What does a real poisonous viper look like? Common viper - description, where it lives, features How many eggs does the viper lay?

There are not so many dangerous and poisonous animals in Russia. However, they exist and among them is the common viper. It’s better to look at the photo of the poisonous beauty to know what she looks like. And this is necessary in order to be able to distinguish it from the harmless snake, with which it is very similar.

Who hasn't heard about the existence of viper snakes? For some they are interesting, for others they are afraid. It is not difficult to find out that the viper is a reptile of the Viper family and the genus True vipers, belonging to the order Scaly. But what kind of snake is this? What features does it have?

The common viper is one of the few poisonous snakes living in the European part of Eurasia

Appearance of a viper

Compared to its relatives, the viper looks like a small snake: indeed, on average this type of snake grows no more than seventy centimeters. The largest vipers are on the Scandinavian Peninsula - there their length reaches a meter. By the way, female vipers are often larger than males.

The viper's head is quite large and flat. A special part of the body called the cervical interception separates the head from the long body of the viper. This snake's pupils are vertical, and its body has many shields and scales, giving the viper a truly terrifying appearance.

In the world you can find black, brown, brownish or gray snakes with a zigzag pattern. But not all vipers have stripes on their backs. In some areas you can see melanistic vipers - snakes with a body completely black.

Viper habitat

The main danger of the viper is that it is quite possible to meet it in a mixed forest or near a river. In Russia, the viper lives in the European part, and in Siberia, and in the Far East. This snake even lives in the mountains, at an altitude of about three kilometers above sea level.

Vipers are distributed quite unevenly across habitats: in some areas their number reaches one hundred individuals per hectare! True, this happens extremely rarely. In May, vipers wake up from hibernation and crawl out of their winter hiding places. That's when you can suffer from their bites.

I wonder what the viper eats?

It is obvious that the viper uses venom to kill prey. Who can she kill? Small rodents, or rather, voles and spindles. Vipers, being reptiles, essentially eat their relatives - small lizards and. Small chicks of warblers and buntings that have fallen from the nest are common prey for this type of snake.
Young vipers feed differently. It’s difficult to call their prey and prey - these are small bugs, caterpillars, ants. However, snakes that have not yet grown up are quite capable of eating even small insects.

Viper breeding

In May, when vipers have just woken up from their winter sleep, their breeding season begins. Viper is viviparous snake, which is rare: in August-September, the cubs hatched in the womb are born. More than ten small (about fifteen centimeters in length) vipers usually hatch. It is interesting that sometimes a viper during childbirth wraps itself around a tree trunk, so that the tail with the future snakes dangles in the air and the children fall to the ground. By the way, the cubs immediately molt and become independent (and already poisonous!). So you shouldn’t think that small vipers are safe for human health and life.

Features of the viper

A characteristic feature of vipers is a zigzag pattern on the back of a lighter (or contrasting) color. However, sometimes vipers do not have this distinctive pattern. This may be when the snake has melanism - the coloration of the entire body is black. In this case, the viper can be confused with some other snake.

But it’s difficult to confuse a viper with a grass snake: the latter will be “given away” by its absence yellow stripes on the head and short body length (snakes can grow up to two meters, unlike the viper).

Enemies of the viper in nature

Despite the fact that the viper is poisonous and crawls quite quickly, and it has natural enemies that it cannot cope with. These include, etc. Oddly enough, viper venom, which affects humans, has virtually no effect on these animals.

The viper has others dangerous enemies. These are birds. They are able to “attack” the viper from the air. The most dangerous birds for this type of snakes - snake-eating eagles, as well as owls and storks.

Viper - benefit or harm to humans?

It differs from the viper in its small yellow “ears”. Unlike its “twin” it is not poisonous. Although it can also bite...

Everyone knows that the viper is very dangerous snake because it is poisonous. But not everyone knows that a viper will never bite just like that: it always defends itself and does not attack, acting on the principle “ Best protection“This is an attack.” In fact, a viper bite is rarely fatal, and the consequences of the bite - a small swelling and pain - disappear on their own after a few days. However, you should not neglect safety rules.

Vipers are poisonous snakes (body length 60-80 cm, less often 1 m). Their bite, although painful, is not fatal. Unlike snakes, vipers have a pair of poison-conducting teeth in the upper jaw, through which the poison, produced and accumulated in special glands, enters the wound.

The common viper has an almost black zigzag stripe along its back (above the ridge); There is a sharp interception between the head and body, and a pattern in the form of the Latin letter x (x) is noticeable on the head. The viper's pupils are slit-shaped (a nocturnal animal), whereas common snake they are round (a diurnal animal).

Common vipers are distributed throughout the forest zone. Typical habitats of vipers are swampy forests, clearings with good grass, clearings, overgrown burnt areas, banks of rivers and lakes, they are also found in vegetable gardens, less often - in meadows, under haystacks.

On a hot sunny day, vipers warm themselves by lying motionless somewhere on an old stump or even on a well-trodden forest path; on cloudy and cool days they hide in shelters. At night they become active and hunt rodents and other animals. Sometimes vipers move to areas of the forest richer in food, swimming across rivers and lakes along the way.

