The yellow-bellied snake is scary, but not dangerous. Lifestyle and differences from the snake legless yellow-bellied lizard Sad but useful

Area

Crimea, Caucasus, Western Asia (Eastern Anatolia, Iran), central Asia to the Balkhash region in the east. In Crimea it is represented as a nominative subspecies.

Features of morphology

A very large legless lizard. Body length – up to 48 cm, total length – up to 1.15 m (extremely rarely more). Painted in brownish-olive and yellowish-gray tones. Fledglings are light gray with transverse brown stripes.

Features of biology

Associated with forest-steppe landscapes Mountain Crimea(up to 700 m above sea level) and the Kerch Peninsula. The population density in optimal biotopes is 1.5–11 individuals per 0.1 ha. Found from February to November. Summer hibernation is possible, turning into winter. Mating in April–May. There is a pronounced disproportion in the sex ratio (there are 3 times more males). Females do not reproduce annually. In June–July they lay 4–13 eggs, which they guard until the young of the year emerge in September–October. Reaches sexual maturity at the age of 3–4 years. Shelters - cavities under stones, gopher shells. It feeds on large arthropods (including scolopendra), mollusks, and small vertebrates.

Threats

Habitat destruction as a result of development, overgrazing, fires; stalking by a person; death on the roads.

Security measures

The species is listed in Appendix II of the Berne Convention. Guarded in nature reserves: Yalta mountain-forest, “Cape Martyan”, Kazantip, Crimean and Opuk (rare in the last two). It is necessary to create a protected area in the area of ​​Cape Tarkhan on the Kerch Peninsula and reintroduce the species into the Karadag Nature Reserve.

Information sources

Shcherbak, 1966; Kukushkin, 2003 c, d, 2006 b; Kotenko, 2005 c, 2007 a; Kukushkin, Sviridenko, 2005; Kotenko, Lyashenko, 2007; Kukushkin, Karmyshev, 2008; CHKU, 2009; Kotenko, Kukushkin, 2010, 2013; Kukushkin, Kotenko, 2013; Kukushkin et al., 2012, 2013; Kukushkin, Yarygin, 2013; Keskin et al., 2013.

Compiled by: Kukushkin O. V. Photo: Ruchko P. V., Tupikov A. I.

If a snake looks at you and blinks, you know that it is not a snake, but a yellow-bellied lizard. This amazing animal does not have paws, which misleads the unenlightened person.

Where can you find this unusual reptile? The main habitats of the yellow-bellied lizard are Central and South-West Asia, Eastern Europe, China, West Africa, North America. These animals prefer to settle in different places. For some, steppes and semi-deserts are suitable, others choose river valleys, and still others choose mountains. In order to hide from predators and people, the yellow-bellied lizard independently digs holes or hides in those left by other animals, dives into bodies of water, and crawls under bushes and tree roots. In our country, this reptile, which is scientifically called the armored spindle, is often found in Anapa.

Appearance

The body of this reptile is serpentine - elongated from the sides and turns into a long tail. It grows up to 120-150 centimeters. If you look at its face separately from its body, you can clearly see that it is a lizard. Its head is large, with auditory openings visible on the sides. Adults are yellow, brown or copper in color. They differ from young ones in their darker shade and the absence of transverse zigzag stripes. Young lizards usually have 16-22 of them. As a reminder of its limbs, the yellow-bellied lizard has tubercles near its anus.

Will not offend a person

Strong jaws are excellent at catching and eating prey. However, for some reason the yellow belly cannot protect itself from human touch with their help. Therefore, a person can safely pick up this harmless creature and take a closer look. She won't bite. But he can make it so that you yourself release her into freedom. This animal sprays its enemy with feces that have a pungent odor. So the hand will open involuntarily. Some believe that the yellow-bellied lizard is poisonous. This is wrong. It kills its prey in a completely different way.

