Striped snake (Coluber spinalis). Cross-striped snake Desert - home

As Bannikov rightly notes, the striped snake is a fairly common but rare snake in the south of the country. Apparently, the range of this species in Mongolia is somewhat wider than shown on the map, but it is unlikely to extend beyond the Gobi part of the country. The ridges of the Mongolian Altai and Khangai clearly limit the spread of the snake to the west and northwest, respectively, but the ridges of the Gobi Altai do not form an insurmountable obstacle, since the striped snake is found to the north of them. It would be interesting to find out whether this species lives in the west of the Valley of Lakes, as well as in Shargyn Gobi north of the southern part of the Mongolian Altai. Striped snake, undoubtedly inhabits the interior regions of the Trans-Altai Gobi. One can expect its finds in the Dzungarian Gobi in the Kobdo aimag, given that it was discovered in the Zaisan Basin and in northwestern China. The distribution limit of the species in eastern Mongolia is unclear.

The extensive genus Coluber, according to the point of view of some taxonomists, is divided into five independent genera based on the nature of the reduction in the number of longitudinal rows of body scales. Without going into this special question, which has been discussed until now, we only note that indeed a group of Afro-Asian species evades American snakes. An interesting exception is the Chinese-Mongolian species Coluber spinalis, which in a number of its characters is similar to the American species and was originally described and considered by some authors within the genus Masticophis. Pope and Chernov place it in the genus Coluber, noting, however, that in its morphology the species strongly deviates from the representatives of the genus inhabiting the more western regions of Asia and northeast Africa. The striped snake differs from Eurasian species in its more elongated (like the American species Coluber constrictor) head and depressed surface of the head.

The taxonomy of the striped snake has been poorly studied, since its finds in Mongolia are quite rare; serial material for studying variability, as shown above, is practically absent. In our opinion, a more detailed taxonomic revision could shed light on significant geographical differences in the habitat conditions of the striped snake: on the one hand, an arid, sharply continental climate Central Asia and on the other - damp, soft maritime climate Far East.

Vertical distribution.

In the mountains, the striped snake rises to 1900 m above sea level. m. (Noen ridge), and are not found below 1200 m above sea level. m. (Lake Orog-Nur), however, the actual height range may be wider than 700 m.

Biotopes.

In Mongolia, the striped snake adheres to areas of extremely arid, true and steppe deserts and is usually found in dry canyons of former watercourses (saury) in the mountains. Bannikov found snakes on the stone, desert trails of mountains among poor bushes. In China, the snake is found in sparse forests, along river banks and on mountain slopes covered with bushes, as well as in very dry places devoid of vegetation. In Kazakhstan, in the Zaisan Basin, snakes were caught in a dry gravelly-wormwood desert near rodent burrows, as well as in a wet floodplain of a river with thick grass cover, a stand of birch, aspen and thickets of bushes.

Daily activity.

Activity is exclusively daytime. On hot days summer days(June) snakes basking in the sun were observed in the morning (10 a.m.) and evening (5:30 p.m.).

Reproduction. Oviparous snake. There are no data on the reproduction of the striped snake in Mongolia. In China, in July, eggs measuring 11x38 mm with embryos in the first stages of development were found in the oviducts of a female.

Nutrition.

Lizards recorded feeding on: Cyrtopodion elongatus, Eremias multiocellata, E. przewalskii, Phrynocephalus versicolor. According to Pope's data on the striped snake in China, the food of this snake includes lizards (Gekko, Eremias).

Shelters.

A fast, mobile snake, during the daytime during the period of activity it moves away from danger into thickets of bushes and rodent holes. IN coastal strip The Primorsky Territory of the Russian Far East uses reinforced concrete willow banks as shelters, which, especially when filled with water, sometimes turn out to be disastrous traps for them.

Behavior.

A very active snake, the striped snake is an active hunter. Apparently, it feeds both on the surface and in rodent burrows and in soil voids.

Conservation status.

The striped snake is a widespread species in Mongolia, but its range does not appear to fall within protected areas. This species is included in the first edition of the Red Book of the MPR (III category) and in the Red Book of Kazakhstan (I category).

Climbing snakes - Elaphe Fitzinger. The teeth on the upper jaw are arranged in a continuous row and are more or less the same size. Their number ranges from 12 to 25. The anterior mandibular teeth are slightly longer than the posterior ones. The head is clearly separated from the body by a cervical interception. The pupil is round. The subcaudal scutes are arranged in two rows. The scales are smooth or with weakly defined ribs. Each scale usually has two apical pits.

Patterned snake - Elaphe dione. Pallas's description states that Coluber dione was found in the saline desert near the Caspian Sea and in the mountains near Irtyn (in desertis salsis versus mare Caspium iterumque in aridi, salis, montois ad Irtin obferuata). There are also indications of the Grachevskaya Outpost, which gave Mertens and Müller grounds to designate this location near Semiyarsk, in the upper Irtysh region, in the Semipalatinsk region (modern Kazakhstan) as terra typica restricta.

The muzzle is rounded, its length is approximately twice as long as the diameter of the eye. The lateral scales are smooth, the dorsal scales are equipped with weak longitudinal ribs. The ventral scutes on the sides of the abdomen do not form an angle. The scales have two apical pores. Around the middle of the body there are 23-25, sometimes 27 scales. Abdominal scutes 171-214; sub-tail - 50-80 pairs.