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

Vipers do not lay eggs. They remain in her body until the young are formed in them. At the end of summer, the so-called ovoviviparity occurs, in which the baby snakes (8-12 pieces) immediately after laying the eggs are freed from their shells and crawl away. Newborn vipers reach a length of 16.5 cm. As they grow, they molt, leaving behind crawling out like snakes.

Having transitioned to independent life, young vipers feed mainly on various insects, and later, becoming adults, they hunt mouse-like rodents, small birds, lizards, and frogs. In turn, vipers become prey birds of prey and animals.

Vipers overwinter in the soil at a depth below the freezing layer, climbing into burrows of moles and rodents, passages of rotten roots of trees and shrubs, deep cracks in rocks and other shelters. Sometimes they accumulate in one place not in large groups. Torpor in vipers during hibernation lasts for middle lane Russia is about six months old. Vipers live for about 10-15 years.

By exterminating insect pests and mouse-like rodents in the forest, vipers are beneficial, so they should not be killed. They are afraid of a person and crawl away when he approaches, however, when walking through the forest, one must be careful not to step on or disturb a lying viper.

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

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Description

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

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

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

Spreading

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

Lifestyle

Life expectancy can reach 15, and according to some sources, 30 years. However, observations in Sweden indicate that snakes rarely survive beyond two or three years of breeding, which, taking into account the attainment of sexual maturity, gives an age limit of 5-7 years. The viper quickly adapts to any terrain; in the Swiss Alps it rises to 2600 m above sea level. Habitats are more diverse in the northern and eastern parts of the range, where the snake often colonizes peat bogs, heather heaths, and mixed forests, shores of various freshwater reservoirs, wet meadows, field edges, shelterbelts, dunes. In southern Europe, biotopes are mainly limited to wet depressions in mountainous terrain. Distribution is uneven depending on the availability of places suitable for wintering. The saddle, as a rule, does not move further than 60-100 meters. The exception is forced migration to a wintering place; in this case, snakes can move away to a distance of up to 2-5 km. Wintering usually occurs from October-November to March-April (depending on the climate), in the north of the range it lasts up to 9 months, for which the snake chooses a depression in the ground (burrows, crevices, etc.) at a depth of up to 2 meters, where the temperature does not drop below +2… +4 °C. If there is a shortage of such places, several hundred individuals may accumulate in one place, and in the spring they crawl to the surface, which creates the impression of great crowding. Subsequently, the snakes crawl away.

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

Reproduction

The mating season is in May, and the offspring appear in August or September, depending on the climate. The viper is viviparous - the development of eggs and the hatching of cubs occurs in the womb. Usually up to 8-12 young individuals appear, depending on the length of the female. It happens that during childbirth, the female wraps herself around a tree or stump, leaving her tail hanging, “scattering” baby snakes onto the ground, which from the first moment begin independent life. Juveniles are usually 15-20 cm long and are already poisonous. Many people believe that only born individuals are more poisonous, but this is not true. The opinion that young individuals are more aggressive is also incorrect. Just after being born, snakes usually moult. Subsequently, molting of young and adults occurs 1-2 times a month. Before their first hibernation in October-November, they never eat, since before hibernation they must digest all the food they eat in order to avoid problems with metabolism.

I

In terms of the complex of components, the venom of the common viper is similar to the venoms of other European and tropical species of vipers. It contains high-molecular proteases with hemorrhagic, hemocoagulating and necrotizing effects, peptide hydrolases, hyaluronidases and phospholipases, which at the time of the bite enter the circulatory system through the lymph nodes.

For humans, the bite of a common viper is considered potentially dangerous, but is extremely rarely fatal. For example, in the UK, only 14 were registered between 1876 and 2005. deaths, the last of which occurred in 1975 (a five-year-old child died from a bite). About 70% of those bitten either experience no symptoms at all or feel a burning pain directly in the area of ​​the bite. Often redness and swelling develop around the wound - hemorrhagic edema. With more severe Intoxication within 15-30 minutes may cause dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, pale skin, increased sweating, chills, tachycardia. Finally, with particularly increased sensitivity, loss of consciousness, swelling of the face, a significant drop in blood pressure, heavy bleeding (DIC syndrome), renal failure, convulsive or comatose state may occur. In the vast majority of cases, the consequences of the bite disappear after 2-4 days, but can last for a longer period, up to a year. In particular, improper self-treatment can lead to complications.

As first aid for a bite, doctors recommend calming down, applying a pressure bandage (but not a tourniquet), reducing the load on the limb to the point of immobilization, and ensuring plenty of fluids. Opinions about the benefits of sucking poison from a wound are divided: some experts believe that with this procedure, up to 30-50% of all poison can be removed within 10-15 minutes, others consider it harmful, since bacterial flora can enter the blood along with saliva, causing purulent inflammation. Incorrect and erroneous, but still common methods of treatment include making transverse incisions at the site of the bite, cauterization, applying a tourniquet, and covering with snow.

