What do vipers eat at home? The viper is the most dangerous snake in our latitudes

Vipers cause fear and panic in many people, but they are still very beautiful animals with interesting external characteristics and habits. You can verify this by the example of the common viper, which is often called brown, gray, forest and rattling, Siberian.

Description and characteristics of the common viper

If little is known about some species of reptiles, then who is common viper Any herpetologist probably knows this. General information about it can be found in many sources, but it is likely that not all aspects of its life have been thoroughly studied. Let's learn more about this type of poisonous snake.

What does it look like

The common viper belongs to the viper family, but has its own individual characteristics. They are inherent in both the animal’s habits and its appearance:

1. Body length- no more than 65 cm, but specimens up to 90 cm long have been seen on the Scandinavian Peninsula (females are always larger than males).
2. Weight- on average about 200 g, but there are individuals weighing 1 kg.
3. Head- flattened, and separated from the rest by a short neck, the muzzle is rounded, and in the upper part three large thyroid regions are clearly visible: the frontal and two parietal (sometimes another one develops between them). The nostrils are located at the bottom of the nasal shield, and above the eyes there are overhanging supraorbital shields, which make the snake appear angry.
4. Torso- in its middle part it is covered with 21 scales, while the number of abdominal growths varies between 132-158 pieces (a male from a female can also be distinguished by this feature, because males always have fewer scales). In the caudal zone there are 32-46 pairs of scales in males and 23-38 in females.
5. Color- changeable. The main background is gray, light brown, brown or reddish with a copper tint. Along the ridge, the main background is complemented by a zigzag pattern. The belly may be grey, grey-brown or completely black, in rare cases with white spots. The overall appearance is complemented by a yellow, orange or red tail. In some regions where common vipers live, 50% are black varieties, the so-called melanistic vipers.

When studying information about the viper, it would be useful to find out whether it swims in water and whether it can bite in an aquatic environment. Representatives of the described species are good swimmers, which allows them to catch frogs and small fish. They usually do not attack first, but if a person catches a snake, then it is unlikely that they will be able to avoid the bite.

Did you know? The name “viper” comes from the word “gad,” which our ancestors meant “disgusting animal.”

Where are they found?

Meet the common viper in wildlife, is possible on the territory of European and Asian countries, but basically it lives only in places with reduced temperatures (it often settles in mountainous areas, at an altitude of up to 2.6 km above sea level). It makes its home in bushes, oak trees, birch groves and near swampy forest areas.
Life expectancy in their natural habitat is 10-15 years, but many individuals do not live up to 10(This is especially true for females, who often give birth). It is difficult to say exactly how long ordinary vipers live at home, because much depends on the conditions of their keeping and proper nutrition.

What do they eat?

The main components of the diet of the described predator are:

• small and medium-sized rodents;
• amphibians;
• lizards;
• small birds whose nests are located on the ground.

The specific type of potential “food” for a viper depends on its habitat and the availability of food. For example, Netherland snakes prefer frogs, but will eat lizards. In other zones, common vipers eat mainly wood voles, shrews and spindles. Young animals eat smaller foods, which can diversify their diet even at an older age.
The menu consists of the following insects:

• bugs;
• locusts;
• butterfly caterpillars;
• ants;
• slugs;
• earthworms.

How do they reproduce?

The common viper is a viviparous snake, the mating season of which is in May (the birth of new individuals is towards the end of the summer season). However, whether offspring will appear or not depends on a number of factors, among which the first place is the age of the “future mother”. Unlike many other reptiles, this species of viper rarely survives after several years of active reproduction, but if you take into account the period before sexual maturity, the total life expectancy will average 5-7 years.

Young individuals emerge from eggs while still in the mother’s body, and fully formed and independent animals are born that do not require the mother’s help from the very first minutes after birth. Most of these snakes do not build nests, and their birthing process is very unusual. As soon as the female feels the approach of labor, she crawls onto a stump or tree trunk, wraps herself tightly around it, leaving only her tail hanging.
The baby snakes that appear fall to the ground and immediately crawl away. The longer the female, the more offspring she will give birth to, but on average she gives birth to 8-12 young individuals at a time.

Important! Before their first hibernation (usually occurs in October–November), young vipers stop looking for food in order to digest the food already in the body and prevent disruption of metabolic processes during sleep.

Where and how do they winter

Wintering of common vipers begins from the moment hibernation begins (October–November) and continues until mid-spring (the exact timing depends on the characteristics climate region residence). When settling down for the winter, the snake looks for the most suitable depression in the soil - usually someone's burrows or just cracks in the ground - and descends to a depth of about two meters. At this distance from the surface of the earth, the temperature remains within +2...+4 °C all winter, which is perfect for these reptiles.
If there are few suitable places, then one hole can accommodate several vipers, which, with the arrival of spring, will crawl out and crawl in different directions.

Natural enemies

The biggest enemy of the common viper is man, who constantly cuts down forests and changes the landscape, thereby leaving the animal without shelter. Besides, in European countries These snakes are caught and resold to private terrariums, and in Romania poison is also extracted from them. However, people are not the only danger to vipers; in the forest itself there are enough people who can harm them.