The snake is a medium-sized snake with a body length of up to 960 mm in males and up to 1050 mm in females and a tail that is approximately 3.5-6 times shorter: the tail length in males is 250-280 mm, and in females 200-250 mm. The body is relatively thin, and the relatively short and wide head is rather poorly demarcated from the neck. The width of the intermaxillary shield is significantly greater than its height; it is clearly visible from above and protrudes at an obtuse angle between the internasal scutes, the width of which is greater than their length. The prefrontal scutes are in contact with the supraorbital scutes with a short suture. One zygomatic shield of trapezoidal shape. The preorbital shield is large, sometimes divided in the lower part. There is usually an infraorbital shield, in front, behind, or under which, occasionally, there are one or two more small shields. There are two postorbital scutes, very rarely three. There are eight labials, rarely seven or nine; of these, the fourth and fifth usually touch the eye. The parietal scutes, with their anterior-outer elongated edge, as a rule, do not reach the lower postorbital. The lateral scales are smooth, the dorsal scales are equipped with weak longitudinal ribs. The ventral scutes on the sides of the abdomen do not form an angle. The scales have two apical pores. Temporal scutes 2-3+3-4. There are 23-25, rarely 27 rows of scales around the body. The ventral scutes are 171-201 in males and 187-214 in females; subcaudal ones - 63-80 (in males) and 50-80 pairs (in females). The anal shield is always divided.

The color of the upper body is quite varied: in young animals it is brownish-olive or reddish-brown-olive with narrow dark brown transverse stripes in the front of the body. The head pattern is distinguished by a light brown stripe with darker edges, which runs along the sides of the head from the eye through the lower postorbital shield to the corner of the mouth. The scutes are mottled with dark spots, except for the supraorbital, outer edge of the parietal and scales of the temporal region, along which there is a dark stripe. In adult snakes, the upper side of the body is usually gray with a brownish, reddish or brownish tint; along the body there are four wide, not sharply defined longitudinal brown, brownish or dark brown stripes, the width of each of which is equal to the width of two dorsal scales. The two middle stripes extend to the tail. The ridge has narrow, irregular, transverse, dark brown or black stripes, sometimes oblique, the spaces between which are larger than their width. On the sides of the body, in the spaces between the dorsal spots, there is one longitudinal row of smaller spots, usually formed by the dark edges of the scales, gradually disappearing towards the tail.

Also found in northern and central China and in Korea, and to the south it penetrates to eastern Transcaucasia and northern Iran. In China, it is distributed from its northern part to the south - to Sichuan province in the west and Jiangsu province in the east. There are known finds of this species on some islands of the Caspian and Aral Seas.

Distribution in Mongolia.

The first patterned snake was apparently found by the expedition of G.N. Potanin in 1879 in northwestern Mongolia on the river. Kobdo. At the beginning of this century, this species was also discovered in the north of the country on the river. Er-Gol by A.V. Shvetsov in 1900 and not far from the Russian city of Kyakhta by P.S. Mikhno and A.S. Martynov in 1905. During subsequent expeditions, ideas about the distribution of the patterned snake were significantly expanded. Bannikov, summarizing the collections known at that time, published a map with 25 locations of the species in Mongolia. We have data on the following 68 finds based on all the information available to us.

In addition to those mentioned, the collection of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences also contains a patterned snake caught by A. M. Lomonosov in 1871 in eastern Mongolia, the Aragol Plain. We could not find this area on the maps available to us. Perhaps this is a distorted name for the territory now outside Mongolia. Bannikov also noted that the patterned snake is the most widespread snake in Mongolia after copperheads. The map we presented confirms the truth of these words. Indeed, snakes have been found in most aimags, but some uncertainties remain. So, while this species has not been found in the north of northwestern Mongolia, in particular, in the Great Lakes basin in the Ubsunur aimak and between this basin and lake. Khubsugul north of 48° N. w. There is no information about the patterned snake in most of the Trans-Altai Gobi west of 99° E. D. Bannikov indicated on the map the discovery of this species in the north of the ridge. Adj-Bogdo, but did not note this in the text. Apparently, the patterned snake inhabits all of these listed areas, and the white spots on the range map are most likely due to insufficient knowledge of the territory. It is possible that this species is really absent only in the highlands of the Khangai and Mongolian Altai ranges, although its findings from high altitudes are known.

Sexual dimorphism.

A study of the sexual dimorphism of the patterned snake showed that males are characterized by a smaller number of ventral scutes, but a larger number of subcaudal scutes compared to females: 171-201 ventral scutes in males and 187-214 in females; 50-68 pairs of sub-caudals in females and 63-80 in males.

Geographical variability.

This species, whose range extends 8,000 km from west to east and 3,000 km from north to south and occupies various landscape and climatic zones, according to the most recent studies does not show signs of clinal variability.

In the Far East, the number of ventral scutes in males varies between 169-195, and in females - 180-200; the number of sub-caudals ranges from 54-73 in males and 48-69 in females. Pope (1935) also indicates similar values for these same characters for the specimens he studied from China: 179-194 abdominal and 67-80 subcaudal in males and 191-205 abdominal and 58-70 subcaudal in females.

A study of Mongolian populations also did not reveal any significant differences in the patterned snakes living here.

Taxonomic position.