Enemies

The greatest danger to the common viper comes from humans, primarily economic activity, aimed at deforestation and other changes in natural landscapes. In Europe, there are also frequent cases of deliberate extermination and catching of vipers for sale to be kept in private terrariums. In Romania, illegal trapping of snakes for the purpose of collecting venom is practiced. Among forest inhabitants, the main enemies of vipers are hedgehogs, which are immune to snake venom. The hedgehog uses the following tactics when attacking: it bites the snake on the body and immediately curls up into a ball, exposing its needles for a retaliatory strike. The procedure is repeated several times until the viper weakens and dies. Snakes are also hunted by the common fox, badger, ferrets, owls, snake eagles, and, less commonly, storks.

Notes

1. Ananyeva N. B., Borkin L. Ya., Darevsky I. S., Orlov N. L. Five-language dictionary of animal names. Amphibians and reptiles. Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / under the general editorship of academician. V. E. Sokolova. - M.: Rus. lang., 1988. - P. 363. - 10,500 copies. - ISBN 5-200-00232-X.
2. , p. 230.
3. , With. 329.
4. Olsson, M.; Madsen, T.; Shine, R. Is sperm really so cheap? Costs of reproduction in male adders, Vipera berus // Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. - 1997. - T. 264, No. 1380. - pp. 455-459. - DOI:10.1098/rspb.1997.0065.
5. Strugariu, Alexandru; Zamfirescu, Stefan R.; Gherghel, Iulian. First record of the adder ( Vipera berus berus) in Argeş County (Southern Romania) // Biharean Biologist. - 2009. - T. 3, No. 4. - P. 164.
6. , With. 274.
7. , With. 79.
8. Vipera berus (Linnaeus, 1758) - Common viper (undefined) . Vertebrates of Russia.

Snakes: 1 - common blind snake (Typhlops vermicular ts); 2 - common grass snake ( Natrix natrix), 3 — water snake (Natrix tessetata), 4 — Amur snake (Etaphe bchrencki), 5 — leopard snake (Etaphe situta), 6 — arrow snake (Psammophis lineolatus); 7 — sand faff (Echis carinatus); 8 - common boa constrictor, or boa ( Constrictor constrictor), 9 — reticulated python (Python reticulatus); 10 - common anaconda(Eunectes murinus); 11 - Aesculapian snake (Etaphe longissima); 12 - spectacled snake (Naja naja); 13 — bicolor bonito (Pelamys platurus); 14 - viper (Vipera lebettna); 15 - common viper (Vipera berus); 16 — Caucasian viper (Vipera kaznakowi); 17 - common cottonmouth (Agkistrodon halys); 18 - rattlesnake(Crotalus horridus), 19 - copperhead (Coronella austriaca).

Common viper

The common viper (Viperidae berus) is the most common venomous snake in central Russia. The common viper can be found in forest and forest-steppe zones. It is more often found in mixed forests, in clearings, swamps, overgrown burnt areas, along the banks of rivers, lakes and streams. Distributed in the European part of Russia, in Siberia and the Far East (up to Sakhalin), in the north it is found up to 68° N. latitude, and in the south - up to 40° N. w. In the mountains, the viper is found at altitudes up to 3000 m above sea level. The population density of vipers is very uneven. In suitable places, vipers form large concentrations - snake foci, where their density can reach 90 individuals per 1 hectare, but more often does not exceed 3-8 per 1 hectare. After wintering, they usually appear on the surface of the earth in April - May. In summer, burrows of various animals, voids in rotten stumps and between stones, bushes, and haystacks serve as shelters for vipers. Vipers can live in abandoned buildings. The common viper is a relatively small snake, up to 75 cm long; in the north there are specimens up to 1 m long. The body is relatively thick. Females are usually larger than males. The head is rounded-triangular, clearly demarcated from the neck, on the upper part there are three large (frontal and two parietal) scutes. The pupil is vertical. The tip of the muzzle is rounded, and the nasal opening is cut in the middle of the nasal shield. On the anterior edge of the upper jaw there are large movable tubular poisonous teeth.

The color of the body varies from gray to red-brown, with a characteristic dark zigzag line along the ridge and an X-shaped pattern on the head. Black forms are found in the north.

Some types of vipers: 1 - common, 2 - Caucasian, 3 - long-nosed,
4 - Asia Minor

Mating of vipers occurs from mid-May to early June. The viper is ovoviviparous. Offspring are born in August.

viper egg laying

Young vipers are born 17 cm long and are already poisonous. In the middle zone, vipers are active during the daytime. They love to bask in the sun, and can do this right on the path, on stumps, hummocks and stone slabs. They usually hunt at night. They feed mainly on small rodents, frogs, and insects. When meeting a person, a snake usually tries to hide.

When threatened, it takes an active defense: it hisses, makes threatening throws and the most dangerous throws-bites, which are most easily provoked by a moving object. Therefore, it is better not to make sudden movements when directly meeting a viper. You should not pick up a snake by the tail, as there is a possibility of a bite.

