Sandy efa. Sandy efa: what it looks like, where it is found, is the snake dangerous Effa snake

The sand ephas is one of the ten most poisonous snakes in the world. Its venom causes profuse bleeding at the site of the bite, as well as from the mucous membranes of the mouth, eyes and nose. Hemorrhage may also occur in internal organs. About 20% of victims die from its bite. If the antidote is administered in time, the person can still be saved.

Sandy epha (lat. Echis carinatus) (English: Saw-scaled Viper). Photo by Tim Vickers

Unlike their close relatives - common vipers, the sand epha has chosen as its habitat more arid and hotter places - the clayey deserts of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, the sandy expanses of North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and India. There are no particular problems with the choice of shelter - most often these are thickets of bushes, cracks or gullies in river cliffs, or rodent holes.

The sand epha is a small snake. The length of her body rarely exceeds 75 centimeters. The color is dim, but beautiful. There are light zigzag stripes along the sides of the body, and on the head there is a light spot, shaped like a flying bird. The color of the scales, depending on the habitat, can vary from light brown to gray.

Her entire body is covered with ribbed scales. Several rows of lateral scales directed downward serve the snake as “ musical instrument» to create a warning signal - a loud rustling sound, reminiscent of hissing.

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Characteristics This snake is also known for its way of moving and its ability to make loud warning sounds. On the sand they move not like all snakes - in waves, but sideways, with short throws of the body to the side. It looks something like this: first the snake lifts its head to the side, then pulls the back part of its body towards it, and only then the front. As a result of this trajectory of the body’s movement, traces of individual oblique strips with curved ends become clearly visible on the sand.

These are quite fast and agile snakes, which plays into their hands when hunting small rodents, small snakes, lizards and various amphibians. The young animals are not yet able to handle such a large animal and therefore have to be content with crunchy locusts, centipedes, scorpions and other similar living creatures found in these places.

Most of the year they hunt during the day and only in the summer - at night, when the stifling heat subsides and the scorching sun sets. Late autumn and in winter they hibernate, but sometimes they can come out to bask in the sun.

Photo by Jan Sevčík

The breeding season occurs at the end of February - beginning of March and lasts about a month. The cubs are born in July-August. Unlike many other snakes, the sand ephas is viviparous snake. The female brings from 3 to 16 baby snakes.

Subfamily: Viperaceae Genus: Ephas View: Sandy efa Latin name Echis carinatus (Schneider, 1801)

The only representative of the genus distributed in the territory of the former USSR - in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan the subspecies Central Asian efa is represented ( ), which is sometimes considered a separate species.

Description

A medium-sized snake, about 50-60 cm long (up to 75 cm). There is a zigzag light stripe along the side of the body. There are white spots on the back and head; the brightness of the spots varies among different subspecies.

The scales are small, ribbed, the dorsal scales have protruding ribs. Along the sides of the body there are several (4-5) rows of small, obliquely directed downward scales, equipped with jagged ribs. The subcaudal scutes are arranged in one longitudinal row.

It can move through very loose sand using the so-called lateral move, in which the snake first throws its head to the side, then moves the back part of the body sideways and forward, and then pulls up the front part of the body. With this method of movement, a trace remains, consisting of separate oblique strips with hooked ends.

Spreading

Inhabits loess and clayey deserts, bush thickets, and river cliffs.

Behavior

Synonyms

Subspecies

• Echis carinatus astolae (Mertens, )
• Echis carinatus carinatus (Schneider, )
• Echis carinatus multisquamatus (Cherlin, )
• Echis carinatus sinhaleyus (Deraniyagala, )
• Echis carinatus sochureki (Stemmler, )

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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 general edition acad. V. E. Sokolova. - M.: Rus. lang., 1988. - P. 362. - 10,500 copies. - ISBN 5-200-00232-X.
3. Daniels,J. C. (2002) The Book of Indian Reptiles and Amphibians, BNHS & Oxford University Press, Mumbai, pp 151-153. ISBN 0-19-566099-4 (English)
4. at the . (English) (Retrieved August 15, 2007)
5. on ZOOCLUB
6. Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers. Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar, Florida. 359 pp. ISBN 0-89464-877-2. (English)
7. at Munich Antivenom Index. (English) (Retrieved September 3, 2006)
8. McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists" League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume). (English)

Literature

• A. G. Bannikov, I. S. Darevsky, A. K. Rustamov, “Amphibians and reptiles of the USSR”, Mysl Publishing House, Moscow, 1971
• Bannikov A.G., Darevsky I.S., Ishchenko V.G., Rustamov A.K., Shcherbak N.N. Key to amphibians and reptiles of the fauna of the USSR. - M.: Education, 1977. - P. 329-330. - 415 s.

