The speed of the fastest snake. The fastest snake: structure and methods of movement

MOSCOW, January 13 - RIA Novosti... For the first time, biologists have accurately measured the speed at which a viper or rattlesnake throws its head and bites its prey. The snake accelerates to 100 kilometers per hour in just 79 milliseconds, Scientific Reports says.

"In nature, all collisions between predators and prey are unique - they are much more varied than what we can see when they interact in the laboratory. Modern technology has allowed us to understand what exactly determines a successful hunt or escape from a predator, and come closer to revealing evolutionary factors. driving predators and their prey, "said Timothy Higham of the University of California at Riverside.

Since the Middle Ages and even earlier eras, vipers, rattlesnakes and other members of the Viperidae family have been considered a symbol of lightning-fast reaction, ultra-high speed and almost guaranteed accuracy of the victim's attack.

All these snakes hunt small mammals and reptiles from ambush, jumping out at great speed, opening their mouths 180 degrees and literally "driving" their fangs into the flesh of the victim. Higham and his colleagues decided to study this process in detail, traveling to the Mojave Desert in the southwestern United States, where rattlesnakes live in abundance.

Having placed camera traps, scientists connected them to a computer and centrally monitored the hunt of snakes, the favorite prey of which are American kangaroo jumpers (Dipodomys merriami) - large rodents, similar to jerboas and moving along the sands in the same "jumping" manner.

To photograph the snakes, the scientists used high-speed infrared cameras capable of capturing 500 frames per second in three-dimensional format, as well as special thermal "illumination" systems.

Observations immediately dispelled one of the myths: it turned out that snakes often miss, flying or not reaching the rodent, especially if he managed to notice the predator at the last moment. On the other hand, it turned out that the snakes do move very quickly.

On average, a snake bites a rodent within 60-70 milliseconds after it is in the throwing radius. During this time, the snake's head flies about 12-16 centimeters, moving at a speed of three and a half meters per second and accelerating its movement by 170-506 meters per second per second. This equates to a 50g overload - the maximum a human can survive - and roughly equals the rate at which a car's airbag is deployed.

Despite such impressive speeds and acceleration, the snake hunting for rodents ended in success only in half of the cases - in the rest the jumpers managed to react to the snake's throw and escape, using the muscle "springs" in their legs. In some cases, even this was not required, since the snake was mistaken in calculating the "ballistics" of the throw and missed.

As Higham explains, an evolutionary "arms race" has forced jumpers to learn how to store energy in tendons and release it abruptly in critical situations. When a snake rushes to a rodent, it rapidly jumps to a great height, and the viper flies over the place where it stood 30 milliseconds ago.

Is coming Year of the snake according to the eastern horoscope, and why not devote today's post to him? Let's sit and talk about what kinds of these mysterious animals exist on our planet, in what conditions they live, what they eat, how they reproduce. There are many varieties of them, some live underground, others under water. Some are poisonous, others are not, of various colors and sizes, viviparous and those that lay eggs.

But let's remember today exactly snake-record holders: the most-most.

Longest snake- this is a boa constrictor-anaconda. It lives in the swampy shores of the Amazon and feeds on fish, small animals and birds. The maximum length of the boa constrictor, which was recorded, reached 11.43 m, it was this "snake" that got into Guinness book holders.

And in Egypt, during excavations, the remains of an ancient snake, the Giant African python, were found, its estimated length was 11.8 m.

And only recently, in 2002, a reticulated python was found on the island of Sumatra, the length of which was equal to 14.85 m and a weight of 447 kg. Now he lives in a menagerie on about. Java and is proudly called Guihua.

The biggest snake that lives in captivity currently in the terrarium of the New York Zoological Society , it is a Giant (green) anaconda, 9 m long and weighing 130 kg.

The largest venomous snake- king cobra, it lives in India and Indochina. The length of these reptiles can be up to 5.5 meters. They very often live next to humans, the reason for which was the deforestation of tropical forests. The cobra, oddly enough, eats other types of snakes. There are times that she can attack them when they are already hunting for prey.