Despite the wide, almost trans-Palaearctic distribution of the patterned snake, most researchers adhere to the point of view that it is a monotypic species. From Western Siberia and Altai, the subspecies Elaphe dione niger Golubjeva, E. dione tenebrosa Sobolevsky, distinguished by a very dark body color without any pattern, were described. Subsequent studies showed that these forms have no taxonomic significance. Coluber cherskii, described by Nikolsky from Primorye, was recognized as a variety of Elaphe dione. Close to this point of view is the newly expressed view of the possible subspecific independence of populations from the Russian Far East (Primorye), which, according to the authors, differ significantly in the type of pattern and coloration, which is more reminiscent of those of Elaphe bimaculata. The authors emphasize that if this point of view is confirmed by new data, the Far Eastern subspecies should be named E. dione cherskii. Previously mentioned was the relatively smaller number of ventral and subcaudal scutes in the Far Eastern patterned snakes.

However, recent studies based on a detailed analysis of geographic variability, including samples from the Far East and Mongolia, confirm the monotypic nature of the patterned snake. At the same time, significant variability in the characteristics of pholidosis is shown over the vast range of the species, including Mongolia, without clinal variability.

Vertical distribution.

In Mongolia, the patterned snake climbs the mountains to a height of 3000 m (on the southern slope of Khangai), and the minimum height at which it was found is about 600 m above sea level. m. (Shamar). Thus, the altitude range in the habitats used by this species is at least 2400 m.

In Mongolia, the patterned snake inhabits a wide variety of biotopes in almost all areas of this country, from real deserts in the Trans-Altai Gobi to forest areas in the north of the country. Typically, the habitats of the patterned snake are dry watercourses, the so-called saury at the foot of the mountains, overgrown with caragana, almonds and other shrubs. It rises high into the mountains through dry, wide valleys. In the northern part of the country, it lives in steppe valleys, apparently absent from the forest zone.

In southern Mongolia, in zones of real and steppe deserts, snakes adhere to the gentle slopes of weathered stone ridges and saury with thickets of almonds, caragana and parenfolia. In the mountainous regions of the Mongolian Altai, Khangai and Khengei, snakes can often be found on rocky slopes overgrown with rose hips, thorns, and rare elm trees. Thus, on August 30, 1982, in the south of the Gobi, among small hills and ridges of layered rocky slabs, we observed snakes (at 16:00) on the southern exposures of slopes overgrown with sparse vegetation: almond bushes, parfolia, wormwood, saltwort, rare grasses and reomuria.

An example of completely different biotopes, dissimilar from those described above, are habitats in the river valleys of eastern and northeastern Mongolia, where these snakes adhere to clayey and rocky cliffs on the border of the floodplain and mixed forest, and individual individuals were found in tall grass in forest clearings and edges . We have repeatedly encountered this species in a mixed forest on the right bank of the river. Onon and in the forest on the right bank of the river. Uldza, which does not confirm Bannikov’s opinion that the patterned snake avoids the forest zone.

In Kazakhstan, it usually settles near water - in floodplains of rivers, in depressions near lakes and swamps, near springs and wells, preferring areas with mesophilic vegetation.

Since the patterned snake is widespread in Mongolia and exhibits high ecological plasticity, in different areas of its range this species is one way or another found with all types of reptiles common in this country. Thus, in the deserts of the South Gobi aimag it is found together with Alsophylax pipiens, Teratoscincus przewalskii, Eremias vermiculata, E. przewalskii, Eryx tataricus, Psammophis lineolatus. In the steppes of the Uver-Khangai and Middle Gobi aimags, it is sympatric with Phrynocephalus versicolor, Eremias multiocellata, E. argus, Coluber spinalis. Almost everywhere Elaphe dione is accompanied by Agkistrodon halys.

In places with the highest numbers (the area of the Numergiin-Gol River, a tributary of the Khalkhin-Gol River, and the area of the Buyan-Ula village on the Onon River), up to 5-6 individuals were noted during a two-hour excursion.

Seasonal activity.

After wintering in the southern parts of its range in Central Asia and Transcaucasia, it appears on the surface in February-March, activity continues until the end of October-November. In Kazakhstan, it crawls out of winter shelters in early to mid-April. The wintering period, depending on the climatic conditions of a particular area, ranges from two to five months.

Daily activity.

Daytime activity. The patterned snake can be observed active only during daylight hours, regardless of the season; even in July, in the southern regions of Bayan-Khongor and South Gobi aimags, these snakes were not recorded at night. In the hottest summer time, the activity cycle becomes two-peaked - in the morning and evening periods; During the day, snakes hide in shelters. Thus, in mid-July in the city of Khugne-Khan-Ula, Bulgan aimag, active individuals were usually found around 10-11 a.m., when the air temperature reached 21-23° C. The same pattern was noted for the patterned snake in Kazakhstan. The temperature of the soil surface during the period of maximum activity of snakes ranges from 25 to 32-33 ° C, while the body surface temperature of snakes is 28-34 ° C.

Reproduction.

In Mongolia, the patterned snake lays eggs in July. The number of eggs in a clutch varies from 5 to 18, egg sizes are 2.5-5 mm x 1.7-2.5 mm. The incubation period lasts about 30 days. At hatching, the length of young snakes is about 200 mm, after the first wintering - 210-280 mm. Incubation chambers (places with clutches) were discovered in the South Gobi aimag on the Barun-Tsokheny-Nuru ridge and on the border of the Eastern and Khentei aimags in layered stone ridges. In July 1988, a clutch of seven eggs was found in a crack in the coastal cliff of the river. Numergiin-Gol (tributary of the Khalkhin-Gol river).