Among animals, the main enemy is the hedgehog, which has good immunity to snake venom. When attacking, it bites its victim and immediately curls up into a ball, pointing its needles. This continues until she weakens and dies. The external attractiveness of a hedgehog is very deceptive, because it is one of the most active predators who happily eats snakes.
Other natural enemies of the common viper include:

• foxes;
• badgers;
• ferrets;
• eagles;
• sometimes storks.

Any of them is capable of turning a dangerous reptile from a hunter into prey.

Did you know? According to rough estimates, it takes 70 milliseconds for a gray viper to bite and jump back to its original place. It is unlikely that anyone will have time to sense the danger in such a time.

What you need to know about a viper bite

If we are talking about an ordinary viper, there is no doubt about the poisonousness of the snake. However, what happens after its bite depends on the reaction speed of the victim and his environment. For a healthy adult, the venom of this snake is rarely fatal, but if the animal bites a child, it is better to quickly take him to the hospital to definitely exclude the possibility of death.

Bite symptoms

Is it possible to die from snake bite and whether the venom of a particular viper is fatal are undoubtedly important questions, but, in addition to this, there are a number of other symptoms that, although they cannot kill, appear to humans unpleasant consequences snake attacks. In the case of an ordinary variety of vipers, it is first worth highlighting:

• throbbing pain in the bite area;
• redness and swelling around the wound;
• intoxication of the body, accompanied by dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive sweating and tachycardia;
• increase in body temperature.

If the body is hypersensitive to poison, loss of consciousness, swelling of the face, decreased blood pressure and excessive bleeding, sometimes occurring with the development of kidney failure, seizures, or coma.

Important! In rare cases, these symptoms can persist for up to a year, but this only happens with self-treatment.

First aid

Often people have no idea what to do if they are bitten by a snake, especially far from the city and emergency rooms. However, it is first aid that will help reduce the level of risk in each specific case.
Among the main recommendations are the following:

• try to calm down and apply a compression bandage (just do not tourniquet);
• reduce the load on the injured limb as much as possible, even to the point of immobilizing it;
• make sure you drink plenty of fluids;
• If possible, suck out the poison from the wound, after rinsing your mouth well (this will help reduce the likelihood of bacterial flora entering the body).

At the same time, even knowing the rules of first aid for a snake bite, you should not provoke such situations. When going on an excursion into the forest thickets, you must take a first aid kit with you and invite an experienced guide.

What is strictly forbidden to do

Knowledge of the rules first aid after a viper bite will significantly shorten the rehabilitation period for the victim, but this is only if all actions are performed correctly. Along with the list of necessary manipulations, there is also a list of undesirable ones, among which it is worth highlighting:

• a transverse section of the bite site to extract the poison;
• cauterization of the wound;
• applying a pressure tourniquet;
• covering with snow.

Consequences of a viper bite All this has long proven to be ineffective, and in some cases such actions can only complicate the situation.

Medical treatment

An antidote for the bite of a common viper should be available at any paramedic station located in its habitat area. It is to such institutions that the victim must be taken, where the doctor will give the appropriate vaccine. The most popular antidote on the territory of the Russian Federation, in this case, is a drug with the eloquent name “Anti-viper”, the analogue of which in Ukraine is “Serum against the venom of the common viper, horse, purified, concentrated, liquid.”

The antibodies present in its composition neutralize toxins, but maximum effectiveness can be achieved only after a few hours. Until the victim’s condition improves, he is left in the hospital, providing symptomatic treatment.
First of all, this:

• organization of a plentiful drinking regime to quickly remove toxins along with urine;
• the use of antihistamines (for example, Suprastin, Diphenhydramine, Tavegil), in a dosage of 1-2 tablets, regardless of the age of the victim (in some cases, drugs are given before the antidote is administered);
• use of an antipyretic drug (for example, Aspirin);
• using a 0.5% Novocaine solution, which is used to inject the bite area;
• pain relief using any available composition, but only non-narcotic effects;
• prescribing "Dopamine", "Heptamil" or other similar drugs intended to normalize blood pressure when it sharply decreases;
• course of antibiotics.

You can take all this (except the vaccine) with you, because a traveling first aid kit can be useful in other unforeseen cases.

Did you know? Most snakes have well-developed infrared vision, but in order for them to “see” their prey, its temperature must be at least +28 °C.

Prevention

Even if the venom of a common viper does not kill you, the bite is not pleasant, so it is better to prevent it than to deal with the consequences.
The main preventive measures in this case include:

• using high rubber shoes when hiking in the forest;
• a thorough inspection of the place chosen for rest (it is likely that there is a snake coiled somewhere under a stone);
• maintaining calm when meeting a reptile (without unnecessary screams and hysterics, just step aside);
• constant supervision of children (do not allow children to climb bushes and trees);
• if the animal is preparing for an attack and demonstrates this with its appearance, you can retreat only by backing away, without turning your back to the predator and without putting your hands forward.

