h. Snakes usually crawl in an S-curve in a horizontal plane when their body is pressed to the ground. The translational movement is due to the fact that the back side of each bend is repelled by the unevenness of the substrate. A snake crawling on loose sand leaves behind itself at equal distances oblong mounds that have risen under the pressure of its body on the ground. This common mode of locomotion is known as lateral undulating, or simply "serpentine". The animal cannot move in this way on a smooth surface. However, it is used when swimming, and snakes swim well. Their eyes protected by a transparent film and the ability to hold their breath for a long time make it much easier to move in the water. The so-called "caterpillar track" is sometimes used by large, heavy snakes. At the same time, they move in a straight line due to wave-like contractions that underlie the skin of the muscles. The waves run one after another from the neck back, and the shields on the belly of the animal are repelled by the unevenness of the ground. "Sideways" is used by kites on loose sands. Either the front or the back of the body is thrown in turn closer to the target, encountering minimal resistance along the way. The snake, as it were, walks, or rather, "jumps", keeping sideways to the direction of movement. Most snakes climb well. In specialized arboreal forms, the long transverse ventral scutes on the sides are bent outward, forming two longitudinal ridges, one on each side of the abdomen.
Reproduction. With the onset of the breeding season, snakes are actively looking for a sexual partner. At the same time, excited males use a chemical analyzer, "sniffing" the air with their tongue and transferring with it negligible amounts of chemicals left in the environment by the female, to the paired Jacobson's organ in the sky. Courtship helps recognize partners: each species uses its own specific movement patterns. In some species, they are so complex that they resemble a dance, although in many cases the males simply rub their chin against the back of the female. Eventually the partners intertwine their tails and the male's hemipenis is introduced into the female's cloaca. The copulatory organ of snakes is paired and consists of two so-called. hemipenis, which protrude from the cloaca when excited. The female has the ability to store live sperm, so after a single mating she can produce offspring several times. Cubs are born different ways. As a rule, they hatch from eggs, but many species of snakes are viviparous. If the incubation period is very short, delaying egg laying can cause the young to hatch inside the mother's body. This is called ovoviviparity. However, in some species, a simple placenta is formed, through which oxygen, water and nutrients are transferred from the mother to the embryo. Most snake nests are extremely simple, but still eggs are not laid anywhere. The female is looking for a suitable place such as a pile of rotting organic material that would protect them from drying out, flooding, drastic changes temperature and predators. When the eggs are protected by their parents, they not only scare away predators, but, having been in the sun, they can warm the clutch with their body, which develops faster at elevated temperatures. A certain amount of heat is also released when the nest material rots. The number of eggs or young produced by a female at a time ranges from a few to about 100 (in oviparous species, on average, more than in viviparous ones). Large pythons are especially prolific, sometimes laying more than 100 eggs. Their average number in a clutch of snakes is probably no more than 10-12. It is not easy to determine the gestation period in these reptiles, since females can retain live sperm for years, and the duration of embryo development depends on temperature. Different types of reproduction also complicate the task. However, it is believed that some rattlesnakes pregnancy lasts approx. 5 months, and in the common viper (Vipera berus) - a little more than two months. The duration of the incubation period varies even more.
Lifespan. The vast majority of snakes reach sexual maturity in their second, third or fourth year of life. The growth rate reaches a maximum by the time of full puberty, after which it decreases markedly, although snakes grow all their lives. The maximum age of most snakes is probably ca. 20 years, although some individuals lived to almost 30. In nature, snakes, like many other animals, rarely reach old age. Many die quite young due to adverse environmental conditions, usually becoming victims of predators.
BASIC FAMILIES
Modern snakes are usually divided into 10 families. Three of them are very small and include mostly Asian species. The remaining seven are described below.
Colubridae (already-shaped). This family includes at least 70% of modern snakes, including two-thirds of European species and 80% living in the United States. The area of ​​​​distribution of already-shaped covers all warm regions of the continents, except for Australia, where they are found only in the north and east. They are also abundant on many large islands of the Old World. The largest number of species lives in the tropics and subtropics. Already-shaped have mastered all the main types of habitats: among them there are terrestrial, aquatic, and arboreal species. Many are excellent swimmers and climbers. Their sizes are from small to medium, and the shape is quite diverse. Some resemble a thin liana, others are thick, like large poisonous snakes. Almost all already-shaped are harmless, although several of their poisonous African species pose a serious, if not deadly danger to humans. In the USA, this family is represented by snakes (Natrix), garter snakes (Thamnophis), pig-nosed snakes (Heterodon), collared snakes (Diadophis), grass snakes (Opheodrys), snake snakes (Coluber), American whip snakes (Masticophis), indigo snakes (Drymarchon ), climbing snakes (Elaphe), pine snakes (Pituophis), and king snakes (Lampropeltis). The first four genera are of no significant economic importance. Grass snakes eat some harmful invertebrates. The rest can be considered useful animals, as they destroy rodents and other mammals that cause economic damage.

Boidae (false legs). Approximately only 2.5% of the species of modern snakes belong to this family, but among the non-poisonous representatives of the suborder, they are the most famous after the already shaped ones. Boas are usually considered giant inhabitants of tropical forests, but many of them have medium and even small sizes, and the most diverse habitats - up to the Central Asian deserts. A small rubber snake (Charina bottae) from this group is widespread in the western United States and is found even in Canada. All pseudo-legs kill prey by squeezing it with their body, so they are usually called boas. However, strictly speaking, boas are only one of two subfamilies, with the vast majority of its representatives living in America. The second subfamily of pseudo-legs - pythons - unites exclusively snakes of the Old World. Almost all pseudopods have more or less noticeable rudiments of the hind limbs - in the form of two small claws at the base of the tail. This family includes 6 species of the largest snakes in the world; they all live in tropical forests. Only the largest specimens pose a threat to humans. In addition to the anaconda and the common boa constrictor (the only giants of this subfamily), we are talking about 4 species of pythons. In Africa, hieroglyphic (Python sebae) lives up to 9.7 m long, in South and Southeast Asia - reticulated (P. reticulatus) up to 10 m long, approximately in the same place - Indian tiger (P. molurus) up to 6 m long, and from the north of Australia to the south of the Philippines and the Solomon Islands there is an amethyst python (P. amethystinus) up to 7 m long.

Typhlopidae (blind snakes, or blind snakes) and Leptotyphlopidae (narrow short snakes). These families include approx. 11% of living snakes. They are blind and harmless. They are even often confused with earthworms, but they do not die in dry places. Smooth shiny scales cover their entire body, including reduced eyes. Outwardly, representatives of both families are very similar to each other. Both of them are quite widely distributed mainly in the tropics and subtropics, although the range of narrow-mouthed snakes in the Old World is limited to Africa and Southwest Asia, and in the New World they reach the southwest of the United States. Slepoons live on a much larger part of the Asian continent and are found even in Australia. There are 4-5 times more species in this family than in the previous one. The length of both of them is usually 15-20 cm, and only a few are noticeably longer, for example, one African species reaches 80 cm.