Delicious dishes

First, let's figure out what serves as food for this reptile. She eats insects invertebrate molluscs, small vertebrates. If he manages to get it, he does not disdain bird eggs. In times of hunger, it eats fruits. Interestingly, when meeting with a viper, the yellow belly will win. Its body is covered with hard scales, which prevents the snake from biting and injecting poison. And the jaws are so powerful that they allow the lizard to easily bite a viper in half. After this, the snake will be eaten. The yellow belly eats by biting off its prey one piece at a time, rather than swallowing it whole. Therefore, this process is long. The yellowtail can bite off the tail of its relatives, which it also eats.

Sad but useful

As is known, in these representatives of the fauna the tail grows back. The same thing happens with the yellowbell. It can shed its tail, which it then grows back.

So, how does the yellow-bellied lizard, a photo of which you will find in this article, cope with small rodents? Very simple. She grabs, for example, a mouse, clamps it in her jaws and begins to spin in place until the rodent loses consciousness. And then he begins his meal. Quite a cruel way. But you can't argue with nature. Moreover, the yellow belly is beneficial agriculture, destroying snails, slugs and small rodents that spoil the crop. For the same purposes, you can bring it to your personal plot.

Boy or girl

In the fall, the yellowtail hibernates. After awakening during the spring, the mating period begins. The genitals of the yellow-bellied lizard are not visible to the naked eye. Yes, and armed with a microscope, you won’t be able to see them. Therefore, it is impossible to distinguish a male from a female externally. In nature, they distinguish each other independently and do not need human help. And in research laboratories, specialists know how to do this by observing lizards and conducting research.

New individuals

In nature, lizards live 30-35 years. Puberty occurs as early as 4 years, when the reptile is about half a meter long. After fertilization, the female lays eggs. Usually no more than 6-10 pieces in one litter. The eggs are oval in shape and size 2-4 centimeters in transverse diameter. For 30-60 days, the female guards her cubs and the nest hidden in the foliage. Warmth is what is important for the development of small lizards. It is best if the temperature environment it will be about +30 degrees. As a result, cubs about 15 centimeters long are born. Yellowbellies can live in captivity. But they will reproduce only if the owner guesses the gender and puts a female and a male in the same terrarium. And it will be very difficult to guess.

Pets

But usually reptiles are kept not for the sake of reproduction, but to observe their life. Owners especially enjoy the feeding process. After all, you can give food to a yellow belly by hand. But do not forget that an untamed lizard will be afraid of you and throw liquid, odorous excrement at you. It will take some time for your pet to get used to it.

Prepare a flat, horizontal terrarium, the bottom of which is covered with sand interspersed with coarse gravel. Make shelters. After all, the yellow belly in nature hides from the heat and rain. It is necessary to install a lamp to maintain optimal temperature. The terrarium should have a feeder and a drinker. In captivity, lizards eat the same things as in nature: insects, rodents, eggs and fruits. You can also give small pieces of meat or chicken. The main thing is to monitor your pet’s health and not give him anything that will make him feel bad.

Our nature is full of miracles. Legless yellow-bellied lizard, Interesting Facts which you found in this article is one of them. We wish you to meet it in nature to see for yourself what an interesting creature it is.

The hero of this story about the Crimean fauna will be the yellow-bellied lizard. Have you heard of this? The yellowbell is a legless lizard that belongs to the order Squamate. The yellowbell belongs to the spindle family, genus - armored spindles.

The nature of Crimea is unique and inimitable. On this relatively small piece of earth, so many diverse “children” of Mother Nature live and grow! Everything is amazing here: flora, fauna, unusual landscapes, mysterious stories and beliefs local residents, attracting tourists from all over the world. The animals of Crimea deserve special mention.

What does a yellow-bellied lizard look like?

These reptiles are quite large in size. The body length of an adult yellowbell can reach 1.5 meters! Most The body is occupied by the tail. The animal has no neck at all; the head completely merges with the body. The muzzle has a narrowed shape at the end. The yellowbell is not a very flexible animal, because its entire body is covered with large scales that have a ribbed structure.

When the yellowtail grows, its skin turns brown and yellow, sometimes with spots, while young individuals have a more variegated color. The yellow-bellied belly is light-colored.

Where else, besides the Crimean Peninsula, does the yellow legless lizard live?