To eliminate the possibility of an attack on your territory, promptly destroy rodents, since they are the ones that attract vipers.

Features of some types of viper

In addition to the common viper, there are many other types of real vipers in nature: poisonous and not so poisonous. Some are found in Russia and nearby countries, and when faced with them, it is advisable to understand who exactly you are dealing with.

Nikolsky

Like the snake described above, Nikolsky’s viper is often found in certain regions of the Russian Federation and Ukraine (mainly in the direction Kanev - Kursk - Tambov - Buzuluk, although representatives of the species often penetrate into the steppe areas of the Samara and Saratov regions, into the Southern and Middle Urals).
The average individual of this species reaches a length of 76.5 cm, with a tail length of 8 cm (females are always larger than males). Young snakes are colored Brown color and have a dark zigzag pattern on the back, which becomes even darker as they approach three years of age.

Nikolsky's viper is poisonous, but the poison is not fatal and does not pose a serious danger to a healthy person (it is completely neutralized by ordinary serum).

Kaznakova’s viper, or as it is also called “Caucasian”, is also a representative of the genus of real vipers, and received its name in honor of the director of the Caucasus Museum A.N. Kaznakova. It is distinguished from the steppe by its bright color (mainly with red, orange and black tones), and it does not matter which population the individual in question is a representative of. This is not the largest snake, but it is difficult to confuse it with others. The body length of the reptile is 45-47 cm, the head is wide, slightly flattened on top with a clearly visible neck.
Habitat - the territory of Turkey, Georgia, Abkhazia and Russia, and on the lands of the latter it is found mainly in the foothills. Krasnodar region. Kaznakova's viper prefers to settle in alpine meadows and broad-leaved forests.

Did you know? Representatives of this species are included in the International Red List.

Melanistic (black)

The melanistic black viper is, in fact, the same ordinary viper, only with a completely black body. Even the iris of the snake’s eyes does not differ from its general color, although reddish-copper individuals are sometimes found. The body length does not exceed 75 cm, the head is more oval than triangular, slightly flattened in the upper part.
Adults are always completely black, while juveniles are gray-brown with a zigzag pattern on the back. The snake's habitat is the steppe regions of the European part of the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Snakes usually live in massifs and oak forests of broad-leaved regions.

A poisonous snake from the genus of African vipers. It grows up to 1.2 m in length, has a flat triangular head with 2-3 pointed scales at the end of the muzzle. It is because of them that the viper got its name. The body is thick and short, covered with a beautiful pattern: on the back there are double trapezoids of blue color, with a yellow border and joints in the form of black diamonds. Representatives of the species are usually found in the equatorial part of the African continent and, unlike previous species, are more dangerous to humans. The rhinoceros viper settles mainly in humid tropical forests, in swampy areas and on the banks of streams and lakes.

Levant

The viper viper (this is what representatives of this species are called) belongs to the genus of giant vipers, the Viper family. Together with the tail part, the length of its body reaches 2 m, with a mass of 3 kg. The head is large and wide, with an equally large muzzle. The upper part of the body is grayish-brown in color, but the pattern can vary: for example, relatively large dark brown spots on the back often turn into small spots on the sides. Habitat: desert, semi-desert and mountain-steppe zones of Africa, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan. It can be found in the Transcaucasus and in the southern part of Kazakhstan.

Stepnaya

A relatively large viper, growing on average up to 60 cm in length. The head is slightly elongated, with raised edges of the muzzle. The body is not very massive, brownish-gray in the upper part and light in the middle of the back. A black, zigzag pattern runs along the ridge, although in some cases it is divided into several separate spots. It feeds on small vertebrates and insects.

It lives mainly in European and Asian territory, but is found in some regions of Russia and Ukraine. Feels equally good both on flat terrain and in mountainous areas.

A characteristic feature of representatives of this species is the unusual structure of scales on the body, which is why it appears bristly. Males are larger than females and grow up to 73 cm in length, while the length of females does not exceed 58 cm. Body color can be completely different: from red and black, to yellow-green and orange-blue. It is found in Central Africa, mainly in the provinces of Congo and Kenya.

Desert

Another big one and enough poisonous viper, found mostly on the semi-arid rocky mountains of southern Morocco, Libya, Algeria and Tunisia (sometimes called sandy or "Sakhalin"). Representatives of this species reach 1.3-1.6 m in length and are distinguished by a grayish-cream body color. On most of the body, gray-brown spots are clearly visible, forming a zigzag pattern.
The so-called Sakhalin viper (distinguished by its smaller body size, but outwardly very similar to the desert one) is found in mountain and lowland coniferous-small-leaved forests of some regions of the Russian Federation.

Did you know?Snakes are distinguished by a high level of vitality, which has very interesting evidence in history. So, in 1846, two desert vipers, which at that time were considered dead, were exhibited at the British Museum. However, after museum workers lowered one of them into warm water, she began to move and eat again (there is still no rational explanation for this fact).