Most often, encounters with vipers occur during the collection of wild berries, mushrooms, dead wood and during haymaking. To protect yourself from a viper bite, you need to be more attentive and careful. When going to places where you can encounter vipers, you must have appropriate clothing and shoes. Protect against snake bites: high boots; thick wool socks; Tight trousers, not tight to the body, tucked into shoes. When picking mushrooms and berries, it is better to use a stick long enough to rake through the thickets near the place where they grow. If there is a snake in this area, it will either reveal itself or crawl away.

It would also be useful to have a stick pointed forward when moving quickly along the path. Vipers have a weak sense of smell and hearing, and the sudden appearance of a person can prevent it from escaping in a timely manner. If you step on a snake, it may bite. You must be especially careful before entering overgrown holes. You should not spend the night near rotten stumps, trees with hollows, at the entrances to burrows or caves, next to heaps of garbage or dead wood. On warm summer nights, snakes are active and may crawl towards the fire. When traveling at night, it is necessary to light the path with a flashlight. The entrance to the tent should be tightly closed so that the snake cannot crawl inside. If the tent has not been tightly closed or if you are camping without a tent, inspect the bed and especially the sleeping bag before using it. Remember that mice attract snakes. At the site of the viper bite, two punctate wounds from the snake’s poisonous teeth are visible.

The bite causes severe increasing pain. Already in the first minutes, hyperemia of the bitten part of the body occurs (excessive filling of blood vessels). Swelling spreads upward from the bite site. When poison enters the bloodstream, a general reaction can develop immediately or half an hour or an hour after the bite. Most often this happens after 15-20 minutes (data from various literary sources). Dizziness, lethargy, headache, nausea, sometimes vomiting, shortness of breath, and rapid pulse appear. According to the mechanism of toxic action, the venom of the common viper is a poison of predominantly hemorrhagic (causing hemorrhage), blood clotting and local edematous-necrotic action. The closer the bite is to the head, the more dangerous it is. In spring, viper venom is more toxic than in summer.

The southern regions of Russia are inhabited by the steppe viper (Viperidae ursini), Caucasian viper (Viperidae kaznakovi) and the common or Pallas's viper (Agkistrodon halys).

Steppe viper

steppe viper

Steppe viper (Vipera ursini) no more than 57 cm long, usually no more than 48 cm. Females are slightly larger than males. On top it is brownish-gray in color with a dark zigzag stripe along the ridge, sometimes broken into separate parts or spots. The sides of the body are covered with dark, blurred spots. The lateral edges of her muzzle are pointed and slightly raised above her top part. Black steppe vipers are very rare. Distributed in the steppes and forest-steppes of Europe, Kazakhstan, Northwest China, Turkey and Iran. It rises into the mountains to 2500-2700 m above sea level. Inhabits various types of steppes, sea ​​coasts, shrubs, rocky mountain slopes, meadow floodplains, riverine forests, ravines, semi-deserts and deserts. Agricultural land is avoided and preserved when plowed in bushes, gullies, along roadsides, etc. For this reason, it has almost disappeared in Moldova and Southern Ukraine. Apparently the steppe viper spends the entire cold season in semi-torpor; V warm days comes to the surface in winter. Having left rodent burrows, soil cracks, voids between stones and other shelters where vipers hibernate alone or in small groups, they most days are spent in open, unshaded places, basking under sun rays. In early or mid-April, steppe vipers mate. Males are very active at this time, they search for females and often catch the eye. Around one female they often arrange mating games, like males of other snakes. After the mating period, males feed intensively, and when full, like females, they lie for a long time in well-warmed places. At the same time, pregnant females prefer more open areas, which is why they are more often visible to humans. In spring, steppe vipers feed on foot-and-mouth disease and lizards, which make up from 30 to 98% of their diet. By the end of spring, their main prey becomes rodents and insects, rarely frogs and spadefoot moths. Sometimes they catch bird chicks and eggs, including by climbing trees. Viper food is digested within 2-4 days. Steppe vipers apparently begin to reproduce at the age of 3, being from 31 to 35 cm in length. The gestation period is from 90 to 130 days. From early August to mid-September, females give birth to 3 to 16 cubs, 12-18 cm long. Shortly after birth, vipers moult. Adults molt three times a year. Snakes shed at temperatures not lower than 15 degrees Celsius and relative humidity not lower than 35%. In healthy snakes, shedding the old integument takes about 15 minutes. Exhausted and sick snakes shed for a long time, and this process often turns out to be disastrous for them. The lifespan of steppe vipers is about 7-8 years. They have many enemies: owls, black kites, steppe eagles, harriers, crows, storks, badgers, foxes, hedgehogs. Specific enemy steppe viper- a lizard snake that prefers vipers to any other prey and easily deals with them, swallowing them whole, having previously paralyzed them with a bite. One lizard snake is capable of swallowing two or three vipers within an hour. When meeting a person, the steppe viper tends to crawl away and throws its head towards the enemy only when the path to retreat is cut off.

Cases of deaths from the bite of the steppe viper are not reliably known. However, occasionally horses and small livestock die from the bites of this viper.