On European territory this reptile lives on Balkan Peninsula. But in Malaya and Central Asia- This is a very common animal. In addition, the yellow belly lives in the Middle East. In our country, this lizard inhabits Crimea, Dagestan, Kalmykia and Stavropol.

Lifestyle and behavior of the yellowbell in nature

This representative of the squamate order prefers open areas, so it can be found in semi-deserts, on mountain slopes, in the steppe, in vineyards and woodlands. The yellow belly also loves to live in fields. In mountainous areas it climbs to a height of 2300 meters above sea level.

Active life activities take place during daylight hours. This animal does not really gravitate towards damp and hidden places from the sun; on the contrary, most often it crawls out into the sun and spends time basking in dry, open clearings. But if the day is too hot, the yellowbell may hide in a thicket of bushes or a pile of stones.

However, the yellowbell still requires water, but for this it uses shallow waters. Having climbed into the water, he can sit in it for a long time, despite the fact that he hardly knows how to swim.

The lack of flexibility of the body does not prevent this amphibian from crawling at an impressive speed. During the day, a yellow belly can crawl in different directions across an area with a radius of 200 meters.

What is included in the diet of yellow Crimean lizards?

Yellowbellies feed mainly on mollusks. They love snails very much. And also on the “dining table” of this legless lizard There are insects (various beetles), mice, toads, lizards, snakes, small chicks and even bird eggs. The yellow belly does not disdain carrion.

In addition to animal food, the legless lizard also includes some plants in its “menu”. She loves to eat apricots, grapes and other fruit crops.

Reproduction of yellow-bellied lizards

The female lays eggs. Typically, the masonry consists of 6 - 10 large eggs, which are covered with a white shell with an elastic structure. The size of one yellowbell egg is approximately 3 x 2 centimeters. Sometimes the female legless lizard very carefully guards her future cubs. To do this, she wraps herself around the clutch and “hatches” the eggs. After 6 weeks, little yellow-bellies are born; they are very tiny - no more than 10 centimeters in length.

What are the natural enemies of legless lizards?

Sometimes these animals become prey

Find corners of solitude with nature in spacious city parks. The resort's many green streets offer unique ecological systems, in which many animals and birds live. Moreover, there are truly unique individuals that live only in the south of our country. Sometimes it is useful and informative to look around and especially at your feet. On the hot days of summer, the nature of Anapa is ready to give you a meeting with many lizards that have settled in dense thickets Children's park and warm blocks of the high shore of the pebble beaches of Utrish and Sukko. I wanted to highlight the most big lizard Anapa - yellow-bellied or armored spindle. Despite the lack of paws and external resemblance to a snake, the yellow-bellied lizard is a real and purebred lizard.

Appearance

Masquerading as dangerous snake lizard, co funny name yellow-bellied, can grow up to one and a half meters. An ordinary individual that can be found in Anapa reaches a size of 50-70 centimeters. The body does not have the legs typical of lizards; nature denied the yellow-bellied such luxury, leaving only small tubercles near the anus. The body begins with a large tetrahedral muzzle with a pointed nose. The head has strong jaws with blunted teeth. The body, consisting of hard scales, is slightly compressed from the sides and ends long tail. The abdominal and dorsal regions, closing, form a fold that runs along the yellow-bellied body. The transition from the body to the tail is almost invisible. Due to the bone armor in which the string is encased, the body is elastic and dense; this structure prevents the lizard from twisting into rings like a snake.

The body color of an adult yellow belly has an olive or dark yellowish tint, the abdominal part is slightly lighter. The young are very different from their parents because of the black stripes that cover their entire body.

How to distinguish a yellowbell from a snake

If, while walking through secluded areas, you suddenly come across a snake-like creature, do not panic, maybe it is a harmless yellow-bellied lizard. The main signs by which you can distinguish our hero are eyes that have eyelids. Take a closer look, maybe an imaginary snake winks at you or blinks slowly, then this is a yellow-bellied snake. Also, snakes do not have a pronounced longitudinal fold or auditory openings on the sides of the head. Our yellow belly will not be able to curl up in a ring; the strong parts of the shell will not allow it.