Viperidae (vipers). This family includes approx. 5% of modern snakes. They are poisonous and widely distributed on all continents except Australia, where they are unknown. Of all snakes, vipers have the most effective way injecting poison into the victim. Their hollow venomous teeth are longer than those of other venomous species, in the "non-working" position they are laid under the palate, and at the moment of attack they protrude from the mouth like the blades of a folding knife. In addition, they are regularly replaced, so removing them does not permanently neutralize the snake. A viper can strike an animal at a distance slightly less than the length of its own body with a single throw. All New World vipers and many Old World species have a deep fossa on each side of the head, which is highly thermally sensitive, which helps when hunting warm-blooded prey. Snakes with such thermoreceptors are called pitheads and are sometimes assigned to a separate family. They are widely distributed, although absent in Africa. The pitheads are divided into 5 genera, one of which includes a single species - the bushmaster, or surukuku (Lachesis muta), from the tropics of America. Approximately two-thirds of the remaining species belong to the genus Trimeresurus, which includes mainly tropical snakes (kuffi and botrops), widespread in the New and Old Worlds. Other pitheads are represented by rattlesnakes (Crotalus), dwarf rattlesnakes (Sistrurus) and muzzles (Agkistrodon). In addition to rattlesnakes, the water (A. piscivorus) and copperhead (A. contortrix) muzzles live in the USA from this group. The range of the first is limited to inland waters of the southeastern plains of the country, and the second is somewhat wider. Rattlesnakes live in both North and South America. In the USA, they are now found in all states except Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii and Maine, although they used to live in the west of the latter.
Elapidae (aspid). About 7.5% of modern snake species belong to this family. Their relatively short poisonous teeth are fixed on the front of the upper jaw. Bites of large species are dangerous to humans. Almost all terrestrial snakes of Australia belong to aspids, more than half of the genera of the family are represented on this mainland and the percentage of poisonous snakes there is higher than on any other continent. However, the bites of many small Australian species a person is not threatened with death. The most extensive genus of this family - coral asps (Micrurus) - combines approx. 50 kinds. Of its representatives, the harlequin coral asp (M. fulvius) lives in the southeastern United States. The most famous among the aspids are cobras (Naja and several other genera) living in Asia and Africa. Particularly spectacular is the Indian cobra, or spectacled snake (Naja naja), which, in case of danger, raises the front of the body and flattens the neck, spreading the neck ribs to the sides, so that a wide hood with a pattern resembling pince-nez is formed. In other cobras, this ability is less developed. African mambas (Dendroaspis) enjoy a reputation for being very aggressive snakes. Although some of them are not at all ferocious, all mambas are dangerous, as they produce strong poison. Not so well known are the much less aggressive Asian kraits (Bungarus).

Hydrophiidae (sea snakes). This family includes approx. 2.8% of modern snakes. They live in warm coastal waters from South Asia east to Samoa. One species, the two-colored bonito (Pelamis platurus), swims as far as Africa and the western coast of North America. Sea snakes are closely related to asps and produce a potent venom, but they are quite slow, so they are not so scary. Most of them are morphologically adapted to an aquatic lifestyle: the nostrils are closed with valves, and the tail is flattened in a vertical plane. Few large individuals reach a length of 0.9-1.5 m, and the maximum length of sea snakes is 2.7 m.

Collier Encyclopedia. - Open society. 2000 .

In this article, we will talk about what types of snakes exist, as well as what are the features and lifestyle of their various species. Snakes are a suborder of the reptile class. They differ from other reptiles in their elongated body, as well as the absence of movable eyelids, external auditory meatus and paired limbs. Lizards also have each of these traits. Snakes originated (presumably) from them in the Cretaceous period (that is, approximately 135-65 million years ago). However, all together, these signs are characteristic only of snakes. About 3,000 species are known today. They will help you better imagine some of the types of snakes in the photos that you will find in this article.

Lifestyle

These animals are predators. Many of them capture prey that is much larger than the snake itself. Young and small individuals usually feed on insects, molluscs, worms, some also reptiles, amphibians, fish, birds, rodents, and larger mammals. Several months may pass between two meals.

Snakes in most cases lie motionless, lying in wait for their prey, after which they rush at it with amazing speed and begin to swallow. Venomous snake species bite and then wait for the venom to take effect. The boas strangle the victim by wrapping themselves around it.

Various types of snakes are found everywhere, except for small oceanic islands and New Zealand. They live in forests, in deserts, in the steppe, underground and in the sea. The largest number of species lives in the warm countries of Africa and East Asia. More than 50% of Australia's snakes are venomous.

Snakes usually live 5-10 years, and some individuals - up to 30-40 years. They feed on many mammals and birds (ravens, eagles, storks, hedgehogs, pigs and representatives of the Carnivorous order), as well as other snakes.

Ways of transportation

There are several ways to move them. The snake usually zigzags and is repelled by areas of the body adjacent to the ground. The species of snakes living in the desert use a “lateral move”: the body touches the surface only at two points, the front part of it is transferred to the side (in the direction of movement), after which the back is “pulled up”, etc. “Accordion” is another way of movement, characterized in that the body of the snake is assembled in tight loops, and its front part moves forward. Also, large snakes move in a "caterpillar track" in a straight line, clinging to the soil with shields and straining the muscles located in the abdominal part of the body.

snake poison

Approximately 500 species of snakes are dangerous for humans. Every year, up to 1.5 million people are bitten by them, and up to 50 thousand die. Of course, this is not the most common cause of death today. Nevertheless, it is important to be able to determine what species the snake belongs to, whether it is poisonous. Snakes do not attack for no reason and try to save their poison. Scientists have developed special serums that have significantly reduced the number of deaths from their bites. In Thailand, for example, up to 10,000 people died annually at the beginning of the 20th century, and today - only about 20 people. Snake venom is used in small amounts in medicinal purposes, it has an anti-inflammatory effect and analgesic effect, stimulates tissue regeneration.

Suborder Snakes are divided into 8-16 families. Let's imagine the main types of snakes and their names with a photo.

Slepuns

These are small snakes with a worm-like body. They are adapted to life underground: the head of these creatures is covered with large shields, the bones of the skull are tightly fused, and the body is supported during movement in the thickness of the soil. short tail. Their eyes are almost completely reduced. Rudiments of pelvic bones were found in mole rats. This family contains about 170 species, most of which live in subtropical and tropical regions.

false-footed

They got their name because of the presence of rudiments of their hind limbs, which turned into claws located on the sides of the anus. The reticulated python and anaconda are pseudo-legged - the largest snakes of modern ones (they can reach a length of 10 meters). About 80 species include 3 subfamilies (Sand boas, Pythons and Boas). These snakes live in the subtropics and tropics, and some species live in the arid zones of Central Asia.

Aspid snakes

More than 170 species belong to them, including mambas and cobras. A characteristic feature of these snakes is their lack of a zygomatic shield. They have a short tail, an elongated body, and the head is covered with large shields of the correct form. Representatives of aspids lead a terrestrial lifestyle. They are distributed mainly in Australia and Africa.

The most dangerous type of black snake is the black mamba. She resides in various parts African continent. This snake is known to be very aggressive. Her throw is extremely accurate. The black mamba is the world's fastest land snake. It can reach speeds up to 20 km/h. The black mamba can make 12 bites in a row.

Its venom is a fast-acting neurotoxin. The snake throws out about 100-120 mg of poison in one injection. If medical assistance is not provided to a person as soon as possible, death occurs, depending on the nature of the bite, in the interval from 15 minutes to 3 hours. Other types of black snakes are not so dangerous. The death rate from a black mamba bite without antivenom is 100% - the highest of any venomous snake.

sea ​​snakes

Most of them never land. They live in the water, to which these snakes are adapted: they have light volumetric valves that close the nostrils, an oar-shaped tail and a streamlined body. These snakes are very poisonous. About 50 species belong to this family. They live in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

The most venomous snake species in the world is the Belchera (sea snake). It got its name thanks to Edward Belcher, a researcher. Sometimes this snake is called otherwise - a striped sea snake. She rarely attacks humans.