Asia Minor

Belongs to the group of medium-sized vipers, with a body length of 60-75 cm. In the upper part, the color is gray with a brown tint, and along the ridge there is a row of yellow-orange or brown spots, often merging into one zigzag line. There are two very noticeable dark stripes on the back of the head, and small blackish spots can be seen on the belly. A species of Asia Minor viper is the Radde viper.
Habitat: European territory of Greece and Turkey, Armenia, certain mountainous regions of Azerbaijan.

The genus of African vipers has many species, representatives of which reach a length from several tens of centimeters to two meters or even more. One of the popular and numerous species is the dwarf African viper, with a body length of no more than 32 cm. They have a thick body, gray or reddish-yellow color, with several longitudinal rows of dark spots. The tip of the tail is traditionally black. It is found mainly in Southern and Southeast Africa, in desert regions with little vegetation.

Ruzelya

The Ruzel's viper (also known as the Russell's snake, the chain viper and the daboya) is the most famous venomous reptile in South Asia and India, where the snake is one of the four most poisonous. Maximum length the body length of the Russell's viper is 166 cm, although in the mainland part of its range these figures do not exceed 120 cm.

An arrow-like pattern with a straight white border is clearly visible on the head, and on the gray-brown body there are dark brown spots with a white border (sometimes they are connected to each other).

Woody

African tree vipers are a genus of venomous snakes found in tropical regions of the African continent. Representatives different types(for example, rough or green vipers) do not grow more than 75 cm in length, and their color can vary from deep green to yellow-red or even blue. Almost all of them choose moist forests to live.

How to get rid of vipers in the country

The experience of experienced summer residents confirms the possibility of encountering a viper on their site. Snakes crawl not only into the most remote places, but also at home, so the issue of quickly eliminating them often comes first. To distract them from your home, you can take the following measures:

• mow tall vegetation;
• remove large stones, lumber and other debris that can serve as shelter for reptiles;
• eliminate small rodents and eliminate their burrows, which also attract snakes;
• surround the area with a fence dug into the soil 5 cm and with cells no larger than 5 cm.

Among the folk methods of fighting reptiles, the following are especially valuable:

• spreading mustard (1 kg is enough for 10 acres);
• planting garlic in different corners of the site;
• burning car tires(the smell will scare away vipers);
• scattering mothballs, saltpeter, ammophoska, garden herbicide (you can soak rags in them and scatter them in the garden and around the house);
• hanging rattles, Chinese bells and other items that make noise in the wind in the garden (snakes love peace and quiet, and this will disturb it).

Video: How to get rid of snakes on your property Using all these methods, most likely, you will not have to think about how to kill the vipers, but if they still gather en masse on your territory, then you will have to call in the professionals. There are services that specialize in catching snakes and removing them far from private property. In addition, they know how to properly eliminate the reason for their constant return (for example, poisoning rodents). When going into the forest or being on private property, do not forget to follow safety rules. Even when meeting a dangerous animal, an attack can be avoided if you know exactly who you are dealing with and what the behavioral characteristics of a particular viper are.

In the spring, around mid-April (if spring is early, at the end of March), when the snow has not yet melted everywhere in the forest, waking up from hibernation, male vipers are the first to crawl out of the ground. They are grayish, with dark zigzags along the back. Females are brown-brown in color, with the same pattern on the back. There are also black vipers (usually females) and reddish-brown ones without a zigzag stripe.

So, the males have crawled out and are crawling to sunny places, to the southern slopes of hills, to dry edges and clearings. Here they bask in the sun for a week or two. (Vipers only in winter shelters, where they go at the end of September - October, gather in a group, sometimes in dozens and even hundreds, and at other times they do not tolerate the close presence of their own kind.)

Then the females appear. The males find them by their scent and, while courting them, quarrel among themselves. And quarrels, especially those dictated by jealousy, lead, as we know, to serious conflicts- duels, fights, wars. For poisonous snakes, all the latter options are excluded, except the first. But duels must also be conducted in compliance with the rules that exclude biting, with non-dangerous, so to speak, techniques (Akimushkin, 1974).

Figure 7 - Mating dance of the common viper

Vipers have approximately the same dueling ritual, war dance, as rattlesnakes. Previously they thought it was love games male and female. It turned out not: male fighting (Figure 6). They raise their heads in front of each other, swing them in a certain rhythm, intertwine their necks in a power struggle, trying to pin the enemy to the ground, turn them belly up. Bites are almost never inflicted (Akimushkin, 1974).

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. 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 an independent life

The number of eggs in the female’s oviduct ranges from 5 to 20, depending on the size of the snake and the conditions of the year. However, up to 20% of the eggs sometimes dissolve (resorb), so that one female often brings 8-12 cubs. As recent research has shown, in the walls of the oviducts of the female viper there are many folds, the epithelium of which is very rich in capillary blood vessels. The outer membranes of developing eggs (chorioallantois) are also rich in blood vessels, and gas and water exchange occurs through the thin membranes between the chorioallantois of the egg and the walls of the oviduct. Consequently, in the common viper something like a placenta is formed, and the development of the embryos occurs not only through the yolk of the egg, but also through the circulatory system of the female.