• Pavlovsky E. N. Poisonous animals of Central Asia and Iran. - Tashkent: State Publishing House of the UzSSR, 1942. - P. 27-29. - 117 p. - 3000 copies.

Links

• The Reptile Database:

An excerpt characterizing the Sandy Efa

Tushin now only, at the sight of the formidable authorities, imagined in all horror his guilt and shame in the fact that he, having remained alive, had lost two guns. He was so excited that until that moment he did not have time to think about it. The officers' laughter confused him even more. He stood in front of Bagration with a trembling lower jaw and barely said:
– I don’t know... Your Excellency... there were no people, Your Excellency.
– You could have taken it from cover!
Tushin did not say that there was no cover, although this was the absolute truth. He was afraid to let down another boss and silently, with fixed eyes, looked straight into Bagration’s face, like a confused student looks into the eyes of an examiner.
The silence was quite long. Prince Bagration, apparently not wanting to be strict, had nothing to say; the rest did not dare to intervene in the conversation. Prince Andrey looked at Tushin from under his brows, and his fingers moved nervously.
“Your Excellency,” Prince Andrei interrupted the silence with his sharp voice, “you deigned to send me to Captain Tushin’s battery.” I was there and found two thirds of the men and horses killed, two guns mangled, and no cover.
Prince Bagration and Tushin now looked equally stubbornly at Bolkonsky, who was speaking restrainedly and excitedly.
“And if, Your Excellency, allow me to express my opinion,” he continued, “then we owe the success of the day most of all to the action of this battery and the heroic fortitude of Captain Tushin and his company,” said Prince Andrei and, without waiting for an answer, he immediately stood up and walked away from the table.
Prince Bagration looked at Tushin and, apparently not wanting to show distrust of Bolkonsky’s harsh judgment and, at the same time, feeling unable to fully believe him, bowed his head and told Tushin that he could go. Prince Andrei followed him out.
“Thank you, I helped you out, my dear,” Tushin told him.
Prince Andrei looked at Tushin and, without saying anything, walked away from him. Prince Andrei was sad and hard. It was all so strange, so unlike what he had hoped for.

"Who are they? Why are they? What do they need? And when will all this end? thought Rostov, looking at the changing shadows in front of him. The pain in my arm became more and more excruciating. Sleep was falling irresistibly, red circles were jumping in my eyes, and the impression of these voices and these faces and the feeling of loneliness merged with a feeling of pain. It was they, these soldiers, wounded and unwounded, - it was they who pressed, and weighed down, and turned out the veins, and burned the meat in his broken arm and shoulder. To get rid of them, he closed his eyes.
He forgot himself for one minute, but in this short period of oblivion he saw countless objects in his dreams: he saw his mother and her big white hand, he saw Sonya’s thin shoulders, Natasha’s eyes and laughter, and Denisov with his voice and mustache, and Telyanin , and his whole story with Telyanin and Bogdanich. This whole story was one and the same thing: this soldier with a sharp voice, and this whole story and this soldier so painfully, relentlessly held, pressed and all pulled his hand in one direction. He tried to move away from them, but they did not let go of his shoulder, not even a hair, not even for a second. It wouldn’t hurt, it would be healthy if they didn’t pull on it; but it was impossible to get rid of them.
He opened his eyes and looked up. The black canopy of night hung an arshin above the light of the coals. In this light, particles of falling snow flew. Tushin did not return, the doctor did not come. He was alone, only some soldier was now sitting naked on the other side of the fire and warming his thin yellow body.
“Nobody needs me! - thought Rostov. - There is no one to help or feel sorry for. And I was once at home, strong, cheerful, loved.” “He sighed and involuntarily groaned with a sigh.
- Oh, what hurts? - asked the soldier, shaking his shirt over the fire, and, without waiting for an answer, he grunted and added: - You never know how many people have been spoiled in a day - passion!
Rostov did not listen to the soldier. He looked at the snowflakes fluttering over the fire and remembered the Russian winter with a warm, bright house, a fluffy fur coat, fast sleighs, healthy body and with all the love and care of the family. “And why did I come here!” he thought.
The next day, the French did not resume the attack, and the rest of Bagration’s detachment joined Kutuzov’s army.