Across the species' extensive range, the timing of mating and oviposition varies greatly depending on the climatic conditions of a particular area. In the European part of the range (in Ukraine), mating occurs in late April-early May, immediately after leaving the wintering area. In Kazakhstan, mating in the southern regions begins in the first ten days of May. In Tajikistan, mating is noted in April, and egg laying is noted in the first half of July. In Primorye, females lay eggs in August.

Autumn mating and the phenomenon of sperm storage are reported as adaptations to living in unfavorable climatic conditions.

Nutrition.

Snakes feed mainly small mammals, chicks of passerine birds and reptiles. So, in the Eastern aimag on the river. Onon, we found remains of rodents (Microtus sp.), insectivores (Sorex sp.) and passerine birds in the stomachs of snakes; on the river Numergiin-Gol, numerous remains of voles (Microtus sp.), wood mice (Apodemus sp.) and small birds were found in the stomachs of snakes. In the Ara-Khangai aimak near the village. Brandt's vole (Microtus brandti) was noted in Tsetserleg's stomach. In the South Gobi aimak near the village. We recorded bulgan as part of the diet of gerbil snakes (Meroines sp.), hamsters (Phodopus sp. and Cricetulus sp.) and foot-and-mouth mosquitoes (Eremias przewalskii). 30 km south of the city of Dapandzaugad, a patterned snake caught there regurgitated a variegated roundhead (Phrynocephalus versicolor). In western Mongolia, rodents (Cricetulus sp., Phodopus sp., Meriones meridionalis, Ochotona pallasi) and lizards (Eremias multiocellata, E. przewalskii, Phrynocephalus vericolor), as well as green toad (Bufo danatensis), wheatear chicks were recorded in the stomachs of these snakes and bird egg shells.

According to Emelyanov, in Primorye the snake feeds on mice, chicks and bird eggs; in China, the use of birds and small mammals for food has also been noted; in Kazakhstan - birds, mammals and lizards, less often - insects. In general, the species is characterized wide range food objects, mainly birds and their eggs, small mammals and lizards (Eremias, Phrynocephalus, Lacertam Ablepharus), there are also indications of feeding on amphibians, especially Ranidae, and even fish.

Shelters.

In Mongolia, the patterned snake uses rodent holes, tree hollows, voids under stones, and cracks in the soil as shelters. Often, voids and crevices in stone fences for livestock are also used as shelters, where, apparently, snakes are attracted by the presence of rodents. Shelters are used in the summer during the hottest part of the day.

In Primorye, these snakes also hide under heaps of hay and sheaves of bread, and in Kazakhstan - in dense thickets of reeds and cattails along the banks of reservoirs. They use rodent burrows as winter shelters.

Enemies.

The natural enemies of the patterned snake are mammals (foxes, hedgehogs) and birds of prey.

There are even suggestions of mimicry in coloration, pattern and aposematic behavior, including vibration of the tip of the tail, in sympatrically living Elaphe dione and species of the genus Agkistrodon.

Conservation status.

A common species, distributed throughout most of the country, which is found in a number of nature reserves.

Amur snake - Elaphe schrenckii. Typical territory. The description mentions collection specimens of the Zoological Museum of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg (now the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences) from various places, but subsequently the type location was clarified based on the find of L. Schrenk, who first discovered it in the area of the Khingan post on the river. Amur.

Diagnosis.

The intermaxillary shield is much wider than its height and is clearly visible from above. The length of the parietal scutes is greater than the length of the frontal scutes. There are 23, rarely 25 rows of scales around the body. The color of the upper side of the body is black or black-brown with obliquely located narrow light transverse stripes.

Description.

The Amur snake is one of the largest species of the genus Elaphe. The body length can reach 1700-1800 mm, the tail length in males is 400-450 mm, in females - 350-400 mm. The head is relatively weakly demarcated from the neck. There are 2+3 temporal scutes (two in the first row, and three in the second).

Species range.

The Amur snake is distributed in northern, central and northeastern China, Korea and Russia. In Russia, the range of this snake covers Primorsky and Khabarovsk region to Komsomolsk-on-Amur in the north and Lesser Khingan in the west. Both subspecies are found in China: Elaphe schrenckii anomala - in the northern and central parts of the country south to the provinces of Anhui and Yunnan, and the nominative E. schrenckii schrenckii - in the northeastern provinces of Heilongjiang and Jilin and in Inner Mongolia. The indication of finds of the Amur snake in Japan, based on information about specimens brought by Goshkevich, was later not confirmed by anyone and was rejected by subsequent researchers of the herpetofauna of the Far East.

Taxonomic position.

Within this species there are two subspecies. In the regions of northeastern China adjacent to Mongolia, as indicated above, the nominative subspecies E. schrenckii schrenckii is found.

Vertical distribution.

The only specimen known from the territory of Mongolia was noted at an altitude of about 500 m. Emelyanov describes the find of an Amur snake on the Tsama-Dynza mountain near Vladivostok at an altitude of 900 m; According to Pope, in China it rises into the mountains to a height of up to 1000 m above sea level. m.

Reproduction.

There are no data for Mongolia. In the Russian Far East, females lay 11-30 large eggs in mid-June to mid-August, and young ones with a body length of about 300 mm appear in late August - September. Mating occurs in May-June. In the terrarium, mating took place in March-April, after a wintering period lasting 2-3 months at a temperature of about 10 ° C. From 6 to 10 eggs were incubated for 50-60 days at a temperature of 25-26 ° C. The body length of newborn Amur snakes is 300-350 mm. Puberty occurs at the age of two to three years.