The period of egg development lasts about 3 months, and young ones are born from the second half of July to early September, mass births of young ones occur in August. In the northern and central parts of the range, females give birth every other year; in the south of the range they breed annually.

The young are born 16.5 cm long. After a few hours or a few days they molt. Until the first moult, they stay close to the place of birth, but when you try to pick them up, they hiss and bite; their bites are poisonous. After the first moult, the vipers crawl away and begin to look for insects, but they can survive without food for several weeks, subsisting on spare parts. nutrients, obtained while still in the egg.

Molting of the young subsequently occurs once or twice a month, depending on the condition of the snake. Signs of shedding in the form of fading color and clouding of the eyes appear about a week before the start. The speed of molting is determined by the state of the body - healthy and strong snakes shed quickly, in just one and a half to two hours, while weak and sick snakes shed up to two weeks. During molting, snakes hide in their shelters, do not feed and are inactive (Bannikov, 1985).

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 metabolic problems

The color of the viper can vary, but the black form is most common. Gray coloration with a zigzag pattern along the back is less common and is more typical of young snakes. The female viper lays up to 14 eggs in August, from which young individuals immediately emerge. The length of newborns is 17-19 cm. The length of adult snakes is 80-90 cm.

The common viper preys on various vertebrates: small rodents, shrews, lizards, frogs, and even chicks of birds nesting on the ground. Before swallowing it whole, it kills its prey with poison. Vipers have a complex venom-dental apparatus. Their poisonous fangs are large and can only be placed in a closed mouth when lying down. Venom glands are modified salivary glands. The poison flows into the victim's wound through hollow teeth resembling a syringe. Cases of viper bites to humans are relatively rare and are more often associated with careless behavior of people. Therefore, when picking mushrooms, berries, and haymaking in places where there are vipers, you need to be careful and attentive. Snakes themselves are the first to not attack and bite only during defense. Snakes do not have good hearing, but they have a tactile sense and therefore hide before they are noticed.

If you are bitten by a snake, you must:

Suck out the poison from the wound, this must be done within the first 20 minutes;

treat the skin around the wound with alcohol, iodine or brilliant green;

Ensure rest of the affected limb;

Drink more liquid (preferably tea or coffee);

It is acceptable to take medications that support cardiac activity;

Take the victim to a hospital as quickly as possible medical institution to be examined by a doctor, where an antidote will be administered if necessary.

Tugging at the bitten area, incisions and cauterization are not recommended; they not only do not help, but are also harmful. Fatal cases are very rare and after a bite, in most cases everything ends safely. The viper is used to obtain medicines. In serpentariums - special nurseries for keeping snakes - pharmacological specialists “handle” the poison and produce serum against the bites of especially dangerous poisonous snakes - viper, cobra, epha.

Steppe viper

The steppe viper is in many ways similar to the common viper, but somewhat smaller in size and also lives in the forest-steppe zone. The color of the body-steppe viper is lighter, it is dominated by gray-brown and brown tones, with a zigzag black stripe along the back. The habitats of this snake are the slopes and valleys of steppe rivers, forest groves among fields. Snakes feed on small rodents, lizards, large insects(Locusts).

A symbol of wisdom in the legends and tales of various cultures, the snake traditionally represents both a sophisticated mind and excellent insight, as well as speed of reaction with great destructive power. The lifestyle and habits of the most common venomous snake in central Russia - the common viper - confirm the established image of this reptile.

Common viper: what is it?

Let's start getting acquainted with this very unusual snake with its description. What does a viper look like? This is a reptile, reaching a length of 0.7-1 m. Males, as a rule, are smaller than females. The viper's head is quite elegant, rounded-triangular with clearly defined scutes - two parietal and one frontal. The nasal opening is located in the center of the anterior shield. The pupil is vertical. The teeth are movable tubular, located in front of the upper jaw. The clear delineation of the head and neck adds grace to this graceful and dangerous creature.

Snake coloring

Nature did not skimp on colors when painting the viper. The many shades of color of the snake are amazing: the gray or sandy-brown back of almost every individual is dotted with intricate patterns of various tones - from light blue, greenish, pink and lilac to terracotta, ashen and dark brown. Define dominant color impossible, since there are as many color options for the viper as there are individuals. But the distinctive feature of this species is a zigzag or even stripe stretching along the entire back. Usually it is darker, but there are exceptions. Sometimes there are snakes with light stripes
on a dark background. One way or another, this element is a kind of calling card of the animal, warning that it belongs to a very dangerous looking- common viper.

There is an interesting pattern: males are purple, gray or bluish-blue cold in color. Females, on the contrary, are much more brightly colored; they have red, yellow, greenish-brown and delicate sand tones in their arsenal. True, black can be worn by both sexes. Moreover, they can be absolutely the same color, without any identifying stripes. However, you can still distinguish them by looking closely: males have small white spots on their upper lip, and the bottom of the tail is also lightened. Females have red, pink and white speckles on the lips and throat, and the lower part of the tail is bright yellow.