It takes a lot of effort to provoke this snake to bite, so the cases of its attack are extremely rare. It can be found in the waters of Northern Australia and Southeast Asia.

Vipers

They have a thick body, a flat triangular head, a vertical pupil, a tracheal lung, and developed venom glands. Rattlesnakes and muzzles belong to the family of pit vipers, real vipers include sand efa, gyurza and vipers. The family includes approximately 120 species of snakes.

already shaped

Representatives of this family are about 70% of all modern snakes. Numerous types of snakes and their names. There are about 1500 species. They are ubiquitous and adapted to life in burrows, in the forest floor, on trees, in water bodies and in semi-deserts. These snakes are distinguished by a variety of modes of movement and food preferences. In general, this family is characterized by the absence of mobile tubular teeth, the left lung, and the rudiments of the hind limbs. Their upper jaw is horizontal.

Snakes of Russia

What types of snakes live in Russia? According to various sources, there are about 90 of them in our country, including 10-16 poisonous ones. Let us briefly describe the main types of snakes in Russia.

Already ordinary

This is a large snake, the length of which can reach 140 cm. It is distributed over a vast territory from Scandinavia to North America, as well as to Central Mongolia in the east. In Russia, it lives mainly in the European part. Its color is dark gray to black. Light spots forming a crescent are located on the sides of the head. They are bordered with black stripes. Representatives of this species of snakes prefer wet places. They hunt mainly during the day for toads and frogs, occasionally for birds and small lizards. It's an active snake. It crawls fast, swims well and climbs trees. Already trying to hide when detected, and if he fails, he relaxes his muscles and opens his mouth, thus pretending to be dead. Large snakes curl up into a ball and hiss threateningly, but rarely bite a person. In case of danger, in addition, they regurgitate prey recently caught (in some cases quite viable) and release a smelly liquid from the cloaca.

Copperhead

This snake is widespread in the European part of our country. Its length reaches 65 cm. The color of the body of this snake is from gray to red-brown. Dark spots in several rows are located along the body. Copperhead can be distinguished by a round pupil from a viper, which looks a bit like it. In danger, the snake gathers its body into a tight lump and hides its head. A copperfish caught by a man fiercely defends itself. It can bite through the skin until it bleeds.

common viper

This snake is quite large. The length of her body reaches 75 cm. She has a triangular head and a thick body. The color of the viper is from gray to red-brown. A dark zigzag stripe runs along its body, an X-shaped pattern is noticeable on the head, as well as 3 large scutes - 2 parietal and frontal. The viper has a vertical pupil. The border between the neck and head is clearly distinguishable.

This snake is widespread in the forest-steppe and forests of the European part of Russia, as well as on Far East and in Siberia. She prefers forests with swamps, clearings, as well as the shores of lakes and rivers. The viper settles in holes, pits, rotten stumps, among bushes. Most often, this species of snake hibernates in groups in burrows, hiding under haystacks and tree roots. In March-April, vipers leave their winter quarters. During the day they like to bask in the sun. These snakes usually hunt at night. Their prey is small rodents, chicks, frogs. They breed in mid-May, pregnancy lasts 3 months. A viper brings 8-12 cubs, each up to 17 cm long. The first molt occurs a few days after the individuals are born. In the future, vipers molt at a frequency of about one to two times a month. They live 11-12 years.

Quite often there are meetings of a person with a viper. It should be remembered that they love to spend time basking in the sun on warm days. Vipers can crawl to the fire at night, as well as climb into the tent. The population density of these snakes is very uneven. It is possible not to meet a single individual in a fairly large area, but in some areas they form whole "snake centers". These snakes are non-aggressive and will not be the first to attack a human. They always prefer to hide.

steppe viper

This type of snake differs in the pointed edges of the muzzle, as well as in smaller sizes from the common viper. Its body coloration is duller. There are dark spots on the sides of the body. The steppe viper lives in the forest-steppe and steppe zone the European part of our country, in the Caucasus and in the Crimea. She lives 7-8 years.

Common muzzle

This species of snake inhabits vast areas from the mouth of the Volga to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Up to 70 cm is the length of its body, the color is brown or gray with wide dark spots located along the ridge.

Brindle already

This is a brightly colored snake that lives in the Far East. Usually the upper part of her body is bright green with transverse black stripes. The scales located between the stripes in the front of the body are red. Up to 110 cm reaches the body length of the tiger snake. Nucho-dorsal glands are located on the upper side of his neck. The caustic secret that they secrete scares off predators. This type of snake prefers damp places. Tiger already eats frogs, fish and toads.

Central Asian cobra

This is a large snake, the length of which reaches 160 meters. Its body color is olive or brown. When the cobra is irritated, it raises the front of its body and puffs out the "hood" around its neck. This snake, attacking, makes several lightning throws, one of them ends with a bite. The Central Asian cobra lives in Central Asia, in the southern regions.

sand efa

This type of snake reaches up to 80 cm in length. Transverse light stripes run along the ridge, light zigzag lines run along the sides of the body. sand efa feeds on birds and small rodents, other snakes and frogs. The swiftness of the throws distinguishes the efu. It makes a dry rustling noise when moving. This snake lives in east coast Caspian Sea and extended to the Aral Sea.

Titanoboa

This extinct species of snake is currently the largest among the other species that have ever inhabited our planet. Titanoboas have been around for over 50 million years, back in the days of the dinosaurs. Today, their obvious descendants are snakes from the boa subfamily. The South American anaconda is their most famous representative. Although it is significantly inferior in size to Titanoboa, it has a number of similar features with this species. In the New York Museum, you can see a mechanical copy of the Titanoboa. About 15 meters is the size of this snake.

domestic snakes

There are many types of domestic snakes. Snakes are one of the most interesting creatures that are used as pets. And although they are ferocious predators, snakes can become docile if taken care of.

A very popular pet is the corn snake. She is obedient, easy to care for, but it is thanks to the genetic diversity that this species is so popular today.

The fact is that most individuals of this species have suffered due to genetic mutations, such as albinism, and today they have some of the most beautiful colors among snakes in the whole world. The royal python is also quite popular. This is a very obedient animal. The life expectancy of this species reaches 40 years. The king snake is muscular, with a strong body. It reaches 1.6 m in length. Boa is also popular. She is from Central America. This snake is a predator known for taking down large prey. Before eating the victim, she strangles her, and strong jaw muscles and sharp teeth help her swallow quickly. Boa reaches 2-3 meters in maturity. The colors and patterns of her body are very diverse, but brown and gray prevail. The boa needs a large terrarium made of thick fiberglass that needs to be well lit and well ventilated.

So, we have listed the characteristic features that different types of snakes have, and their names with a photo. Of course, this is incomplete information. We have described only the main types of snakes. The photos presented above introduce readers to their most interesting representatives.

Vipers are the second largest family (after aspid) of poisonous snakes with a perfect venomous apparatus. Representatives of this family are common in the Old and New Worlds - they inhabit Europe, Asia, South and North America, Africa (except Madagascar). However, vipers are absent in the Australian zoogeographical subregion, where aspid snakes predominate, including the most dangerous species for humans. Currently, the Viperidae family includes 35-40 genera and about 270 species, and 4 subfamilies are distinguished. The two largest of them are pit vipers (Crotalinae - 19 genera and 158 species) and true vipers (Viperinae - about 10 genera and more than 60 species). Pit snakes have often been treated as a separate family of Crotalidae.