Behavior.

Like other types of climbing snakes, the Amur snake often leads a semi-arboreal lifestyle. Emelyanov often observed these snakes in the Far East climbing trees, where he noted them at a height of more than 10 m from the ground. When excited, the tip of the tail vibrates rapidly.

Conservation status.

The Amur snake is distributed in Mongolia at the very edge of its range. The species' range in Mongolia does not fall within protected areas!

Strictly speaking, runner is the name various types snake. All of them belong to the family Colubridae, to the genera big-eyed snakes, scaly-fronted snakes, climbing snakes, slender snakes, hyerophys, Zamenis, Dolichophis, and others.

Let's look at some types of runners. Let's start with representatives of the genus Dolichophis.

Genus Dolichophis

Yellow-bellied snake

The yellow-bellied snake, also called the Caspian snake, is a fairly large snake, but it is not known for its size, but aggressive behavior. The yellow-bellied snake can attack a person and bite until they bleed, but it is worth remembering that the bite of these snakes is not poisonous.

This type of snake is one of the largest European species. There were specimens two and a half meters long, although usually a large snake does not exceed two meters in length. Representatives of the population of this species, living on the islands of the Aegean Sea, are smaller than their continental relatives and do not exceed a meter. Male yellow-bellied snakes are longer than females.

The head of the Caspian snake is small, slightly separated from the body. The muzzle is rounded, the eyes are slightly convex with a round pupil. There are circles around the eyes yellow. The color of the upper body of an adult snake can be yellowish-brown, reddish or cherry-red, olive-brown. Individuals with an almost black color are rarely found. The scales of this species of snake are very smooth.

The Caspian snake belongs to the genus Dolichophis (Latin), to which our next “guest” also belongs.

Red-bellied Snake

The red-bellied snake is a species of the genus Dolichophis. Until recently, these snakes were not identified as a separate species, but were classified as a subspecies of the Caspian snake. It differs from the latter species in some color features, primarily in its reddish belly.

The red-bellied snake lives in the Caucasus, Turkey, and northern Iran; it is also fashionable to meet it in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkmenistan.

This species of snake lives in a variety of places. It can be found along the coast of valley rivers with dense coastal vegetation, in juniper forests and orchards, on xerophytic mountain slopes at an altitude of 1000-1500 m above sea level.

The red-bellied snake is active during the daytime. After hibernation, it wakes up in March. The mating period lasts from mid-April to mid-May; from mid-June to early July, the female lays 6 to 11 eggs. Young snakes are born in September and immediately reach approximately 33 centimeters in length.

The main prey of this type of snake is lizards; it can also hunt small birds, rodents, and other species of snakes. It tries to hide from enemies in rodent holes; if the snake is unable to hide, then it actively defends itself, making throws towards the enemy and trying to bite him. These attacks are accompanied by a loud hissing sound.

The next species in this genus is Dolichophis jugularis.

Dolichophis jugularis

This species is widespread in the territories Southern Europe and the Middle East, namely in Albania, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, the Aegean islands, Syria, Iraq, Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Kuwait, Jordan.

Representatives of this species can reach 2.5 meters in length, but usually an adult is 1.5 meters long. The color of the species is brown or black with a yellowish tint. Adult representatives of this species have faint lines along the back. Young snakes have short transverse stripes on their backs.

It feeds on lizards and small mammals. It is mainly found on the ground, but also crawls well in trees. It is found in dry places, in fields or on hillsides at altitudes up to 2000 meters above sea level.

Genus climbing snakes

Now representatives of this genus are very widespread: in North and Central America, Southern and Central Europe, and Asia.

Let's look at some species from this genus.

The island snake is found only in Japan and the island of Kunashir. Representatives of the species reach a body length of up to 1.3 meters.

This species settles on the seashore, among stones or surf debris, and can also be found in bamboo thickets or litter coniferous forests. This species swims well in both fresh and sea water.

It hunts birds and small mammals; due to hunger, it can also attack Far Eastern frogs. The victim is strangled by wrapping rings around her body and squeezing her, like a boa constrictor.

The most serious enemy of the island snake is the European mink, which was artificially introduced into Kunashir in 1985. Also, active construction leads to a reduction in the species’ natural habitats.

A species of snakes up to 80 centimeters long, lives in the south of the Far East, the northern border of the range reaches approximately Khabarovsk and in the northwest to the Burei and Zeya rivers.

It is found along overgrown banks of rivers and standing reservoirs. Swims and dives well, which is reminiscent of a snake. This species is absolutely harmless to humans.

The species is ovoviviparous; the female gives birth to 8 to 20 cubs up to 20 centimeters long at the end of September.

Patterned snake - this species lives in the vast expanses of Asia. It can be found in Mongolia, Korea, northern China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Southern Siberia, Transcaucasia and further to the northern part of Iran.

The patterned runner reaches a length of one and a half meters. The peculiarity of this species is its very variable coloration. There are monochromatic individuals (melanists), which were previously distinguished into separate subspecies. But as a result of research, it was proven that such color variants are only variants of population variability within the boundaries of one species.

It lives in a variety of conditions, it can be found in deserts, steppes, coniferous or mixed forests, juniper woodlands, orchards and vineyards, river valleys, swampy areas, rice fields, and so on. Swims and dives well, climbs tree branches.