Diversity color range The color of snakes is amazing, and the more surprising is the fact that viper cubs are born completely brown-brown in color with a terracotta zigzag along the back, and changes in the skin begin no earlier than after 5-7 molts, i.e. almost a year after appearance to the light.

Snakes and vipers: similarities

Scientific research from past years shows that the main difference between these two species is their habitat. Snakes have always lived next to humans, without fear of such proximity. Vipers never sought to communicate with people. Moreover, if people settled near the habitats of snakes, the outcome for these animals was natural. Currently, due to changes natural conditions and man-made disasters, a lot has changed. For example, massive fires drive vipers out of their usual places. Incidents of snakes in gardening communities located near burnt forests have increased significantly. Of course, the appearance of reptiles in crowded places cannot be explained by a change in the snake worldview. Often they simply have nowhere to go, and the differences between snakes and vipers become similarities imposed by circumstances.

Snakes and vipers: differences

There are external differences between these species. The most important thing is that the grass snake has orange-yellow spots on the sides of its head. The coloring also varies - snakes do not have a zigzag pattern on the back. Its body is more elongated from head to tail, by the way, quite long. The viper's tail is short and sharply tapering.

They differ in the shape of their heads and eye pupils. The viper's head is covered with small scutes; the snake's are large. The pupils of the viper are vertical, characteristic of the leader night look life of a reptile. Already is a lover of daytime vigils, and his pupils are round. A person who knows what a viper looks like will have no difficulty distinguishing these animals.

Lifestyle of snakes

Being predominantly nocturnal, snakes can be active during the day. They can calmly bask in the sun, choosing stones, large hummocks, and smooth clearings. Night is hunting time. The gray viper (common) is an excellent hunter. Quick reaction, accuracy and surprise of the attack leave no chance for mice and frogs that come into her field of vision.

These reptiles mate between mid-May and early June. Being ovoviviparous, vipers bear offspring until mid-to-late August. The cubs are born as poisonous little snakes up to 15-18 cm long.

Behavior and habits

Immediately after birth, the babies are freed from the egg shell and crawl away. The growth of young vipers is accompanied by constant molting. Having made the transition to independent life, they feed on various insects, and as they grow older they begin to hunt small birds, field mice, lizards, toads and frogs. In turn, the young become victims of large birds of prey and animals. But after 2-3 years, the cubs look the same as a viper looks, i.e., a fully grown individual.

Snakes spend the winter in the soil, burrowing to a depth below the freezing layer. They climb into the holes of moles and voles, grooves from tree roots, deep crevices in rocks and other suitable shelters. Clumps of small groups in one place are often observed. This is how they wait out the cold. Enough harsh winters cause numbness in snakes, which lasts up to six months. The lifespan of vipers is about 10-15 years.

Steppe viper

Living in Southern Europe, the steppe viper is a resident of lowland and mountain steppes and is found in Greece, Italy, France and many other European countries, as well as in Altai, Kazakhstan and the Caucasus. This amazing snake can climb mountains to a height of up to 2.5 thousand meters above sea level. What does a steppe viper look like?

She represents a large snake up to 0.7 m long. It is distinguished by a slightly elongated head and slightly raised edges of the muzzle. The back of the viper is colored in brown-gray tones, with a light transition to the middle, decorated with a black or brown zigzag stripe along the ridge, sometimes divided into spots. The sides of the body are decorated with a number of vague dark spots, and the upper part of the head is decorated with a black pattern. The abdomen is gray, with light spots. The maximum distribution density of the viper is observed on the steppe plains (up to 6-7 individuals per hectare).

Reproduction

Plains vipers are most active from late March - early April until October. Mating time is April-May. The gestation period is 3-4 months. The female lays from 4 to 24 eggs, from which babies appear in July-August, 10-12 cm long and weighing 3.5 g each. Having reached a body length of 28-30 cm (usually three years after birth), the cubs become sexually mature. Slow on land, the snake is an excellent swimmer and can climb low bushes and trees with amazing speed. Being an excellent hunter, the steppe viper tracks down birds, mice, and does not disdain lizards, grasshoppers and locusts.

In the recent past, the steppe viper was used to obtain snake venom, but barbaric extermination led to a sharp reduction in its numbers, which stopped this fishery. Today, in all European countries, this species is protected as an endangered species under the Berne Convention.

Marsh viper

Russell's viper, chained, or swamp viper is considered the most dangerous of the entire family. This species is found in vast areas of the Central and South-East Asia. Average length This snake is 1.2 m, but occasionally there are individuals whose dimensions exceed one and a half meters.

The head has a somewhat flattened triangular shape. Big eyes dotted with golden veins. Large fangs, reaching 1.6 cm, are a serious threat and excellent protection for the reptile. The back is rough, covered with scales, the belly is smooth.

The body color of the marsh viper is dominated by gray-brown or dirty yellow tones. The back and sides are decorated with rich dark brown spots surrounded by a black ring with a bright yellow or white outer rim. There can be up to 25-30 such elements on the back, increasing as the snake grows. The number of spots on the sides may vary, sometimes they merge into a solid line. There are also dark V-shaped streaks on the sides of the head.