The smallest snake- The Brahmin blindfly or blind snake, (more like a fat earthworm), lives on the island of Nosy-be, not far from Madagascar.

The length of this baby is only 10 cm. This snake shares the championship with the two-strand narrow-necked snake. It can only be found on the islands of Martinique, Santa Lucia and Barbados in the Caribbean. The "shortest" snake this species had a length of 108 millimeters.

The shortest venomous snake- African viper. She lives on the coast of Namibia in the sand dunes. Its average length is 20-23 cm. It has a very unusual way of hunting, the snake is buried in the sand, while only the eyes and the tip of the tail stick out, which serves as a bait. These reptiles receive the necessary moisture from their victims. They also lick off condensation, which allows them to survive in such harsh conditions without water.

The thinnest snake- This is an ordinary belt-like. Its length is 2 meters, while the thickness is 1-2 cm. The snake looks rather unusual - the head is much larger than the body. They live exclusively in trees and feed on snails and slugs. Their weapon for hunting - sharpened fangs are safe for humans.

The fastest snake on the planet - black mamba, it lives in Africa. It is almost impossible to run away from this snake, its speed is on average 11 kilometers per hour, and on flat terrain, with short throws, the speed can reach 16-19 km / h.

Plus, the black mamba has earned the title. the most venomous land snake on the planet, sharing it with Taipan, from the bites of which 80% of the victims die (and one dose of its poison can kill 100 people).

The largest amount of poison 6 ml, the king cobra gives off at a time.

The most venomous sea snake- Belcher's sea snake. With one bite, the secreted poison can cause death in 250 thousand mice.

The most accurate snake on the planet - ringal. She lives in South Africa and India. She can spit poison at her victim from a distance of 5 meters, and she aims at the victim's eyes. Another snake that "shoots" poison over long distances is the African spitting cobra, its spit flies 2-3 meters.

The most common snake- an ordinary viper, which, moreover, is not afraid of cold weather.

This snake is the only one that can be found in the north (even beyond the Arctic Circle).

The oldest snake considered an ordinary boa constrictor named Popeye (Popeye), he died at the Philadelphia Zoo on April 15, 1977. and lived for 40 years and 3.5 months.

The longest hungry snake - the habu viper snake lived without food for 3 years and 3 months (almost, like in a fairy tale, only in a very sad one).

There are other types of snakes that can be called "Flying" Are tree snakes. They live in the tropics and are amazingly dexterous in maneuvering between trees and can even go around them. The S-shape gives them such an opportunity, and they seem to slide through the air.

Exists on our planet the snake with the highest thermoregulatory ability Is a hieroglyphic python, it lives throughout Africa. The female spirals around the eggs with her body, and the female's body temperature becomes 7 degrees higher than the environment.

AND an absolute record, which applies to all snakes, is the number of vertebrae. It is snakes that are those vertebrates with the maximum number of vertebrae - up to 435.

In conclusion, I would like to say that no matter how small or large, poisonous or not, the snake must be treated with respect and caution.

P.S. The frightening ability of some snakes to absorb prey that is much larger than their own size. See photo.

Greetings to all readers of our site "I and the World". How many knows the fastest animal in the world? Of course, you say: a cheetah. And you will be right! He is the fastest living on land. Today you will read about the top 10 fastest-running sushi animals and a little touch on those who from the fauna quickly swim and fly.

Opens our top ten Leopard - 58 km / h

Yes, he will definitely not catch up with the cheetah if they compete. When the Leopard chases prey, it does not waste energy, but neatly lures it into an ambush. It hunts for antelopes, rodents, warthogs. Leopards live in Africa and Asia for 10-15 years, if poachers do not kill them earlier because of their beautiful fur. In the 20th century, these big cats were included in the Red Book.