Habits

Zheltopuzik, like all lizards of Anapa, flows into hibernation. After a long sleep, around April, the breeding season begins. Small lizards emerge from small eggs, which the female protects. Caring for eggs is one of the unique features of light-bellied lizards.
The yellowtail feeds on insects, slugs, large grape snails, sometimes attack small rodents. Due to its destruction of pests of fields and vineyards, the yellow-bellied lizard is considered a useful lizard for humans, which people urge to protect.

There are times when the yellow belly declares a hunt for small rodents. The yellowtail, like a snake, cannot swallow its food whole. The caught victim must be held firmly with your teeth. Then the lizard quickly spins in a circle, when the prey loses consciousness, the yellow belly begins to pinch off tidbits and swallow.
Although the yellow-bellied lizard is a lizard, it does not have the ability to throw off its tail.

Where to see in Anapa

The armored spindle avoids human eyes and, when meeting a person, tries to quickly disappear from view. In the hands, the yellow belly begins to twist and make frightening sounds. If all preventive methods have failed, the offender must be doused with excrement that has a pungent odor. Despite its strong jaws, the yellow belly does not bite humans and is absolutely safe. Meet in Anapa amazing lizard possible in secluded places in the Children's Park and on the rocky slopes of Bald Mountain.

Taxonomic affiliation: Class - Reptiles (Reptilia), series - Lizards (Sauria), family - Godwits (Anguidae). The only representative of the genus. The species includes 2 subspecies; P. a. lives in Ukraine. apodus (Pallas, 1775). Previously, the species was assigned to the genus Ophisaurus Daudin, 1803.

Conservation status: Vanishing.

Range of the species and its distribution in Ukraine: From the Balkan Peninsula to the south. Kazakhstan and Iran. In Ukraine, it lives only in Crimea, where it inhabits the lowlands of the west. parts of the Crimean Mountains (the southern coast of Crimea and the northern macroslope of the mountains to the Alma River valley up to an altitude of 500-700 m above sea level), the village. and east coast of the Kerch Peninsula. It was also observed in the extreme west of the Tarkhankut Peninsula.

Number and reasons for its change In the south-west parts of the Mountain Crimea and in the Kerch Azov region, the yellowbell still retains a high number (in some places up to 7-15 individuals per 1 km of route), but usually the population density does not exceed 0.2-0.5 individuals/km. Mediterranean relic near the village. range boundaries, is especially vulnerable due to the late onset of sexual maturity and low survival rate of young animals.

Reasons for the change in numbers: Destruction of biotopes (especially with continuous development), destruction by humans, mass death on highways.

Features of biology and scientific significance: Active from late February - late March until September-November. In dry years, summer hibernation is possible. Storage areas are voids under stones and roots of bushes, rodent holes. It feeds on large insects (Coleoptera, Orthoptera), mollusks, crustaceans, centipedes, and less often small vertebrates. Mating occurs in April-May. The only clutch of 4-10 eggs occurs in June-July. The young appear in September-October. Has great scientific significance.

Morphological characteristics: A very large legless lizard with a snake-like body. The length of the body is up to 82 cm, but usually less than 48 cm. The tail is on average 1.6 times longer than the body. On the sides of the body there is a deep leather bundle, near the cloacal opening there are rudiments of the hind limbs. The color of the upper body is olive or reddish-brown, the belly is yellowish-gray. Fingerlings are light gray in color with transverse brown stripes.

Population conservation regime and protection measures:: The species is under special protection of the convention (Appendix II). Protected in the Yalta Mountain-Forest Nature Reserve, “Cape Martyan”, Krymsky and Kazantipsky. It is recommended to relocate lizards from declining urban populations to the nearest protected areas, strengthening the protection of the Karalar steppe, reintroducing the species into the Karadag and Opuksky natural reserves and outreach work with the population.

Economic and commercial significance: The destruction of invertebrates harmful to humans can be beneficial. Illegally caught for sale, so it has a certain commercial value.