Behavior, nutrition and reproduction of marsh vipers

Ovoviviparous Russell's vipers mate early in the year. Duration
gestation period is 6.5 months. The appearance of cubs, as a rule, occurs in June-July. In one litter there are up to 40 or more baby reptiles with a body length from 2 to 2.6 cm. Immediately after birth, the first moult occurs. Cubs reach sexual maturity at two to three years of age.

Being the most venomous snake found in the Asian region, the chain viper is a dangerous nocturnal predator. She crawls out to hunt as soon as the sun disappears below the horizon. The diet of the swamp viper does not differ from the menu of other representatives of the class and consists of rodents, frogs, birds, scorpions and lizards. For people, this snake poses a mortal danger.

Encounters with snakes

As already mentioned, the viper is a poisonous snake. You need to remember this when going into the forest. True, meeting a person is never part of this creature’s plans; as a rule, it tries to hide as soon as it hears a threatening noise. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to avoid unexpected contacts while walking in the forest, picking mushrooms and berries, in swamps, or while gardening.

Feeling a threat, the viper actively defends itself: it hisses, rushes forward threateningly and makes dangerous bite-throws. Remember: when meeting a snake, it is strictly forbidden to make sudden movements, so as not to provoke an attack by the reptile!

To avoid such an unpleasant encounter, extreme caution must be taken when walking around forest areas, where the viper can live. Every person needs to carefully study the photo of this representative of the animal world.

When visiting places of possible encounters with these reptiles, you must have the appropriate equipment. High rubber boots worn on woolen socks provide reliable protection from snake bites; tight trousers tucked into shoes. It’s good to have a long stick with you, which will help you both look for mushrooms and scare the snake. Most likely she will crawl away. Tapping with a stick while moving along the trail will also not be amiss. Vipers are deaf, but are able to perceive the slightest vibration in the ground. Only soft peat or fresh arable land prevents the snake from recognizing the approach of a person in time. Typically, snakebites are not an expression of aggression, but rather a reaction to unexpected or frightening disturbance.

Probably, folk tales and legends telling about such an amazing creature as the viper (descriptions of some species are presented in the article) are absolutely right: natural wisdom and endurance help these reptiles survive.

The common viper is a type of poisonous snake that can often be found not only in the forest-steppe zone, but even in summer cottage, in a pond or on a porch own home. These reptiles belong to the viper family and are considered a type of snake from the genus true viper.

The common viper is not afraid of low temperatures, so this species of snake can often be found in the highlands and distant northern regions. Its habitats extend on the map from Western Europe to the Far East. The character of the common viper is very aggressive; it often attacks humans in defense of its territory or offspring.

Fact! The common viper is often confused with the common snake, which poses no danger to humans.

Appearance of a snake

This reptile has a medium body size. As a rule, the size of the common viper depends on its breeding sites. The largest representatives of this species live in the region of Northern Europe. In Scandinavian lands, these snakes can grow up to 1 meter. In northwestern Europe in England and northern France, these reptiles have a shorter body up to 80-85 cm. In other habitats, common vipers can have a body up to 55-60 cm in length. Typically, the female viper is slightly larger than the male of this species. The weight of this reptile can range from 50 to 100 grams. The largest individuals can reach up to 180 g.

The snake's head is large, flat in shape, its surface covered with small scales. There are plates on the head that serve to protect the eyes, crown and front of the snake's muzzle. The reptile's head is separated from the rest of the body by a barely noticeable neck. The viper has not very large eyes with supraocular scales; the vertical pupil is clearly visible. The appearance gives the viper a terrifying appearance. Females have significantly smaller eyes, while males have larger ones. A nasal plate or nasal opening can be seen on the muzzle. The upper jaw of the snake is very mobile, equipped with two large poisonous fangs and several small teeth. The body of the viper turns into a small tail with a blunt end that resembles the outline of a comma.

Mother nature generously endowed this species of snake with various colors and shades. In addition to the most typical gray body color in males and brown in females, other color shades of vipers are also found in the wild. The color of the body of reptiles can be dark brown, black, copper-red, silver, beige-yellow or olive-brown. The surface of the body of these snakes often has natural patterns in the form of stripes, spots and zigzag patterns. Less commonly, these reptiles have a solid color. However, against the background of a dark shade of the body, it is often impossible to see the zigzag pattern. Dark markings in the form of a natural ornament are visible on the upper part of the reptile’s head. On the sides of the head there are dark stripes that extend from the eyes to the corners of the snake's mouth.

Where does the common viper live?

These reptiles have spread quite widely throughout Eurasia. Representatives of this species can be found in North Korea, northeast China, Sakhalin Island, Spain or northern Portugal. On the territory of Russia, the snake is distributed throughout the middle zone: from the Arctic to the steppe strip in the south of the country.