Prince Vasily did not think about his plans. He even less thought of doing evil to people in order to gain benefit. He was only a secular man who had succeeded in the world and made a habit out of this success. He constantly, depending on the circumstances, depending on his rapprochement with people, drew up various plans and considerations, of which he himself was not well aware, but which constituted the entire interest of his life. Not one or two such plans and considerations were in his mind, but dozens, of which some were just beginning to appear to him, others were achieved, and others were destroyed. He did not say to himself, for example: “This man is now in power, I must gain his trust and friendship and through him arrange for the issuance of a one-time allowance,” or he did not say to himself: “Pierre is rich, I must lure him to marry his daughter and borrow the 40 thousand I need”; but a man in strength met him, and at that very moment instinct told him that this man could be useful, and Prince Vasily became close to him and at the first opportunity, without preparation, by instinct, flattered, became familiar, talked about what what was needed.

This poisonous snake The viper family has never been left without attention. In India they gave her beautiful name“wound”, in Pakistan and Afghanistan - “Pashto”, in Uzbekistan locals call it “boiling snake”. One bite from the sand epha causes death or severe kidney damage in humans. Lethal dose Epha poison is only 5 mg.

And these are not easy legends. The snake ranks seventh among the most dangerous venomous snakes to humans. From its poison every year African continent More people die than from all the snakes in Africa combined.

Description of the snake

This type of viper is small in size. The body length is from 70 to 76 centimeters. Some individuals can reach a length of one meter. Males are usually larger than females.

The appearance of this snake attracts the eye. She is very beautiful and impressive.

• The body is painted bright yellow or golden. There is a zigzag pattern on the surface of the sides, and the body of the efa is covered with white spots.
• The snake's head is decorated with a light pattern in the form of a cross, which in appearance resembles the silhouette of a bird. This distinguishes the efu snake from its fellows.

This pattern allows the ephe to remain unnoticed in the sand, and the special structure of its scales helps regulate body temperature, which is very important in its living conditions.

Where does the sand epha live?

The sand viper, or sand viper, is common in the deserts of South and Central Asia and North Africa. The main habitat is the Hindustan Peninsula, the territory of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan

Snakes prefer sandy areas with tall bushes or grass. They can also be found on clay or rocky surfaces.

Lifestyle of sand epha

The behavior of the sand viper is very different from the lifestyle and behavior of other snakes. It is distinguished by great mobility and activity, which does not stop even when it digests food. Efa freezes only in spring in well-heated rocky places for a long time.

IN winter time When other snakes hibernate, efa remains active. Even mating in this species occurs in winter period. Cubs appear in early spring.

The sand snake is characterized by viviparity. She does not lay eggs and gives birth to 3 to 12 live young up to 15 centimeters in length. Young individuals grow very quickly, their length reaching 60 centimeters by adulthood.

Efa goes hunting mainly in the dark, but is also active during the day. During the day, in extreme heat she hides in secluded places and crawls out only after sunset. The rest of the time the snake hunts during the day.

The basis of the snake's diet Insects include centipedes, beetles and grasshoppers. Efa also does not mind eating small rodents, chicks, lizards, lake frogs and small snakes.

The sand viper prefers not to approach human habitation. She only attacks if disturbed. Protecting herself and her cubs, she moves with lightning speed. In a fit of rage, an efa can jump up to half the average height of a person, so when meeting you should not approach it closer than three meters.