Among the viper snakes, there are both small and medium-sized, as well as large species - the body length varies from 25 cm to 3.65 m. Many of them have a thick and short body (more slender in the pitheads), the tail is relatively short. The head, as a rule, is broad and clearly demarcated from the neck; the eyes are small, with a vertical pupil. The temporal parts of the head protrude noticeably to the side due to the poisonous glands located there. From above, the head of the vipers is covered with small uniform scales or irregularly shaped scutes, or among the small ones (as in the shield-headed vipers of the genus Pelias), large scutes of the correct form can stand out. The body scales usually have sharp longitudinal ribs. The relatively small number of rows of ventral scutes is a consequence of the shortened and thickened body of viper snakes.

The color of viper snakes is changeable - among the inhabitants of the desert it is sandy-brown with a blurry pattern; many terrestrial forms are characterized by bright contrasting coloration, often with a geometric pattern. Wood vipers are painted green or some other color that helps them to remain inconspicuous among woody vegetation.

On the maxillary bone there are only 1-2 large poisonous teeth with closed channels (tubular, in contrast to the furrowed ones in asps) and, in addition, 3-4 smaller substitute teeth. Small non-poisonous teeth are located on the palatine, pterygoid and dentary bones. These teeth help the snake move its prey deeper into its mouth when swallowing. The length of poisonous teeth in an ordinary viper is 0.5 cm, in some species of rattlesnakes - 2.5 cm, and in a Gaboon one and a half meter viper - 3-4 cm. All vipers are poisonous. Their poisons have a hemolytic effect (affect the blood and blood-forming organs). Bitten animals die from blood incoagulability and numerous hemorrhages in the internal organs. For humans, these snakes also pose a great danger, especially such large species as viper and chain viper (in Asia), as well as Asian and American pit vipers. The most effective method of treating viper snake poisoning should be the introduction of special sera, which are produced in many countries of the world. The venoms of these snakes are used not only for the manufacture of serums, but also for special preparations that are widely used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Most viper snakes are ovoviviparous, but there are also viviparous (a primitive placenta is formed in an ordinary
vipers - Vipera berus) and oviparous species.

Pit snakes (Crotalinae) are very similar to vipers, but they are more slender. The name of the subfamily Pit-headed snakes is due to the presence of a fossa located between the nostrils and the eye, with the most sensitive thermoreceptor.

Vipers, especially Asian cottonmouths, are widely used in oriental medicine along with aspid and snakes for the preparation of a wide variety of elixirs and tinctures with a wide spectrum of action. In addition, a wide variety of dishes are prepared from the meat of pit vipers (dried or fresh). In the fauna of the former USSR, there are 17 species from this family belonging to two subfamilies and four genera, and on the territory of Russia - 13 species from three genera.

Genus muzzle (Gloydius)

Until recently, Asian cottonmouths were combined into one Asian-American Agkistrodon, which is currently divided into 5 independent genera and the former name remained with the large American species.

Cottonmouths are snakes of small and medium sizes, reaching a length of 80 cm. The head is large and wide, clearly separated from the body by the neck interception, covered on top with 9 large scutes, forming a kind of shield (their Russian name). The tip of the muzzle is slightly upturned, the pupil of the eye is vertical. Between the nostrils and the eye is a thermosensitive pit, characteristic of snakes of the subfamily Crotalinae. Body scales with ribs and two apical pores. Undertail shields are arranged in two rows.

Cottonmouths have paired tubular poisonous teeth located on a very mobile maxillary bone. The bones of the skull are thin and lightweight, which contributes to a high degree of its kinetism.

The composition of the venom of the muzzle is dominated by enzymes characteristic of viper snakes - hemotoxins that act on the hematopoietic system, causing hemorrhages, thrombosis and extensive tissue necrosis. However, the venom of cottonmouths and American rattlesnakes also contains a proportion of neurotoxins that act on the nervous system, causing paralysis of the respiratory center and other nerve nodes.

Cotton muzzles live on the plains and in the mountains, in the steppe and forest areas. Females give birth to live young (ovoviviparous).

The genus Gloydius includes 10 species and 16 subspecies inhabiting a vast territory from Western Asia to East Asia.

In Russia, there are three species of muzzle, distributed from southern Siberia to the Khabarovsk Territory and Southern Primorye in the east. Until now, there is no consensus among specialists on the taxonomic status of individual forms.

Genus giant vipers (Macrovipera)

Representatives of the genus are large poisonous snakes of massive build, sometimes reaching a length of more than 2 m. The large head, well delimited from the body by the neck, is covered with small ribbed scales. There are no enlarged scutes on the head, including large supraorbital ones, which are characteristic of other genera of viper snakes. The massive body is slightly flattened in the dorsal-ventral direction and covered with keeled scales. The tail is short, the undercaudal shields are paired (31-66 pairs), the anal shield is solid. Abdominal shields - 123-187.

Giant vipers live in North Africa, on the eastern islands mediterranean sea, on the Arabian Peninsula, in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northwest India, the countries of Central Asia, South Kazakhstan and the Caucasus.

Gyurza and three other species of large vipers belong to this genus: M. deserti from Algeria, Tunisia and Libya; M. mauritanica from Morocco and neighboring regions of Algeria and M. schweizeri from the islands of the Cyclades in the Aegean. In Russia, one species is found - Macrovipera lebetina, which until recently included the above-mentioned species of this genus as subspecies. Together with other vipers of the fauna of Russia and the former Soviet Union, they united in the genus Vipera.

They live mainly in arid areas - desert, semi-desert and steppe habitats, often near human dwellings, feed on large rodents and birds. oviparous forms. Giant vipers pose a serious danger to humans, since their poisonous glands produce a lot of poison that has a hemolytic effect.

Genus shield-headed vipers (Pelias)

Vipers of small and medium sizes, the total length of which does not exceed 90 cm. On the surface of the head of shield-headed vipers, along with small scales, large scutes of the correct form stand out: frontal, paired parietal and supraorbital. The nasal shield is separated from the intermaxillary by the nasal shields. The body of vipers is covered with strongly ribbed scales. The trunk and tail are relatively short - there are 128-157 abdominal shields, 21-46 pairs of undercaudal shields (they are arranged in two rows). Color varies from light gray to bright red. All vipers of the genus are characterized by a dark or black pattern in the form of a zigzag strip along the ridge. In some species (common viper) in different populations, completely black individuals (melanists) are found in greater or lesser numbers, in other species - single individuals.

All species of this genus are terrestrial forms living on the plains and in the mountains, while the common viper is found even beyond the Arctic Circle. Females give birth to live young (ovoviviparous). Shield-headed vipers feed mainly on small mammals - rodents and insectivores, as well as birds and lizards. The diet of newborn individuals includes small lizards and orthoptera
insects.

The poison of shield-headed vipers has a hemolytic effect. Shield-headed vipers are common in Europe and North Asia, the Mediterranean and boreal regions of Asia.

The central genus - Vipera, which unites more than 30 species, constantly causes controversy and discussion. In the genus Vipera, three subgenera are distinguished: Asia Minor vipers (Montivipera), shield-headed vipers (Pelias) and Vipera sensu stricto (in the narrow sense).