Lizard snake

The total length reaches 180 cm. The muzzle is somewhat rounded in front. Top surface The body is dark olive in color, without spots. Large individuals have a well-defined dark stripe, bordered along the upper edge by a yellowish dotted line. Young snakes are brown, olive-brown or grayish on top with brown, dark brown or almost black small spots located in the form of well-defined longitudinal stripes. The coloring of young snakes looks variegated due to the contrast of these dark spots with the yellow or white edges of individual scales on the back and sides of the body. With age, the spots on the back and ventral surface of the body disappear, the color of snakes larger than 70 cm is uniform - grayish-olive or brownish-gray with a yellow, spotless belly. In sexually mature males, the color of the front part of the body, the top of the head is olive green, and the rest of the body surface is bluish-gray. The ventral side is pale yellow, the longitudinal pattern or its fragments are preserved on the throat. Females retain dark longitudinal stripes on the sides of the body and a longitudinal pattern on the belly.

Caucasian viper

Caucasian viper (Vipera kaznakowi) very close to the steppe viper, but differs in a denser physique and characteristic bright coloring. Its body is up to 60 cm long. The head is very wide with strongly protruding temporal swellings and a slightly upturned tip of the muzzle. A sharp neck interception separates the head from the thick body. The main color of the body is yellowish-orange or brick-red, and a wide dark brown or black stripe runs in a zigzag pattern along the ridge. Often this stripe is torn into a number of transversely elongated spots. The head is black on top with individual light spots. Sometimes there are individuals that are entirely black. The Caucasian viper lives in the Krasnodar region of Russia, the South Caucasus and North-Eastern Turkey. Lives in river valleys, mountain forests, subalpine and alpine meadows, from the Black Sea coast to altitudes of 2500 m above sea level. This snake is most common in the upper forest zone and in subalpine meadows. Its diet consists mainly of mouse-like rodents. There are isolated cases of people dying from the bite of the Caucasian viper. The victims of its bites are often domestic animals.
Attention! If you see a snake adopting a threatening pose, it is best to retreat. Keep in mind: a snake only bites in defense.

When a viper bites, severe and prolonged pain occurs, large swelling at the site of the bite, which quickly spreads to a large surface of the body, severe subcutaneous hemorrhages, drowsiness, fainting, sometimes agitation and convulsions. Death can occur within half an hour, but sometimes much later (a day or more) with symptoms of collapse and respiratory arrest.

Common cottonmouth

Cottonmouths are representatives of pit snakes, which, in addition to the usual sense organs for most terrestrial vertebrates, also have specialized organs that detect thermal radiation.

In addition, unlike vipers, their heads are covered with large scutes, which explains their name. Like vipers, the venom of copperheads acts primarily on the blood and hematopoietic system. However, it also contains neurotoxins that affect nervous system and causing paralysis of the respiratory center. Therefore, the bite of copperhead snakes (as well as other pit snakes) causes a double reaction in victims - damage to both the nervous and circulatory systems. Like vipers, copperheads have backward-curved “folding” poisonous teeth.

His head is wide, the cervical interception is well defined. The tip of the muzzle is slightly upturned. Between the nostril and the eye, a small depression is clearly visible - the opening of the heat-sensitive organ.

By this feature, the copperhead can be easily distinguished from all other snakes.

Its color is dull, usually grayish or brownish. Against this background, there are transverse dark spots on the back and tail. A series of smaller dark spots stretches along the sides of the body. On the head, dark spots form a clear pattern. From the eye to the corner of the mouth, like many snake snakes, there is a dark stripe. The underside of the body is usually whitish or yellowish.

Range of the common copperhead

The common copperhead is very widespread. It is found in the Caucasus, in Central Asia, Northern Iran, Northern China, Mongolia and Korea. In Russia, it inhabits the territory from the Lower Volga region through Southern Siberia to the Far East.

The habitats of these snakes are surprisingly diverse. It cannot be said about the copperhead (as about other viper snakes) that it is a forest, steppe or mountain species. It can be found in forests, steppes, semi-deserts, rocky or sandy deserts, and along river banks, and in swampy floodplain valleys, and in subalpine meadows. In the mountains it rises to a height of up to 3000 meters.

Depending on climatic conditions, weather, and the nature of its habitat, the common copperhead can be active during the day or at night, or only at dusk, or both during the day and at night.

What does the common copperhead eat?

He hunts any animal of suitable size for him. First of all, these are a variety of mammals, birds, and lizards. But in the stomachs of copperheads they also found scorpions and spiders, insects (mostly orthoptera - the favorite food of the steppe viper), fish and frogs, as well as snakes. Such animals, which, like the common copperhead, master a variety of habitats, are active at different times of the day and in different weather, and feed on all possible foods, are called ecologically plastic. Obviously, it is precisely because of this that the common copperhead is so widespread.

Reproduction of common copperheads

Like many other viper snakes, female copperheads give birth to live young, which are born in translucent shells and are immediately released from them. In the litter of one female there are from 2 to 12 small copperheads, the body length of which is 15-20 centimeters. They are no different in color from adults. The first period of their lives, the cubs feed on invertebrate animals, and then move on to larger prey.

A copperhead bite causes serious illness, which, however, almost always ends with complete recovery after five to seven days.

The venom of copperhead snakes, like other viper snakes, is used in pharmacology.