Forest leopards are smaller than those that live in open places, apparently making their way through the thickets is more difficult and their large size only interferes. The weight of the largest males reaches 75 kg. It is very similar in color to the cheetah and jaguar, and the color ranges from pale straw or gray to rusty brown. In Southeast Asia, there are absolutely black leopards called Panthers.

9th place - Coyote - 65 km / h

They are not only sprinters, but also excellent swimmers - fish hunters. They move in an interesting way, jumping in lengths from 2 to 4 meters. In mass, they are significantly inferior to real wolves and weigh up to 21 kg, when wolves weigh up to 60 kg. The fur is more brownish, and the elongated muzzle resembles a fox. Maybe Coyotes are the children of wolves and foxes, and for some reason intermarried in ancient times?

Coyotes are inhabitants of the plains and try not to appear in the forests. But on the outskirts of large cities, they are periodically noticed, where they like to rummage through the garbage. They mainly hunt at dusk for hares, marmots, ground squirrels and other small animals. In the fall, they like to feast on berries and nuts.

The Hyena dog reached the 8th place - 70 km / h

Its name is translated as "painted wolf". But there are also black dogs. Once they were very common in the African steppes and savannas, but now they are found mainly in national parks. And although it is a relative of the wolf, it is very similar to a hyena.

Low, lean, weighing 36 kg. They hunt during the day and always in flocks of up to 15 individuals on ungulates: antelopes, old zebras, wildebeest, reed rats. They do not eat carrion. All in the flock live together, feed and take care of the old and sick.

7th place - Elk - 75 km / h

It is hard to believe that this handsome and rather heavy (up to 600 kg) forest handsome man is capable of developing such a high speed. But it is so! Elks run fast on the plain, which may be why they are not always tough for predators. They defend themselves with blows of their front legs, and even bears are afraid to attack Elks in open areas - only among trees or bushes, where Elks are restricted in movement.

They live in the forests of the Northern Hemisphere, less often in the forest-tundra and forest-steppe. In total, about one and a half million individuals live on earth, 730,000 in Russia alone. Elks are quite tall, and their strongly elongated legs do not make it easy to drink water. They have to go deeper into the pond or kneel down to get drunk. Males grow large horns, in a span of up to 180 cm and a weight of up to 30 kg. In summer, due to the heat, they are nocturnal. They feed on plant foods, lichens and mushrooms, and in winter they bite off tree branches.

6th place - Thomson's Gazelle - up to 80 km / h

The gazelle is the most delicious prey for fast cheetahs, but they can rarely catch up with it due to high jumps while running. Although after 4-6 km of constant running, the Gazelle gets very tired and at this time the cheetahs still attack easily. Gazelles live in the steppes of Kenya and Tanzania.

They live in herds of several hundred or thousands of individuals, consisting either only of females, or only of males. But there are also single males. They feed mainly on grasses, but they can also eat tree shoots. The weight of large males reaches only 35 kg.

5th place goes to Leo - 80 km / h

These powerful kings of nature are very mobile animals and at a distance of already 20 meters develop the highest speed. Some males weigh up to 250 kg. In captivity, Lions reach large sizes, because there is no need to run after prey in the cage. In nature, they live up to 14 years, and next to a person up to 20.

White lions are found in national parks. These are not albinos, just such a subspecies of Lions. Differing from other felines, they do not live alone, but in families - by prides. They eat, of course, animal food. They hunt at night, sneaking up to prey at a distance of up to 30 meters, surround and attack. Sometimes they attack a person and then become cannibals, trying to kill a person more often.

4th place - Grant's Gazelle - 85 km / h

They can run at a constant speed for quite a long time without getting tired, with a weight of up to 65 kg. They live on the open plains of East Africa, avoiding tall vegetation, where they cannot see predators in time.

They easily survive where there is almost no water, only on one, even sparse vegetation. They move in herds, but some males prefer a permanent territory. In some areas, the Gazelle is completely destroyed, but in others it is quite common.