In Russia, only shield-headed vipers are found, which are more often given the status of a subgenus of Pelias in the genus Vipera, less often they are considered an independent genus. Of the 19 species, 9 are found in Russia. Three groups of species are distinguished within the genus: the Pelias berus species complex (common viper), Pelias haznakovi () and Pelias ursinii (steppe viper). There is still no consensus on the taxonomic status of the black forest-steppe and Sakhalin viper (the former is sometimes not even recognized as a subspecies of the common viper, the latter is at best assigned a subspecies status).

Many species of this genus need protection due to the reduction in their numbers.

The extensive family of aspid snakes contains about 180 species, united in 41 genera. All species of this family are poisonous. Paired venomous teeth are placed at the anterior end of a noticeably shortened maxillary bone, they are much larger than the rest of the teeth, are bent back and are equipped with a venomous canal. The structure of this canal in its most typical form clearly demonstrates its origin from a groove on the anterior surface of the tooth: the anterior wall of the canal is formed, as it were, by the closed edges of the groove, and a “seam” is visible on the surface of the tooth, under which the canal is located. However, the poisonous teeth of aspid snakes are still primitive, since they are motionless in the oral cavity.

In the most primitive Australian species of asp snakes, 8-15 more small teeth are located on the upper jaw, in most asp snakes the number of these teeth is reduced to 3-5, and in African mambas and American asps there are no teeth in the upper jaw, except for paired ones bent back poisonous fangs.

There are usually 2 of these canines on each maxillary bone, lying side by side, but only one of them functions in given time, and the other is a “substitute” that comes into effect when the first one is lost. Snakes periodically lose their poisonous teeth, and substitute teeth grow in their place, so that snakes are reliably provided with their formidable weapons. In addition to the maxilla, the palatine, pterygoid, and dentaries are also equipped with small teeth.

In the aspid skeleton we no longer find any rudiments of the pelvis and hind limbs. The left lung of these snakes is missing.

The head is covered with large scutes, and the absence of a zygomatic shield is characteristic of all aspidae (this feature, however, is found in individual representatives of other families). In the vast majority of aspids, the head is rounded in front, smoothly, without cervical interception, passing into the body, eyes with a round pupil. Only in a few evasive species (for example, the Australian death snake) does the head have a triangular shape and is delimited by a sharp neck interception. The dorsal scales are smooth, the underside of the snake's body is covered with greatly expanded abdominal scutes. In terms of their slender build, smooth scales, and large head shield, many aspid snakes are outwardly very similar to already-shaped snakes. Therefore, aspids are often also called poisonous snakes. However, such a name introduces a fair amount of confusion, since among the already-shaped ones there are also many poisonous species (see the description of the already-shaped family).

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

Distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of all continents (excluding Europe) and reach the greatest richness and diversity of forms in Australia and Africa. Australia is inhabited by the most ancient and primitive species of aspids. Since younger families of venomous snakes - vipers and pit-headed snakes - could not penetrate this mainland, aspids occupied various ecological niches here. The evolution of aspid on this continent, free from other poisonous snakes, has led to the creation of species that are outwardly very similar to vipers and pit vipers (for example, viper 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.). A large number of genera (22) testifies to the long history of aspid in Australia.

Africa also has an ancient distribution center for aspids, but in comparison with Australia, younger and more advanced species live here. Ecologically, African asps 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 slate species (water cobras - Boulengerina).

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

America was settled 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). The coral snakes of America are a very homogeneous group in their morphology and ecology. Their dental apparatus is highly specialized: the maxillary bone is very shortened and only paired poisonous teeth are present on the upper jaw. All coral snakes are more or less burrowing snakes.

The nutrition of aspid snakes is varied; many show a predilection for snakes (mainly small and non-venomous species), but otherwise their diet consists of small mammals, reptiles and amphibians, less often birds and invertebrates.

The venom of aspid snakes consists of many components. various action and varies in composition between species. However, in general, neurotoxins predominate among the active principles in aspid venom, 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. Live birth is characteristic mainly of burrowing forms, as well as most Australian asps. In some oviparous species (for example, the king cobra), the laying of eggs is guarded by the female.

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

Extensive genus denisonium(Denisonia) contains 19 species found throughout the mainland.

Magnificent denison(Denisonia superba), up to 1.5 m long, lives in densely populated areas of Southwestern Australia and poses a known danger to humans and domestic animals. The female denisonium gives birth to up to 40 cubs. At the same time, it is remarkable that she has a simplified likeness of the placenta, which connects the circulatory systems of the fetus and mother.

six kinds brown snakes(genus Demansia) are widely distributed throughout Australia, and also penetrate New Guinea and other islands. dental system in brown snakes it 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 reticulated 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. The food of this snake consists of lizards and small mammals. Females lay 15-30 eggs, from which young ones hatch after 2 months.

Sand brown snake(D. psammo-phis) is noticeably smaller than the previous species, no more than 1.5 m long. This snake is painted grayish-brown from above and yellow from below. It inhabits dry rocky habitats, hunts mainly for lizards and is diurnal. The poison 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), common throughout Eastern and Southern Australia, reaches a length of 1.5-2 m. The brilliant black color of the upper side of the body is effectively combined with the reddish color of the belly. The black snake keeps in moderately humid low-lying places and along river valleys, willingly goes into the water, swims and dives well. It feeds on frogs, lizards, snakes. Juveniles prefer insects and other invertebrates. In captivity, the black snake eats mice well. Being disturbed or irritated by something, the black snake slightly spreads the cervical ribs to the sides, flattening and expanding the neck. Male black snakes often engage in tournament combat with each other. 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, he wraps his body around the opponent's torso with a sharp movement. Furiously hissing and writhing, both snakes squeeze each other.

Suddenly, as if on cue, they stop fighting and disperse to prepare for the next duel. Each of these "rounds" lasts about a minute, and they are repeated until the wrestlers are completely exhausted. The snakes are so carried away by the tournament that they do not unravel, even if they are picked up from the ground. The reason for such fights is apparently the territorial instinct combined with sexual excitement. It is characteristic that during the tournament the rivals do not bite each other.

The most dangerous of the Australian snakes lives in the northeast 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 of people being bitten by a taipan invariably ended in their death. Taipan is very aggressive: at the sight of danger, it twists, flattens its body, vibrates with the end of its tail and, raising its front part of the body high, makes several lunges in the direction of the enemy. Luckily for the locals, the taipan is a fairly rare snake found in sparsely populated areas.

tiger snake(Notechis scutatus) is inferior in size to taipan, reaching only 1.5-2 m in length, but its poison is very strong; it is believed that the tiger snake has the most powerful poison among all land snakes. The danger of meeting with this snake is aggravated by the fact that it is widespread almost throughout the mainland, 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 blurred sulfur-yellow rings, and the belly is yellow. In an excited state, the tiger snake raises the front of the body high, greatly flattening the head and neck. bitten tiger snake small animals die instantly, literally on 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 brings abundant offspring - usually up to 72 kites. (There is a known case when 109 embryos were found in a large female at autopsy.)

deadly snake(Acanthophis antarcticus) is notable for its great resemblance to vipers. Its broad head with protruding cheekbones has a triangular shape with a sharp neck interception, the supraorbital shield protrudes sharply to the side, and the scales on the upper side of the body are equipped with ribs. Her body is short and curvy, and she also behaves like a viper. When danger arises, the snake lies motionless, not fleeing and not taking a frightening posture, but relies on its protective coloration, which makes it invisible. In connection with this behavior, the traveler often comes close to the snake and is bitten by it. The venom of a deadly snake is three times weaker than that of a 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) exacerbates its harm.