Viper snake

The viper (Vipera lebetina) is a large snake that has a blunt muzzle and sharply protruding temporal corners of the head. The top of the snake's head is covered with ribbed scales, and the supraorbital scales are small - this is distinctive feature Viper from other types of vipers. The thick and short body has a grayish-sandy or reddish-brown color with a number of dark brown or orange spots transversely extended along the back. On the sides of the body there is a number of smaller dark spots. The reptile's head is plain, without a pattern. On the underside of the body, which is painted light gray, there are dark spots. The general color background is very diverse; single-colored individuals are not excluded. The color of the viper depends on its habitat and makes it possible to camouflage itself and become invisible to its prey. Males and females have different body lengths (up to 1.6 m, up to 1.3 m, respectively).

Viper's habitats

The viper is a fairly common type of snake. Their habitat is very extensive: from Central to North Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East and North-West India. Various subspecies of viper are not uncommon on the islands of Crete, Milos, Kimolos, Polinos and Sifnos. The viper's habitats on the territory of post-Soviet states are Transcaucasia and Eastern Ciscaucasia, Southern Turkmenistan, Southern and Eastern Uzbekistan, Western Tajikistan and the extreme south of Kazakhstan.

Under the name “gyurza” this snake is known in the Caucasus and throughout Central Asia. In other countries, its name is the eastern or Levant viper. In addition, it is known by numerous local names (titles) used by the population. The viper is characterized by fairly similar habitats throughout its vast range of residence. As a rule, these are dry foothills, mountain gorges and slopes covered with sparse bushes, cliffs in river valleys. In the mountains, this snake lives no higher than 1.5 km above sea level. It is not particularly afraid of people, so it does not avoid cultivated lands, banks of irrigation canals, gardens and vineyards, and can also crawl into non-residential or residential premises on the outskirts of villages. She shelters in various quiet, secluded places - burrows of rodents and other small mammals, crevices in rocks, gullies in river cliffs or fences made of stones. Snakes are quite mobile; individuals living on mountain slopes are most susceptible to seasonal migrations. Snakes overwinter in large groups in rock crevices; after wintering, they crawl around the surrounding area.

The summer migration of snakes is associated with temperature conditions- with the beginning summer heat they go down to the foot of the rocks, closer to the water. In August - even lower, to reservoirs, where they quench their thirst and appetite by hunting birds flying to the watering hole.

In the heat, vipers love to swim and also drink a large number of water. The spring emergence of the first vipers occurs in March - April. At this time, they are very passive, waking up after hibernation, basking in the sun not far from their winter homes and do not immediately begin hunting. During this period, vipers are active during the day, and at night they climb into secluded places. With the onset of heat, the lifestyle of snakes also changes; they gradually become active at dusk and then at night. IN summer months Viper is active on the surface at sunset and in the first half of the night. With the onset of autumn coolness, they are again diurnal animals, until they go to wintering in October.

Vipers are a large population of snakes. Thus, in a typical habitat you can find up to 4 individuals per 1 hectare, and in August-September Near the water you can count up to 20 specimens per 1 hectare. The young prey on small lizards - geckos and foot-and-mouth disease. In Central Asia, young viper are the most annoying to fast foot-and-mouth disease.

Gyurza nutrition

In the menu of grown up snakes - small mammals (gray hamsters, voles, house mice). Adults easily overcome and eat: gerbils, jerboas, rats, small hares, and amphibians. In small quantities, their menu includes phalanges, small turtles and their eggs. Typically, small animals make up a large portion of a snake's diet.

Certain species of viper often hunt for birds in spring and autumn. At the same time, for some populations of vipers that live in Uzbekistan on the Nuratau ridge, birds during the autumn migration period make up more than 90% of their entire diet. The viper's methods of hunting birds are very diverse - from waiting for feathered prey on bushes and trees to ambushing birds near springs and lying in wait for birds at a watering hole. Their prey is birds ranging in size from a small sparrow to a turtledove, but mostly passerines.

The tactics of snakes living in vineyards are somewhat different. In autumn, snakes crawl onto grape bushes and hide, hiding near a bunch of ripe berries. Flocks of sparrows that fly to pick up grape berries fall into the viper's viper. The snake grabs the bird with lightning speed and does not let it out of its mouth so that the victim does not escape and does not have to climb to the ground after it. After 1 minute, the poison paralyzes the bird, and the snake immediately swallows it and watches for the next careless victim.

Reproduction of the viper

April May - mating season at gyurz. Baby snakes are born in early autumn. However, they are born in different ways. Over most of its territory, the viper gives birth to live young (viviparity), and in Central Asia it lays eggs. Their incubation period is up to 40 days. The laid eggs are covered with a thin, translucent shell, and the embryos are quite developed. A thin shell is needed to make it easier for older babies to get out and get enough oxygen. Having made a small hole in the shell of the egg before exiting, the snakes are in no hurry to leave their shelter for more than a day.

The hatchlings from the eggs are 23-24 cm long and weigh 10-14 g. Total number eggs in a clutch or newborn snakes - 15 - 20 pieces. However, there are exceptions; a case was recorded when one large female viper in captivity laid 43 eggs.