The third place is assigned to the Pronghorn - 89 km / h

Although the usual speed of this Pronghorn antelope ranges from 60 to 70 km / h, the maximum speed was fixed at 89. Therefore, it can easily escape from any predator, because it does not need rest. A beautiful, slender animal weighs 60 kg. They live in the steppes of North America from Canada to Mexico.

In autumn and winter, they gather in herds with a leader, and in summer they are divided into pairs until next winter. Older males usually live alone. They feed on herbaceous food: common and poisonous plants, cacti. They drink a little, therefore, if there is not enough water, they survive on herbs.

2nd place belongs to Jaguar - 93 km / h

A beautiful, spotted cat cannot boast of endurance, and such a high speed can only develop at short distances. If the prey notices the Jaguar at a great distance and runs away, then the predator does not even try to catch it, because after a few minutes it will fizzle out.

It attacks only if it is able to come very close. It is found in North and South America. In mass, the Jaguar reaches 113 kg. They live alone on their territory up to 50 sq. km. They hunt small animals at dusk, they can eat a snake, a turtle, and fish. They prefer not to attack ungulates.

And we rightfully give the first place to the Cheetah - 120 km / h

The fastest land animal - the Cheetah, usually develops a speed of up to 98 km / h and can run up to 400 m on flat terrain. But catching up with prey can develop in 3 seconds. maximum speed up to 120 km / h, this is almost 2 times the speed of their victims. But he is not capable of running long distances.

The weight of an adult male reaches 65 kg. During the day they hunt medium-sized ungulates: gazelles, wildebeest calves, as well as hares or ostriches. They catch up with prey by jumping 6-8 meters. They do not attack from an ambush, because where they live there is simply no place to hide. Lives in Africa and the Middle East.

I would like to dwell on the fastest animals in the water and in the air. What place do they occupy among their own? Of course the first one!

The fastest marine animal -, develops a speed of up to 130 km / h

Studies have shown that fish have oil in their jaws, which they release into the water. By spreading around the head, the oil reduces friction against water.

There is another fast sea animal with the same speed - the Black Marlin.

Who is the fastest bird? Handsome Sapsan, accelerating after prey and diving, is capable of accelerating to 390 km / h

When struck with claws at such a speed, it can tear off the prey's head.

We showed photos and descriptions of the fastest animals on the planet. There are others, but we will not dwell on them today. Did you like the article? Share information with your friends. In the meantime, we say goodbye to the next entertaining articles.

Biologists were the first to accurately measure the speed at which a viper or rattlesnake throws out its head and bites its victim, finding that the snake accelerates to 100 kilometers per hour in just 79 milliseconds, according to an article published in Scientific Reports.

“In nature, all collisions between predators and prey are unique - they are much more varied than what we can see when they interact in the laboratory. factors driving predators and their prey, "said Timothy Higham of the University of California at Riverside (USA).

Ever since the Middle Ages and even earlier eras of human existence, vipers, rattlesnakes and other members of the viper family (Viperidae) have been considered a symbol of lightning-fast reaction, ultra-high speed and almost guaranteed accuracy of hitting a victim.

All these snakes hunt small mammals and reptiles from ambush, jumping out on them with great speed, opening their mouths 180 degrees and literally "driving" their fangs into the flesh of the victim. Higham and his colleagues decided to study this process in detail, traveling to the Mojave Desert in the southwestern United States, where the famous rattlesnakes live.

Having placed camera traps across the desert, scientists connected them to a computer and centrally monitored the movements and hunting of snakes, the favorite prey of which are American kangaroo jumpers (Dipodomys merriami) - large rodents, similar to jerboas, moving along the sands of the desert in a similar "jumping" manner.

To photograph the snakes, the scientists used high-speed infrared cameras capable of acquiring 500 frames per second in three-dimensional format, as well as special thermal "illumination" systems. When the snake began to hunt, the computer alerted Higham and his team, and scientists began to "manually" monitor how the vipers tried to catch the jumpers. Scientists have made it easier for the snakes by scattering plant seeds around them, which their victims feed on.