Typically, these reptiles choose for breeding the outskirts of swampy places, hide in forest clearings, burnt areas overgrown with grass, live in clearings among mixed and coniferous forests, moss-covered places, on the banks of rivers and reservoirs. This species of snake has spread up to 3000 meters above sea level. As a rule, these vipers lead a sedentary lifestyle and do not like to move further than a hundred meters from their homes. Only during the search for wintering, with the beginning of migrations in the spring or autumn, these snakes can swim across rivers and crawl distances of up to five kilometers. Often the viper can be found in a forested area, in the basement of a country house or farmhouse, in abandoned buildings, in a vegetable garden, in rural areas.

Lifestyle and behavior

By nature, this reptile is sedentary, moves slowly, and has a calm character. You can call her a homebody. In summer, the snake loves to lie in the sun and spends the whole day in a secluded place away from prying eyes. Reptiles often look for warm place on heated stones, under stumps or fallen trees, in a rocky crevice among the rocks.

If you carefully observe this snake, you can note some characteristic features in the behavior of the reptile. If the snake lies and relaxes basking in the sun, then it spreads its ribs to the side, while the body takes on a flat shape with a wavy surface. However, if the reptile is on guard, then it becomes tense, the body is extended, and in appearance it resembles a tightly compressed lump in the form of a spiral. If an enemy is encountered on the reptile's path, the snake, with a quick movement like a spring, raises top part torso. To frighten the enemy, she inflates her body and hisses intimidatingly. This dense ball smoothly creeps towards the source of danger for self-defense.

To survive the winter, vipers find shelter in rodent burrows or crevices. They crawl underground to a depth of two meters. In such a shelter, during the wintering period the temperature can fluctuate from 3 to 4 degrees Celsius. Very often, several representatives of this family spend the winter in such burrows at once to keep each other warm. If early spring arrives and the snow melts, snakes may crawl to the surface to bask in the sun. If several dozen representatives of a species spend the winter in a burrow at once, then a large moving ball appears on the surface.

Most active life cycle for the viper it occurs from March to April. Males are the first to bask in the sun's rays from their winter shelter, and only when the air warms up above 24 °C do female vipers crawl out of their burrows. During winter sleep, up to 15% of adults and 40% of young individuals die in nature.

The lifespan of this snake in the wild under favorable conditions can reach from 12 to 15 years. At the same time, in a snake nursery and specialized terrariums, common vipers can live from 20 to 30 years. The longevity of snakes in such conditions is explained by the fact that the reptiles receive constant nutrition, they are protected from attacks by enemies, the microclimate and timely medical care from veterinarians are also favorable.

Enemies

Despite its poisonous nature, the viper has many potential enemies in the wild. The reptile can become dinner for hedgehogs, wild boars, owls, eagle and other birds of prey. If a reptile meets a person on the way, then he most often tries to kill the snake for self-defense.

Nutrition

These reptiles crawl out to hunt at nightfall. The diet of these snakes includes mice, frogs, and also feeds on lizards, newts, salamanders, hatched chicks and bird eggs. The menu of vipers depends on the territory of their habitat. Juveniles feed on worms, spiders and frogs. As they grow, after the viper’s body reaches 30 cm, young snakes switch to a more adult diet. With the onset of cold weather, these reptiles go into hibernation, which lasts from 150 to 180 days. But in the coldest northern latitudes Viper hibernation can last up to nine months.

Poisonousness of the common viper

It is believed that reptiles have virtually no hearing, so snakes do not leave their territory when a person appears. However, the entire body of the viper is very susceptible to various vibrations. If a person steps on soft, for example, peat soil, then the reptile feels the movement of the earth with its entire body. When a person gets in the way of a viper, it considers him an enemy and quickly attacks in self-defense. Its protective instincts are triggered, which explains the behavior of the snake during an attack on a person.

It is generally accepted that the viper is not able to bite through the thick fabric of jeans or shoes. However, people should still avoid the habitats of this poisonous snake. If a common viper nevertheless attacks a person, then its bite is not considered fatal. The bitten person soon recovers. However, the bite of this snake can be very painful and dangerous to health. After a bite, swelling appears on the surface of the wound, then acute anemia sets in, the patient becomes dizzy, has a headache, severe weakness and progressive shock. The blood inside the vessels begins to clot, changes occur in the body - in the tissues of the liver and kidneys. The victim must be taken to the hospital for medical care.

There are cases when victims of a snake bite cannot see a doctor in time for help, so experienced tourists recommend taking a special serum with them on such dangerous trips. To neutralize the viper’s venom, the patient should inject “Anti-viper” serum or its equivalent under the skin. The required therapeutic dose is 150 AE. Before injecting serum against viper venom subcutaneously, the victim needs to take 1 or 2 tablets of Prednisolone or any antihistamine, for example Suprastin or Tavegil. These medications will help the patient cope with allergic reaction in organism. If the victims do not have the “miraculous” serum with them, then it is necessary to put the patient to bed and constantly give him plenty of water to drink. It is prohibited to give alcohol in such cases. It is also not recommended to suck out the poison from the wound, because a person may have invisible injuries oral cavity. After this, you need to immediately call an ambulance.

Video: Common viper (Vipera berus)