Viper behavior

The appearance of the viper - its thick and short body - can mislead an ignorant person into thinking that it is slow and clumsy. In fact, this is a very dexterous and intelligent creature: it climbs branches very well, on the ground it is capable of fast and unexpected movements, jumps, and when it sees danger, it quickly crawls away and hides. If an obstacle is created that threatens the situation, the viper begins to hiss loudly and threateningly and makes a sharp throw with its whole body towards the enemy. Large snakes make these throwing-jumps over the entire length of their body, so the catcher is forced to quickly react by jumping to the side. Gyurza has an unusually magnificent powerful and muscular body. It is very difficult to hold a large viper in your hand. The snake tries with all its might not only to wriggle out, but also to sting the offender (catcher), sometimes even biting through its lower jaw.

Viper poison

The bite of the viper is very dangerous for humans. When a snake bites, about 50 mg of venom enters the body, which is very toxic and second in its toxicity only to cobra venom.

Viper's venom contains enzymes that can destroy red blood cells and the walls of blood vessels and cause blood clotting.

Therefore, after a snake bite, numerous internal and subcutaneous hemorrhages appear, small vessels under the influence of the poison they rupture, very strong swelling appears in the bite area, large and medium-sized blood vessels become clogged, because blood clotting occurs. All this is accompanied by severe pain, dizziness, and vomiting. If appropriate measures are not taken, the outcome is very unfavorable, even death (up to 10% of cases). Timely and qualified assistance with the use of antidote serum allows you to avoid a fatal outcome from a viper's bite. However, viper venom is widely used in medicine and pharmacology.

Therefore in former USSR they created special snake nurseries where venom was extracted from snakes. These nurseries were located in Tashkent, Frunz and Termez. The vipers were kept there in large quantities. These snakes are hardy, live longer than other reptiles in captivity and produce a relatively large amount of poison, mostly 0.1-0.2 g (dry) per bite (milking). This poison is used to obtain antidote serum and for the manufacture of various medicines. The venom of the viper is unique in its properties and surpasses the venoms of almost all viper snakes. Chemical composition and the properties are very similar to the venom of the chain viper. Scientists have created the drug lebetox from the venom of the viper. necessary for people who have hemophilia (a genetic disease - congenital incoagulability of the blood). This drug is used to treat hemophilia of various etiologies.

In addition, viper venom is used to diagnose various complex diseases, such as: malignant tumors on early stages development and leprosy. Viper venom is widely used in pharmacology; it may contain drugs for lowering blood pressure, pain relief and treatment bronchial asthma, rheumatic arthritis, radiculitis, neuralgia. Due to the high value of the venom of the viper, zoologists are studying the habitat of the viper, identifying mass accumulations - snake foci. In such places, snake reserves are created, here snakes are protected, their population serves as a replenishment for snake nurseries, where snake venom is obtained.

A cobra bite is less painful and causes less swelling. Speech and swallowing disorders, blackouts, and paralysis of motor muscles quickly develop. Death can occur within 1-6 hours from paralysis of the respiratory muscles.

First aid for a snake bite.

When bitten by a snake, first of all try to suck the poison out of the wound as quickly as possible, constantly spitting it out. This can be done by the victim himself or by someone nearby. This is not dangerous for the one sucking out the poison. Even if he has wounds or abrasions in his mouth, nothing threatens him, since the effect of any poison depends on the dose per kilogram of body weight. And the amount of poison that can enter the body during suction is so small that it cannot cause harm.

It is not recommended to cut the bite site to allow the venom to escape better. This can lead to infection and often damage to the tendons, which can lead to disability.

After sucking out the poison, you need to limit the victim’s mobility. If a leg is bitten, you need to bandage it to the other, if it’s an arm, then fix it in a bent position. The victim is advised to drink more - water, tea, broth. It is better to abstain from coffee, as it has a stimulating effect.

You can wash the wound with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate and apply cold water to the bite site.

Under no circumstances should a tourniquet be applied! Firstly, it does not prevent the penetration of poison into the overlying tissues, and secondly, the tourniquet, especially with viper and viper bites, pinching the vessels, contributes to even greater metabolic disorders in the tissues of the affected limb. As a result, the processes of necrosis and decay intensify, which is fraught with severe complications.

Cauterization of the bite site is ineffective, because the length of the snake’s poisonous teeth sometimes reaches more than a centimeter. The poison penetrates deep into the tissue, and superficial cauterization is not able to destroy it. And at the site of cauterization, a scab forms, under which suppuration begins.

A person who has been bitten by a snake is strictly prohibited from drinking alcohol. Alcohol is not an antidote, as some believe, but, on the contrary, by making it difficult to remove poison from the body, it enhances its effect.

Remember the main thing - after a snake bite, a person must be taken to a medical facility as quickly as possible, even if it seems that the danger has already passed.

HOME DOCTOR'S RECIPES
For snake bites in the lower part of the body, it is good to take hot baths up to the waist with a decoction of Veronica herb (any type of this plant will do).