Efa is distinguished by an interesting way to travel. She moves sideways. First, it throws its head forward, then moves it to the side and the back part forward, and then pulls up the whole body, leaving a bizarre pattern of oblique stripes on the sand. This method of movement increases the area of ​​the snake’s body. In case of danger, the snake quickly hides in the sand with such speed that it seems as if it is drowning in it.

The sand ephas is not the most poisonous snake on the planet. However, every fifth person bitten by a snake suffered from this particular type of viper.

Efa is not at all afraid of humans, so she very often crawls into residential buildings and outbuildings. Vipers present great danger during the mating season.

Be careful - poison!

• The viper will never attack first. She warns of her intentions with a loud rustling sound, which resembles the sound of water pouring onto a hot iron. The snake makes this sound with the help of scales that have a jagged surface, which make hissing sounds when rubbed, and with a defensive pose, curled into two rings and raising its head above the arc.

It is for the hissing sounds that the reptile received the name noisy or boiling.

• Despite its eye-catching, spectacular appearance, the sand efa is a viper that is one of the ten most poisonous representatives of this class.

Sand viper does not provoke human contact. Most cases of bites are caused by the inattention or curiosity of tourists or hunters.

• Viper venom is very toxic. When bitten, the composition of the blood changes, and there is profuse bleeding at the bite site and the mucous membrane of the eyes, nose and mouth.

Every sixth person who suffers from an epha's bite dies. Suctioning the venom from the bite site for 10 minutes is effective. This will help remove a significant portion of toxins from the body. Suctioning the poison will not cause harm to the health of the person doing it, since the poison is not retained. Applying a tourniquet in this situation is not advisable, since toxins are quickly absorbed into the deeper layers of tissue.

In India it is called “wound”, in Afghanistan and Pakistan - “Pashto”, in Uzbekistan - “boiling snake”. But, regardless of the name, sand epha (lat. Echis carinatus) causes fear wherever she appears. Its bite is fatal for every fifth person, and those who managed to survive cannot be called “lucky”: the venom of epha leads to kidney problems that bother the victim for the rest of his life.

This poisonous snake is found in Central Asia And North Africa. The Central Asian Efa (lat. Echis carinatus multisquamatus) is a subspecies of sand ephas, which is sometimes considered as a separate species. Prefers lumpy sands with saxaul thickets, river cliffs and abandoned dwellings.

But he doesn’t like to get close to human habitation. It attacks only when the person himself disturbs it. Protecting himself and his offspring, he acts with lightning speed, putting all his strength and rage into the throw. By the way, she can jump to a height of up to half her body, so it is not recommended to approach her closer than 2-3 meters.

The sand faff warns the enemy of its attack not by hissing, but by a loud rustling sound, which it makes when the jagged side scales rub. The sound itself resembles the crackling of hot oil in a frying pan, for which it was nicknamed the “boiling” or “noisy” snake.

The method of movement of the sand faff is also interesting. She moves sideways, first throwing her head to the side, then moving the back of her body sideways and slightly forward, and finally pulling up the rest of her body. This makes it much easier for her to find support on unstable sandy soil. After such movement, separate oblique strips with hooked ends remain on the sand.

The sand faff moves quite quickly. In general, this is a nimble and active reptile that does not like to lie on a stone for a long time, like its other relatives. It is because of this that its diet includes mobile and small desert inhabitants: small rodents, frogs, lizards, toads and small snakes of other species. Young people are content with scolopedras, scorpions, locusts and very small lizards.

The sand epha hunts both during the day and at night. In the heat it hides, crawling out of its hiding places only at sunset. The rest of the year he prefers to look for prey in daylight hours days. It may not hibernate if the winters are warm enough. In this case, mating begins in January, and young snakes are born in March. If winters are cold, then the breeding season shifts by a couple of months.

It is curious that this snake does not lay eggs, but immediately gives birth to from 3 to 16 snakes, 10-16 cm long. The sand epha proves itself to be a caring mother, so it will bite anyone who dares to approach its brood.

Young snakes grow quickly, reaching a length of 50-60 cm (maximum 75 cm) by adulthood. Moreover, males are slightly larger than females. The body of adult snakes of both sexes is golden-sandy in color with large white spots along the entire length. A zigzag pattern is clearly visible on the side of the body. The bottom is light yellow, and the head is decorated with a kind of cross. Probably to remind you: stay away from me!