These observations dispelled one of the myths associated with vipers - it turned out that they quite often miss, flying or short of the rodent, especially if he managed to notice the predator at the last moment before the rattlesnake jump. On the other hand, it turned out that the vipers really move very quickly and bite with great force.

On average, the snake strikes the rodent within 60-70 milliseconds after the jumper is within the radius of the strike. During this time, the snake's head flies about 12-16 centimeters, moving at a speed of 3.5 meters per second and accelerating its movement by 170-506 meters per second squared. This corresponds to a 50g overload - the maximum that a person can survive - and roughly equal to the rate at which airbags are thrown in a car.

Despite such impressive speeds and acceleration, the snake's hunt for rodents ended in success only in half of the cases - in 50% of the cases, the jumpers managed to react to the snake's jump and escape, using a kind of "springs" in their legs. In some cases, this was not even necessary, since the snake made a mistake in calculating the "ballistics" of the jump and did not reach the jumper.

As Higham explains, an evolutionary "arms race" has forced jumpers to learn how to store potential energy in their tendons and release it in critical situations. When a snake jumps on a rodent, the jumper suddenly jumps up to a great height, and the viper flies over where he stood 30 milliseconds ago.

In the near future, the authors of the article plan to conduct similar experiments with the participation of other vipers and rodents, which will show whether the rattlesnake holds the record for speed and acceleration, or if it has worthy competitors among its relatives.

MOSCOW, January 13 - RIA Novosti... For the first time, biologists have accurately measured the speed at which a viper or rattlesnake throws its head and bites its prey. The snake accelerates to 100 kilometers per hour in just 79 milliseconds, Scientific Reports says.

"In nature, all collisions between predators and prey are unique - they are much more varied than what we can see when they interact in the laboratory. Modern technology has allowed us to understand what exactly determines a successful hunt or escape from a predator, and come closer to revealing evolutionary factors. driving predators and their prey, "said Timothy Higham of the University of California at Riverside.

Since the Middle Ages and even earlier eras, vipers, rattlesnakes and other members of the Viperidae family have been considered a symbol of lightning-fast reaction, ultra-high speed and almost guaranteed accuracy of the victim's attack.

All these snakes hunt small mammals and reptiles from ambush, jumping out at great speed, opening their mouths 180 degrees and literally "driving" their fangs into the flesh of the victim. Higham and his colleagues decided to study this process in detail, traveling to the Mojave Desert in the southwestern United States, where rattlesnakes live in abundance.

Having placed camera traps, scientists connected them to a computer and centrally monitored the hunt of snakes, the favorite prey of which are American kangaroo jumpers (Dipodomys merriami) - large rodents, similar to jerboas and moving along the sands in the same "jumping" manner.

To photograph the snakes, the scientists used high-speed infrared cameras capable of capturing 500 frames per second in three-dimensional format, as well as special thermal "illumination" systems.

Observations immediately dispelled one of the myths: it turned out that snakes often miss, flying or not reaching the rodent, especially if he managed to notice the predator at the last moment. On the other hand, it turned out that the snakes do move very quickly.

On average, a snake bites a rodent within 60-70 milliseconds after it is in the throwing radius. During this time, the snake's head flies about 12-16 centimeters, moving at a speed of three and a half meters per second and accelerating its movement by 170-506 meters per second per second. This equates to a 50g overload - the maximum a human can survive - and roughly equals the rate at which a car's airbag is deployed.

Despite such impressive speeds and acceleration, the snake hunting for rodents ended in success only in half of the cases - in the rest the jumpers managed to react to the snake's throw and escape, using the muscle "springs" in their legs. In some cases, even this was not required, since the snake was mistaken in calculating the "ballistics" of the throw and missed.

As Higham explains, an evolutionary "arms race" has forced jumpers to learn how to store energy in tendons and release it abruptly in critical situations. When a snake rushes to a rodent, it rapidly jumps to a great height, and the viper flies over the place where it stood 30 milliseconds ago.