Veronica officinalis

For 3 days, apply fresh yeast to the site of the snake bite, changing it every hour. It’s even better to alternate these applications with applications of crushed garlic, changing one to the other every hour.

Pick nettles, crush them with salt, tie them to the wound of snake bites. Change twice a day.

Infuse olive oil with St. John's wort flowers.

St. John's wort

Drink 1 tbsp. spoon 3 times a day, at the same time wash down with 2 glasses of hot tea from St. John's wort flowers, adding a little vinegar to the tea. Use for 3-4 days for snake bites until the swelling subsides.

Mix 1 part crushed garlic and 4 parts vinegar well and leave in a closed cupboard for 7 days. Lubricate painful areas of scorpion and snake bites - the product protects against many poisons.

The common viper is the most common snake, the viper is both simple and difficult to recognize. This contradiction is associated with the variety of colors of various forms and subspecies of this snake with its wide population.

Characteristic:

1. the head is large and flattened;
2. the viper snake has a “vicious” appearance due to the combination of shields over the eyes and a vertical pupil with wide nostrils;
3. has a cervical interception;
4. zigzag black pattern on the back.

In black vipers the pattern is practically invisible. In one of the subspecies (which from the second year of life becomes completely black, except for possible spots near the mouth), it disappears after 2-3 moults. Juveniles are motley.

Appearance

The background color of a viper snake can completely confuse an inexperienced naturalist: the body can be gray, yellow, orange, brick, blue, green, brown with purple and other rarer shades. There are specimens in which halves of the body are painted in different colors.

Clarification of one of the main diagnostic signs of the viper (the number of scutes and their location on the head) requires a detailed examination of the discovered animal. Even here there is variability - the viper may have 4 scutes instead of 3, and the outline of the frontal scute deviates from the rectangle in some populations.

Habitat range

The average length of a viper is 60 cm, but it increases from south to north and when approaching the Arctic Circle it can reach a meter. Snakes measuring 1 meter in size have been repeatedly found on the Scandinavian Peninsula and northern Russia. In most cases, vipers exceed males in length and weight, which can vary from 50 to 180 g.

Features of the distribution of the viper species

The common viper is one of the relatively young species of reptiles, widely distributed in Eurasia and one of the ten most frost-resistant. The viper snake is distributed unevenly across the continent, which is partly due to the variability of colors.

The northern border of the viper's habitat is located near the Arctic Circle, the western border is off the coast Atlantic Ocean, the southeastern one passes through the Korean Peninsula, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur region of the People's Republic of China. The places where the reptile lives must be moist, which is required to ensure the survival of the offspring.

Lifestyle nutrition

The viper lives on average up to 7 years, preferring mixed forests regardless of their height (individuals were found in the mountains at around 2.8 km). All subspecies are sedentary and do not like to move further than 100 m from their site. During wintering, which lasts in the middle zone from mid-October to April, they can migrate up to 5 km.

Viper snake aggressiveness varies depending on the season: the greater the aridity, the more dangerous the viper becomes. Everyone who has met it in the swamps knows whether the viper swims: here it hunts local amphibians, not being inferior to them in agility in the water.

On land, the viper snake's food source is small rodents of any kind. Snakes avoid open places, since here their main natural enemies among birds (eagles and eagles) can easily catch them. In the forest, hedgehogs, ferrets, foxes and owls pose a danger to her. But the main reason for the decline in numbers is human economic activity.

The debate about whether the common viper is viviparous or not ended soon after the identification of the species in favor of supporters of viviparity.

Reproduction is characterized by 2-4 year cycles. Studies of the genotypes of newborn individuals have shown that with the same mother they can have different fathers, and 30% of females have fatty eggs that do not bear offspring.

What is the danger?

In the CIS countries, the viper snake has earned fame, largely undeservedly, as a threat to tourists and mushroom pickers. The question about whether a viper snake is poisonous or not can be answered in the affirmative, but the benefits of exterminating rodents significantly outweigh the potential damage.

Viper venom includes a mixture enzyme proteins, leading to the breakdown of blood components, its coagulation and thrombus formation. The components that affect the nervous system are in concentrations too low to cause serious damage.

Bite detection and first aid

The snake is poisonous, and to neutralize the viper’s venom it is best to use a special antidote, which experienced tourists try to carry it with them. Recognizing the bite of a person stung by a viper in a dream is often possible not due to small wounds, but due to swelling of the affected area. The person usually feels pain and dizziness, their body temperature drops, and their heart rate increases. Under no circumstances should you cut and cauterize the wound or apply a tourniquet, because this will only make the condition worse.

First aid for a viper bite is:

1. Laying a person on his side.
2. If a viper snake bites a limb, apply a splint.
3. Drinking plenty of fluids (except alcohol and drinks increasing blood pressure).
4. Calling an ambulance or rescuers with subsequent delivery to the nearest medical center.

• According to the results genetic research 1999-2005 it was found that the common viper formed later than modern humans.
• A viper bite is more dangerous for humans in the spring due to changes in the concentration of venom components.
• The lifespan of vipers is inversely proportional to the frequency of mating and can reach 30 years in northern populations.