In Central and Western Australia, a species close to the previous species is common. fire snake(Acanthophis pyrrhus), which has a bright red color of the body.

The largest venomous snake in the world lives in Southeast Asia - King cobra or Hamadryad(Ophiophagus hannah). The average size of an adult cobra is 3-4 m, however, individual specimens of record size 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 fuzzy on the front of the body, and become bright and wide towards the tail. However, within the vast range, the color of the king cobra is very variable. Young individuals have a brighter transverse banding.

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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 forest areas, choosing areas with dense undergrowth and grassy cover, but is often found in developed areas. The king cobra is a good tree climber and an excellent swimmer, but spends most of its time on the ground. It is diurnal and hunts mainly snakes, which make up the bulk of its diet. The victims of the king cobra are, along with non-poisonous snakes, such poisonous snakes as kraits (genus Bungarus), decorated asps (genus Calliophis), cobras (genus Naja). Only occasionally does she diversify her diet with large lizards.

The king cobra is oviparous. For laying eggs, the female builds a special "nest", raking dry leaves and branches into a rounded pile with the front part of the 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 zealously guards the masonry, attacking any animal approaching the nest. Sometimes the male takes part in guarding the nest.

The poison of the king cobra is very strong, and the amount of it injected with a bite is large. Therefore, its bite can lead a person 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 and chase people without any apparent reason. This is all the more strange that 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 "nesting" life. The snake, guarding the laying of eggs, seeks to drive away any stranger and rushes at him, protecting his nest. And people who have been subjected to such an attack, not knowing about the proximity of the nest, attribute “unreasonable” 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 passes into the body. The eyes are small, with a round pupil, the head is covered with large shields, 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 passes into a long, rather thin tail.

The coloration of the Indian cobra over its vast range is very variable, and, in addition, completely different colored snakes can be found in the same area. The general color background is from yellowish-gray to brownish and even black. The belly can be both light gray and yellowish-brown. In young individuals, wide dark transverse stripes are clearly visible on the body, which gradually turn pale and disappear with age. The most remarkable in the coloration of the Indian cobra are the so-called "glasses" - a clear light pattern on the back of the neck, which becomes clearly visible in the defensive posture of the snake. In danger, the cobra vertically raises the front third of the body and, holding its head horizontally in the direction of the enemy, spreads 8 front pairs of cervical ribs to the sides. At the same time, the neck flattens and expands, and on the stretched skin on the dorsal side, the pattern of “glasses” is clearly distinguished. The value of the bright eye pattern on the dorsal side of the snake is very high - it keeps the predator from attacking, even if he managed to run to the snake from the rear when it cannot bite him. This pattern can vary from two large, white-rimmed dark spots connected by a light arc pointing downwards, to one dark spot with a wide white border. The subspecies of the Indian cobra, in which the pattern most often consists of one ring, is called the "monocle" cobra. In some subspecies (in particular, our Central Asian cobra) there is no “glasses” pattern on the neck at all.

Distributed in the south of Central Asia, in Eastern Iran, in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Ceylon, throughout Southeast Asia north to South China and the island of Taiwan and throughout the Sunda and Philippine Islands. In this vast territory, about ten subspecies of the Indian cobra stand out, differing 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 belt of foothills, not entering the mountains above 1500 m above sea level. The cobra's favorite habitats are hilly areas with a sparse grassy cover and an abundance of shelters in the form of rodent burrows, placers and blockages of stones. In mountainous areas, the cobra is found in river valleys and gorges. Willingly settles close to a person - in ruins, in cemeteries, along ditches on irrigated lands, and even in villages. However, a cobra can also live in the depths of a waterless desert, many kilometers from the nearest rivers. This snake is nowhere numerous and does not form clusters, like some other types of snakes. Even in the most favorable places in springtime, 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 daytime lifestyle. In the summer, when the day is too hot, the cobra appears only in the early morning and evening hours. In autumn, the cobra is again active during the daytime, but comes to the surface much less frequently than in spring. Most often, amphibians (green toads, lake frogs), as well as reptiles (boas, ephs, lizards), birds (small passerines, nightjars, etc.), bird eggs and small rodents serve as food for her.

In spring, cobras mate, and in July, females lay 8-12 eggs, each about 35 mm long. In September, young ones about 30 cm long emerge from the eggs. It should be noted that the characteristic threat posture of the cobra is an innate element of behavior, and the snakes that have just emerged from the eggs are already expanding their necks and vertically raising the front of the 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 at first becomes lethargic and passive, but soon convulsions occur, breathing becomes rapid and shallow, and after a while 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 people being bitten by a cobra in our country. Equally rare are the deaths of pets from a cobra bite. The reason for this is mainly the demonstrative behavior of the cobra when danger appears. If the gyurza, which bites people and livestock much more often, always lies motionless and silent, inflicting an unexpectedly defensive bite when it collides with it, then the cobra does not wait until it is stepped on. Seeing the approaching danger, she assumes a defensive posture and emits 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 poisonous teeth, and sometimes inflicts a fake bite at first, sharply throwing forward the front of the body and hitting the enemy with its head with its mouth closed. With this technique, she tries to scare away, not using her main weapon, thus protecting her teeth from possible breakage. Therefore, being bitten by a cobra in natural conditions practically very difficult.

The bite of a cobra is peculiar. While vipers deliver a lightning-fast stab with their long teeth and immediately throw their heads back, the cobra, with its shorter teeth, usually does not hope for a fleeting stab. Often, she clings to the victim and does not immediately lean back, but several times with an effort she squeezes and “sorts out” the jaws on the victim’s body in order to surely sink poisonous teeth into the tissues of the body and inject the right dose of poison.

The nominal subspecies of the Indian cobra (N. p. 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 was called spectacled. The spectacled snake lives in a variety of places, settling in ruins, under the roots of trees, in termite mounds, ravines, scree, in piles of brushwood, in close proximity to human habitation. It penetrates high into the mountains - up to 2700 m above sea level. The average size of a spectacled snake is somewhat larger than that of our Central Asian cobra, and the fecundity is noticeably higher. Mating in the Indian cobra occurs in January - February, and in May, females lay 10-20 eggs each (up to 45 eggs are known). Males and females keep in pairs both during the breeding season and in the subsequent time, 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 viverrid family fearlessly attacks snakes of any size and, deftly jumping away and avoiding cobra throws, chooses the moment and clings to the snake's neck with 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 with the music. The snake, of course, does not hear music, since snakes do not have an external hearing organ, but it follows the person and, without taking his eyes off him, sways after him. The audience gets the impression that the snake is "dancing" to the music. Experienced casters approach the snake, touch it with their forehead, kiss it with their lips on the tip of their nose, and perform a number of other manipulations. Some less experienced spellcasters, not relying on their skill, break off the cobra's poisonous teeth. But this often leads to tragic outcomes: firstly, even with a broken off base of a tooth, a snake can inflict an injury, and the spitted poison will find its way, and secondly, instead of broken teeth, no less poisonous replacement teeth grow quite soon. In addition, after the performance, the audience often wants to make sure that the snakes have poisonous teeth, and if they are not, then the "shares" of the caster fall sharply. Therefore, experienced charmers base their ideas not on deceit, but on exceptional dexterity, caution and skill, on excellent knowledge of the biology and behavior of snakes, the individual character of each of the animals shown. The cobra is a very convenient object in this regard, since it never bites unless absolutely necessary, and even if it makes a throw towards the enemy, it often does not open its mouth (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 from the snake.