The patterned snake's diet is quite varied; it can eat insects, fish, amphibians and other snakes, not to mention small mammals. This species has known cases of cannibalism, in which the victim is swallowed from the head.

In general, the patterned snake is a special forces species in the genus “climbing snakes.”

At the same time, the patterned snake itself can become prey for small carnivorous mammals, it can also be eaten by birds (in particular, the steppe eagle). The snake tries to hide from the enemy in a shelter.

In the photo: Anastasia Poklontseva, an employee of the Institute of Ecology of the Volga Basin of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in a snake nursery with her pet - a patterned snake.

The length of representatives of this species does not exceed 150 centimeters. The head is slightly elongated, the body is slender, and the tail is short. Among the representatives of the species there are melanists, that is, darkly colored individuals. There are 4 distinct dark stripes on the sides of the body, but they are absent in melanists. The belly is olive or pink, in melanists it is dark gray with a metallic sheen. Young snakes of this species have a brown color and a clear contrasting pattern that disappears with age. The iris of the eyes is dark red, while in melanists it is black.

The small-scaled climbing snake lives on Japanese islands, and on the island of Kunashir. It can settle in a wide variety of places: on the seashore, in thickets of bamboo, on the slope of a volcano, near geothermal springs, and so on.

It feeds mainly on frogs and snakes, including an individual of its own species, and sometimes preys on small rodents or birds.

The four-striped climbing runner is a fairly large species of runner and can reach 260 centimeters in length. The species lives in the northern and eastern Mediterranean, the steppes of Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan, Transcaucasia and Iran.

It feeds on rodents, can eat a young hare, and if you are lucky, it feeds on birds. Juveniles feed on lizards. Easily moves in tree branches in search of bird nests.

It poses no danger to humans and is trying to avoid a meeting. But if she is caught by surprise, she behaves very aggressively, makes sharp lunges towards a potential enemy, trying to bite, and at the same time hisses loudly. The eastern subspecies of this species is the most aggressive.

The Amur snake is one of the most spectacular views snakes living in Russia.

The back color of adult individuals is dark brown or completely black, often with a bluish iridescent sheen. Against this background, there are rare narrow, oblique, forked stripes of white or yellow color on the sides. The ventral side of this species of snake is yellow, often with dark spots. There are completely black individuals of this species.

The Amur snake lives in a wide variety of natural zones, from steppes to mixed forests. Found in the Far East, Mongolia and Northern China and Korea.

The Amur snake preys on mice, small rats, can catch a bird, destroy a bird's nest and eat eggs. There are known cases when the Amur snake made its way into the chicken coop and ate chicken eggs. Small snakes also eat shrews and mollusks.

These snakes do not shy away from people; they can live in gardens, vegetable gardens and attics of residential buildings.

This is not a conflict snake and in case of danger it tries to escape, but when driven into a corner, like other types of snakes, it hisses loudly and attacks. An adult large snake can bite seriously.

This snake gets used to people, eats from hands and reproduces in captivity.

Genus Lepidoptera snakes

Representatives of this genus are up to 160 cm long and live in North Africa, and Asia from Arabian Peninsula in the west to Pakistan and northern India in the east. The range of the genus covers Central Asia and the south of Kazakhstan, where one species of this genus is widespread - the scaly-fronted (or striped) snake, common in the Karakum Desert.

Genus hyerophys

This genus includes 3 species.

Usually the length of the Balkan snake reaches one meter, rarely 1.3 meters. The color of the snake is olive-brown with dark spots, especially visible in the front part of the body.

The Balkan snake is common in northeastern Italy, Greece, and on the eastern coast of the Adriatic (Albania, Croatia, Montenegro).

It lives in dry rocky places, feeds mainly on lizards and large insects, and less often on small mammals and birds.

Striped snake

The striped snake lives from South-Eastern Kazakhstan to Korea and Southern Primorye. It is also found in China and Mongolia. There were several sightings of this species near Khabarovsk, but they are considered an accidental introduction.

Can live in a variety of places: from deserts to sea coasts. Like many species of snakes, it feeds mainly on lizards. The striped snake is included in the Red Books of Russia and Kazakhstan.

The yellow-green snake is a fairly large species and can reach a length of 2.2 meters, although the average adult size is 1 meter. It lives in northeastern Spain, Italy, France, Croatia, Slovenia, Switzerland, and also on the island of Malta.

The color of this species corresponds to its name; it is green or yellow with dark transverse stripes on the back and sides. These stripes are wide and uneven, and on the tail they already have the appearance of intermittent, torn ribbons. In some areas of Italy (particularly Sicily), limited populations of completely black individuals live.

The species prefers dry places to live. The diet of the yellow-green snake is practically no different from the diet of other species of snakes.

Snakes in nature occupy special place and cause an ambiguous attitude towards themselves.

Snake is one generally accepted name for the species diversity of snakes belonging to the colubrid family.

Main types

There are many species related to snakes. Each of these species is distinguished by the number of its representatives.

These include the following varieties:

red-bellied;
thin-tailed;
leopard;
island;
Sarmatian;
green;
multi-colored;
striped;
four-lane;
Japanese;
white;
leopard climbing;
Boulanger's nosed snake.

Snakes are most often found in the southern part of European territories, northern America, and also in Asian countries.

Corn snake (spotted corn snake, or red rat snake)

This is the most popular type among terrarium owners.

The length of the corn snake is from 70 to 120 centimeters. Males have a tail large sizes than in females, and this is practically the only subtle sexual difference.