Efa is rightfully considered one of the most dangerous inhabitants of our planet. Its bite is fatal in every fifth case. In addition, she is not at all afraid to use her teeth even against the largest opponents. Therefore, it is better for people to know what this deadly predator looks like. In what regions does it live? And what should you do when meeting him?

Efa snake: description

Efa (lat. Echis carinatus) is a sand snake of the Viper family. This species prefers to live in In particular a large number of These snakes live in the vastness of African wastelands and deserts. Also, some of its subspecies can be found in the southern regions of Asia and Indonesia.

As for nearby territories, the efa snake can be found in Uzbekistan. And although their population here is not as large as in Indonesia, they still pose a significant threat to people who dare to enter the desert lands of these regions.

Appearance

Over the course of many years, efa has adapted well to life in the desert. This can be seen not only in her habits, but also in appearance. Thus, light colors predominate on the reptile’s body, most often a golden hue. From tail to head goes a dark zigzag pattern that stands out strongly against the background of multi-colored spots located randomly on the snake’s back.

In addition, efa is a snake with many ribbed scales. They help the reptile regulate its body temperature, which is extremely important for life in arid climates. The scales themselves are ribbed and are best visible on the back and sides of the predator.

But nature has deprived the snake of size. Thus, even the largest individuals rarely exceed the threshold of 80 cm, and the average representative of this species grows only up to 50 cm. But such proportions are quite justified, given the fact that efe has to exist in conditions with limited resources.

Habitat

Let's start with the fact that efa is a very active snake. It rarely stays in one place, and therefore can be found both on the open planes of the desert and among dense thickets steppes. In addition, some representatives of this species feel quite comfortable on rocky terrain. Fortunately, their small size allows them to easily slip into even the narrowest holes and crevices.

However, the snakes themselves prefer to live among dense thickets and bushes. Firstly, this allows the efe to hide its presence from prying eyes. And secondly, there is much more food in such areas, which is very tempting. Otherwise, the predator quickly adapts to any living conditions.

Potential victims

Like most of its relatives, the efa snake is a born hunter. The basis of its diet is insects, as they are easy to catch. In addition, larger prey can become a real problem for the reptile, because it simply will not fit into its mouth. But this does not mean that the snake cannot kill it - the venom of the efa is quite enough to knock down an adult horse.

In addition, the predator loves to hunt small rodents. For them, they are an important source of energy, since, unlike insects, they are warm-blooded. If food becomes really tight, the efa begins to pounce on everything that it can subsequently swallow.

Features of behavior

The epha snake is active both during the day and at night. This is extremely unusual for reptiles, which prefer to divide the day into periods of hunting and rest. However, our predator does not stop its travel cycle even after it has eaten a hearty meal. The maximum that she will do is slow down her “step”, and then not by much.

Also, this type of reptile does not fall into hibernation. True, in the regions where they live, the coolness rarely drops to the point that it can affect the snake’s metabolism. And yet, with a strong drop in temperature, the epha still calms down a little: it stops traveling and settles in the found hole or crevice.

Reproduction

The epha snake is notable for the fact that it gives birth to live offspring. Let us remember that most reptiles are accustomed to laying eggs, and such metamorphoses are very rare for them. But this type of predator decided to stand out from the rest of its brethren.

Mating games for snakes begin in late January - early March. The gestation period is a little more than a month, and therefore in early spring the female gives birth to young offspring. At the same time, at one time it is capable of giving birth to 16 baby snakes, which are immediately ready to feed on their own.

Danger to humans

As stated earlier, the sand ephas is a highly venomous snake. If you don't provide it on time medical care, then its bite will be fatal to a person. At the same time, the victim herself will experience terrible pain, because the toxins released into the body immediately begin to corrode the blood cells in it.

The worst thing is that efa is not afraid of people. She can safely approach their homes and even crawl into them. For example, there is plenty of evidence that the snake made its lair under the floor or in a closet. Therefore, if a person is in an area where these snakes live, he must always be on alert.