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

Two thinnest streams of poison reach the target with great force and precision. The cobra uses the described technique only as a defense against large enemies. The snake always aims the jet at the opponent's eyes.

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

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. Fully master this technique and very often use it two African cobras - black neck(Naja nigricollis) and collared(Hemachatus haemachatus).

Egyptian cobra, or Gaia(Naja haje), also known as the true asp. This large snake, up to 2 m long, is distributed in Africa north of 15 ° S. sh. and on the Arabian Peninsula. The coloration of adults is usually one-color, from light yellow to dark brown, with a lighter ventral side. There are several wide dark stripes on the underside of the neck, which become clearly visible in the threatening posture of the snake. There are also cross-striped specimens, the body of which is decorated with wide dark brown and light yellow bandages. It lives in the steppe and desert areas, in the mountains, on cultivated lands, near villages. She chooses for herself areas with an abundance of shelters, ruins, bushes or blockages of stones. This snake is most common in Northeast Africa, rarer in the northwest and east of the mainland and on the Arabian Peninsula, and the Egyptian cobra is absent in the tropical forests of West Africa. She is diurnal, hunting for small mammals, birds, amphibians and lizards. Most of the time the cobra spends on the ground, but sometimes swims or climbs trees. In case of danger, the snake takes a defensive posture characteristic of all cobras, but its extended neck “hood” is noticeably narrower than that of the Indian cobra.

The Egyptian cobra, due to its spectacular appearance and the exceptional power of the poison, 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 to send to the forefathers. For those sentenced to death, the bite of an asp was appointed as a "mercy" in return for a public execution. The cunning Cleopatra, besieged by Octavian, having lost hope of breaking free, saved herself from the torture and humiliation of the Roman legionnaires with the help of this snake, deftly hidden in a fruit basket. The Egyptian cobra, like the Indian cobra, 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 taken for food, preferring small birds and mice. For 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 it needs a large room. If several cobras are settled together, violent quarrels often arise between them, mainly because of food, sometimes ending in the death of one of the "neighbors".

In the rainforests 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 neck band on the underside.

Widely known for her insidious ability to "shoot" poison into the opponent's eyes. black-necked cobra(N. nigricollis). It lives in the savannas of Africa south of 25 ° N. ch., from Mauritania to the Sudan and from Somalia to the Transvaal. The color of her body is from light brown to dark brown, sometimes with obscure transverse stripes (in 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 a precise and lightning-fast "shot" of poison in the eyes. Locals and travelers are often the victims of such "shots". As a target, the snake chooses the shiny eyes of the victim. 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 spitting 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 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, in a state of great irritation, shoot poison up to 28 times in a row. 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 that squeeze out the poison from the glands create an instantaneous pressure of up to 1.5 kg/cm2.

In the forests and savannahs of sub-Saharan Africa lives black and white cobra(Naja melanoleuca). Juveniles of this species have narrow white stripes against a dark background of the body, while adults are dark brown or black with a metallic sheen. The ventral side is yellow, mottled with black spots and stripes. The length of adults 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 the range it is quite rare. A case is known when one black-and-white cobra, kept in a zoo, lived for 29 years, sharing the longevity record among snakes with an anaconda. Females lay up to 26 eggs.

cape cobra(N. nivea) inhabits the desert-steppe regions of South Africa south of 20 ° S. sh. The coloration of this snake is a single color 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 stands out in a separate genus for some important features. 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). Medium-sized, about 1.5 le, the snake has a grayish upper body, along which intermittent oblique-transverse stripes are scattered. Often there are very dark snakes. The head is always black, the bottom of the neck is also black, and below the belly there are several wide black and white transverse stripes that are clearly visible when the cobra becomes in a threatening pose. She, like real cobras, expands her neck, spreading her cervical ribs to the sides, but her "hood" is rather narrow. It lives in South Africa and has received the name "spui-slang" here for its tendency to "spit" poison. The snake does this in exactly the same way as the black-necked and Indian cobras. She uses this cunning technique exceptionally often. When a freshly caught collared cobra sits in a zoo, not yet accustomed to annoying visitors, the sight glass is completely "spit" 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 protection has developed in some already-shaped snakes.

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

In Asia, the closest relatives of cobras are bungars, or kraits(genus Bungarus). Twelve species of Bungars inhabit a vast territory from Southeast Iran through India and Southeast Asia to the Malay Archipelago. Bungars are small snakes, about 1.5 le long, with a bluntly rounded head, smoothly turning into the body, a slender body and a rather short tail. The body of the Bungars is obtusely triangular in cross section; a keel usually rises along the ridge, formed by enlarged hexagonal spinal scales. Poisonous teeth are very small, and behind them are located on the upper jaw another 1-3 non-poisonous teeth. All bungars are crepuscular and nocturnal snakes and hide in shelters during the day. In general, they are very secretive, often digging in the litter and in this respect are a transitional link from ground cobras to burrowing iron snakes and decorated asps (see below). The basis of the food of the Bungars is made up of 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 cubs hatch.

The most common type of bungars - tape 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 pronounced and the tail is bluntly rounded. Inhabits both dry and temperate wet places, but always with an abundance of burrows, deadwood, shrubs and other shelters. Often it is found on cultivated lands, in yards 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 not safe to step on it - under these circumstances, a bite is very likely. Pama, like other Bungars, by the way, does not immediately throw his head back when biting, but, clinging his teeth, squeezes his jaws several times, as if “chewing” the prey or the enemy. This helps the snake's small venomous teeth to reach the vulnerable tissues of the prey.

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 a viper bite does not seem to affect pama.

Common in India and Ceylon Indian krait(Bungarus caeruleus) - a small, up to 1.5 m, snake with a brown or black body, decorated with narrow white transverse stripes, and with a white belly. Unlike the pama, the Indian krait has a weakly pronounced dorsal keel and the tail is not bluntly rounded, but thin and pointed. Krayt is found in dry, shelter-rich places, often comes across in villages and crawls into houses. It defends itself by curling up and hiding its head from the enemy, and very reluctantly uses its poisonous teeth. Since the krait is very numerous and lives in developed lands near human settlements, human bites occur relatively often. Since the poison of the krait 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.

In the Indochinese Peninsula and the Greater Sunda Islands, it is distributed yellow-headed krait(B. flaviceps) - the largest species, reaching almost 2 m in length. In Ceylon, in addition to the Indian krait, there is also Ceylon krait, or caravan(B. ceylonicus). In the east of the Himalayas and in Assam lives black krait(B. niger).

A further stage of evolution in adaptation to a nocturnal, semi-burrowing lifestyle is represented in Asia. glandular 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 the internal organs. The heart of glandular snakes is shifted almost to the middle of the body. The significance of this growth of the glands remains unclear.

common glandular snake(Maticora intestinalis) inhabits Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, the Sunda and Philippine Islands. (Some scientists consider the Philippine glandular snakes to be an independent species.) A miniature snake, about 0.5 m long, has a bright color - a red stripe bordered by black runs along the back, and yellow stripes with a black border run along the sides.