This representative of colubrids lives on average up to 10 years, with favorable conditions content is capable of reaching the age of majority - 18 years.

Did you know? It was named maize or corn, because most often this snake is found in corn fields or in places where grain is stored; the white and black checkered color of the animal, very similar to corn kernels on the cob, also contributed to this name. This snake began to be called the red rat because of its predilection for rodents, as well as because of the presence of a bright color with reddish, orange or brown hues.

The red rat snake lives in eastern and south-central North America, as well as northern Mexico. This animal can feel comfortable in many places: deciduous forests, rocks, fields, meadow areas, crevices that contribute to its safety.

After birth and up to 4 months, this snake prefers to crawl on the ground; later it begins to colonize trees, bushes, and rocky hills. These snakes, living in areas with cold climates, hibernate for the winter, but in the southern regions the corn snake does not hibernate.
These animals are most active in the warm season at night and before dawn, but in hot weather they try not to get out of their home.

Did you know? The corn snake was found in the mountains at an altitude of about two kilometers above the ground.

Their prey includes rodents, small amphibians and reptiles; they also like to feast on bird eggs. In captivity they feel quite well, especially if the rules of keeping are followed.

Amur (Schrenk's snake, Far Eastern)

Among the unique and most beautiful species of snakes is the Amur snake, or Far Eastern:

the dorsal color of adult representatives of these colubrids is most often found in dark brown or black tones with a characteristic bluish iridescent tint;
narrow oblique white or yellow lines with bifurcation are noticeable on the sides;
The belly of this snake is yellow and has darkish spots;
there are absolutely black representatives of the Amur snake;
its length is about three meters.

Animals feed on rodents and birds, and are capable of destroying a bird’s nest and feasting on eggs. Whenever possible, this snake enters chicken coops and eats chicken eggs. Young representatives of the species feed on shrews and mollusks. These animals have no poison. They are active during daylight hours.

With the arrival of spring, mature individuals meet in a certain place, begin to conduct mating games, observing all the rules of the courtship ritual, which consists in stroking the head of the male with a part of the body of his chosen one, as well as in constant presence near her.

Did you know? Its habitat is the Far East, Mongolia, northern China, Korea, but in Europe and the USA it is called the Russian snake.

After the successful completion of the mating season, the males leave, and the females begin the process of bearing cubs in a state of complete rest and relaxation. In mid-summer, from 10 to 30 eggs or more are laid, their size is up to 5 centimeters in length.
It happens that females combine their clutches, and then their number can be over a hundred. The length of baby snakes when born is up to 30 centimeters. They mature sexually by the age of three.

The Amur snake lives in natural conditions for an average of 11 years.

The Far Eastern snake feels quite comfortable close to people; it can settle in the garden, vegetable garden, or in the attic of a house. It quickly gets used to being surrounded by people, accepts food from people's hands, and is capable of reproducing even in captivity.

He is not prone to conflict; when a dangerous situation arises, he prefers to run, but if he senses a hopeless situation, he defends himself with hissing, attack, and is also capable of biting with serious consequences.

Patterned

The habitat of this species of colubrid is considered to be Asia; it is also found in Mongolia, Korea, northern China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Iran and other countries.

Appearance:

the reptile can be up to one and a half meters long;
its color can be different: there are both monochromatic representatives of the species and multi-colored ones. Young animals are painted in lighter colors (brown with olive, an admixture of red is also possible), later shades of gray appear;
The abdomen of this animal is in light gray tones; yellowness with reddish or darker spots is also possible.

The habitat of animals is quite diverse: deserts, steppes, forests, juniper plantations, gardens, vineyards, valleys of reservoirs, swamps and many other areas.

This representative of colubrids is unpretentious in food; it can eat insects, fish, amphibians, mammals, and snakes. Patterned runners sometimes they turn into cannibals, swallowing their relatives from the head. But he himself becomes a victim of mammalian or bird predators, for example, the steppe eagle.

In males, the maturation process ends much earlier than in females; by the second or third year of life they are ready to reproduce. The mating season, which begins in April, comes to an end in late spring - early May.

Important! For This snake poses no danger to humans. Being in an aggressive state is rare for it; it is a fairly calm animal, so it is ideally suited for keeping in a terrarium.

The female can lay from 5 to 25 eggs at a time in rotten grass near water, in foliage in the forest or rotten stumps. Cubs are born between July and September and are already up to a quarter of a meter in length.

Yellow-bellied snake (Caspian, or common snake)

This representative of the colubrid family is a non-venomous, but aggressive snake, for which it is not difficult to bite a person until blood appears:

among all species of colubrids, this is one of the largest snakes on the European part of the planet, up to 2.5 m in size. Moreover, males are larger in size than females;
the Caspian snake has a relatively small head with a rounded muzzle and bulging eyes, bordered around with yellow rims;
The color of these animals may differ slightly: yellow with brownish, cherry-red or brown with an olive tint. There are individuals of this species that are almost completely black;
The scales of this snake are particularly smooth.

These animals live in the Caucasus, the Balkan Peninsula, Asia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Moldova, the Ciscaucasia, and the Volga region. They prefer open, non-humid areas, so they feel best in desert, steppe areas, on the slopes of mountains and rocks.

Important! The yellow-bellied (Caspian) snake differs from other species in its ability to become attached to its shelter, therefore from any trip it returns to it as if it were home.