It lives in moderately humid areas, overgrown with shrubs and trees, and crawls among deadwood, under branches, roots, between stones or in burrows and cracks in the soil. It hunts mainly pygmy snakes (calamaria). The poison of the glandular snake is very strong, but it rarely bites, trying to get away from the pursuer or scare him away with deceptive movements. Curling up and pressing its head to the ground, the snake raises its tail, painted bright red from below, and, bending it, makes “lunges” towards the enemy, as if intending to bite him. A case is described when an adult was bitten by a glandular snake. Two hours later he developed dizziness and suffocation.

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

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

Decorated asps(Calliophis) - small snakes, about 50 cm long, are painted in a variety of colors of bright combinations of black, red and yellow. Thirteen species of decorated asps inhabit Nepal, India, South China, the Indochina peninsula and Malacca, the islands of Sumatra, the Philippines, Taiwan and the Ryukyu. All of them lead a secretive life, rummaging in the litter, hiding under the roots of trees and stones. Caught decorated asps do not attempt to bite, preferring passive defense. The poison of these snakes is potent, but they are not dangerous for 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, aspids 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 initial group from which, in the process of evolution, water cobras (Boulengerina), tree cobras (Pseudonaje) and mambas (Dendroaspis), shield cobras (Aspide-laps) and African variegated asps separated themselves. (Elaps and Elapsoidea).

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

tree cobras(Pseudonaje) live in the forests of Equatorial Africa. These are large snakes with a jet-black coloration of the back and with black borders on the ventral scutes. The upper jaw of tree cobras, in addition to poisonous fangs, carries 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 kinds mamba(Dendroaspis) are found 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 to keep the prey on the weight when they have to eat it on the branches of a tree. Food consists of small vertebrates - birds, lizards, rodents. Mambas' venom is extremely 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 agile, fast and usually bite without warning. In addition, their coloration, as a rule, is in perfect harmony with the environment, and therefore it is very easy, without noticing, to come close and even touch the mamba lurking in the branches. All this gives rise to a great and, one might say, quite well-founded fear among the local population. However, numerous stories about the deliberate attack of mambas on people are the fruit of fantasy. Such cases, if they did occur, were caused simply by an unexpected encounter with a mamba, which, under such circumstances, usually defends itself with a lightning 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 their 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 into the tropical rainforests of the Congo Basin. This snake is less than other species adapted to life on trees and usually keeps among sparse tree or shrub vegetation. When irritated or disturbed, the black mamba opens its mouth wide as a threat.

narrow-headed mamba(Dendroaspis angusticeps) is often referred to as the green mamba. But the last name has to be abandoned, since all 4 species, except for 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 scale edges, and the belly is greenish-yellow. This snake lives in the forests East Africa from Kenya to Natal and on the island of Zanzibar.

In the rainforests of Equatorial Africa from Guinea to Angola and in the region of the great lakes - Tanganyika and Victoria lives jamson's mamba(Dendroaspis jamesoni). This two-meter snake has a green color with an admixture of brown and black tones, its tail is black or black-green. western mamba(D. viridis) is colored green with dark edging 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 places. Often she visits villages in search of rodents, and she is caught on roads, in gutters and even inside buildings.

Two kinds shield cobras(Aspidelaps) are common in the sandy deserts of South Africa south of 15°S. sh. Of these, the most common common shield cobra(Aspidelaps scutatus), about 1 le long, light yellowish-gray in color. Shield cobras are burrowing animals, and in this regard, the head looks very peculiar. The premaxillary shield is enormous, obliquely truncate anteriorly, and widened posteriorly, and its lateral margins protrude over the snout. A similar feature of the structure was formed independently in burrowing snakes from different families.

African countries deserve special mention. variegated asps(Elaps lacteus and Elaps dorsalis). By their generic name, the whole family of aspids was named. Unfortunately, due to confusion in the nomenclature for more than a hundred years, the name Elaps was applied to American coral asps(genus Micrurus), and African variegated asps were called Notorelaps. THIS misunderstanding must always be kept in mind when reading the literature. Variegated asps 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 asps garter asp(Elapsoidea sundevallii), distributed throughout Africa south of 15 ° N. sh. and forming more than ten subspecies.

The American aspids form a compact, morphologically and ecologically fairly homogeneous group. Only three genera formed here - Arizona snake(Micruroides - 1 species), slender asps(Leptomicrurus - 2 species) and coral snakes(Micrurus - 48 species).

All American asps lead a secretive life, during the day they hide in the litter, under the roots or burrow into the ground, and hunt at night, eating small snakes, lizards, amphibians and rodents. The venom of these snakes is very strong, with a pronounced neurotoxic effect, but most asps 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 small.

Arizona snake(Micruroides euryxanthus) - a miniature snake, about 40 cm long, its coloration 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 the desert areas of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. In danger, when disturbed, this snake draws air into its lungs and exhales it rhythmically, making a series of rapidly alternating popping sounds.

Slender asps(genus Leptomicrurus), living in the western part of the Amazon basin, are distinguished by a particularly thin and graceful body. In the upper jaw of these snakes there are only 2 poisonous teeth. Collared slender aspid(Leptomicrurus collaris) is painted black on top, and only on the neck and on the tail does it have a bright yellow ringlet. The tail of the snake is short and blunt, which, in combination with yellow rings, creates a striking resemblance between the front and rear ends of the body. This similarity is used by the snake in moments of danger: hiding its head under the rings of the body, it raises its tail and sways it menacingly, as if about to bite. Thus, in case of an attack, the least valuable part of the body is substituted for the enemy.

coral snakes(genus Micrurus) - small snakes usually less than 1 le long with a valky 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 snakes are spectacularly colored, their body is girdled with black, red and yellow rings in various combinations.

common coral snake(Micrurus corallinus) reaches a length of just over 0.5 le. Its coloration is characterized by the alternation of 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 leads a secretive, nocturnal lifestyle. 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, willingly and often drinks, but does not descend into the water.

harlequin asp(M. fulvius) - one of the large snakes of its kind, reaching almost 1 le in length, is distributed north further than all the slates of America. Its range covers northeastern Mexico and the southeastern United States, as far north as Indiana and Kentucky. The coloration of the body of this snake consists of wide red and black rings, separated from each other by narrow yellow rings.

This snake represents a certain danger, since, with its considerable size, it can easily bite a person. When bitten, the asp clings tightly with its teeth and strongly compresses the jaws. Percent deaths from the bites of the harlequin asp is quite large. If you do not take the necessary measures, then the person usually dies 20-24 hours after the bite. Asp venom mainly affects the nervous system (paralysis, collapse), there is no tumor, but a sharp pain occurs in the bite area.

cobra snake(Micrurus frontalis) lives in the southwest of Brazil, in 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 from enemies, the cobra snake always hides its head, and flattens the back of the body and raises it vertically, curling its short tail into a ring.

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

Includes species of the class Reptiles, common in North Africa. Contents 1 Order Turtles (Testudines) 1.1 Family Leatherback turtles (Dermochelyidae) ... Wikipedia

Kraits Tape krait (Bu ... Wikipedia

Tape krait ... Wikipedia

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 are poisonous species, but most snakes are not poisonous. 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 largest snake species is the 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 the 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 of 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 are beautiful red-orange when young and bright green when mature. 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 - it is a fairly large snake, it is not poisonous, 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 largest snakes on the planet - a python.

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

Despite their large size, pythons are very agile and smart 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 of snakes. 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.