These snakes are able to overcome heights of up to two kilometers. They can also be found on river banks, where they hunt for prey.

Their prey is various vertebrate representatives of the animal world on the ground and in burrows: lizards, birds and their clutches, rodents and snakes, as well as large insects and frogs.

These snakes spend mating games in pairs. During mating, the male covers the female by the neck with his mouth, and both animals become less vigilant. After one to one and a half months, the female lays from 6 to 12 eggs in tree hollows and crevices.
These animals become sexually mature by the age of four. Under natural conditions, their life expectancy is from 7 to 8 years.

Important! The enemies of these snakes are foxes, martens, large birds, as well as humans, who, taking advantage of the animals’ preference to live in open conditions, destroys them. The number of these colubrids is also reduced by plowing steppe areas and the development of cattle breeding in their habitat areas.

Redback

The red-backed snake most often lives in the southern part of the Far East, Korea, and China. Prefers overgrown coastal areas. Distinguished by the ability to swim and dive.

Appearance:

its length averages up to 80 centimeters, so it is one of the smallest representatives of the family;
The color of the redback snake is olive with brown or brown;
along the upper part of the body there are oblong dark spots with a light rim located in four rows;
the yellow belly of this snake is decorated with rectangular spots placed in a checkerboard pattern;
at the top of the head there is a bizarre pattern of darkish stripes.

The red-backed snake is a viviparous species; at one time, around September, 8–20 babies are born, on average 20 centimeters in length.

A person has absolutely no fear of this snake. When she defends herself, the front part of her body becomes thinner, and she rushes in the direction of the enemy, while her tail is in a state of vibration.

Until recently, this species of snake was considered a subspecies of the yellow-bellied snake, from which it differs in the form of a reddish belly. He lives in Turkey, Iran, Armenia, Georgia and other countries.

Its habitats are quite diverse: the coastal zone of rivers located in the valley and having dense vegetation, gardens, forests, mountain slopes, as well as populated areas.
The red-bellied snake is most active during daylight hours. In winter it goes into hibernation, from which it emerges with the arrival of spring.

From April to May, these snakes mate, after which the female lays 6–11 eggs in June–July. The cubs are born in September, measuring more than 30 cm in height.

Like most other species of these snakes, the red-bellied snake feeds on lizards, birds, rodents, and snakes. From danger, it finds shelter in the holes of mice and other rodents, but if it fails, then in defense it tries to attack with a constant hiss and try to bite the enemy.

This species of snake originates from China, where it was discovered on the island of Taiwan. The animal has become widespread throughout southeast Asia.
The thin-tailed climbing snake has the following appearance features:

a fairly large animal up to two meters long, although it has a short tail;
the head externally merges with the neck and has a uniform color;
color in light olive tones;
a pair of stripes are noticeable along the back, periodically connected by transverse lines; this ornament resembles a staircase;
the belly is characterized by a yellow or white tint;
males have more long tail than females.

The thin-tailed snake is distinguished by its calmness and leisurely movement. In its natural environment it can live close to a person’s home; it adapts and gets used to people with ease.

It is active during the daytime, but during hot weather, as well as in the morning and evening, it hides in shelters. This snake is a terrestrial animal that is excellent at climbing trees.
The thin-tailed snake lives from 9 to 17 years in its natural habitat. When kept in captivity, it does not require special conditions.

Big Eyed

The big-eyed snake is a beautiful animal distinguished by its large eyes. Its length reaches two meters.

Did you know? The largest specimen of the big-eyed snake was discovered in India, the length was three and a half meters.

Depending on the region where it lives, the color of the animal can vary from yellow to brown, as well as black. Young animals are distinguished by lighter tones: gray with gray-white scales.

The snake lives in the south and southeast of Asia, as well as in the southern part of Russian territories. Although this animal is considered desert, it is friendly with water. If there are bodies of water or swampy areas, the big-eyed snake lives there. Excellent climbing trees, where it shelters from the heat.
With the end of the spring period and the beginning of the summer period, the female lays from 7 to 16 eggs. After a couple of months, offspring appear, impressive in size up to 40 centimeters. After a year, their length is already a meter.

Important! The big-eyed snake is attractive because it is not an aggressive representative of colubrids.

These reptiles have the following features:

medium in size, their body length is a little more than a meter including the tail;
the scales are smooth, without a feeling of ribbing;
the color of these snakes can be gray, light brown, or brownish;
dorsal patterns come in several types, depending on the location of the stripes;
the abdomen can have a color from light to black;
the head is distinguished by the presence of an outlined black pattern.

The leopard climbing snake lives in countries in the eastern Mediterranean, and is also found in Crimea. It feels comfortable on the slopes of mountains and rocks, in their crevices, under stones, in dry valley areas, and in rodent burrows. These animals are active from early spring to late autumn.

These snakes mate from late spring to early summer. Laying of 2–8 eggs occurs in June-July. The latest clutch was seen in November.

The prey of these reptiles are birds, rodents, lizards, shrews and other animals. These snakes are not poisonous.

Important! The leopard climbing snake is included in the Red Book.

Ostrovny

This species lives only in Japan and on the island of Kunashir. In places of settlement there is a sea rocky shore, it is also found in bamboo thickets and coniferous forests. These representatives of colubrids can swim.
Their appearance:

the island snake reaches a length of 1.3 m, its tail is from 25 to 30 cm;
the relatively large head is noticeably separated from the wide body;
adult representatives have a blue and green or grayish and olive color;
young animals are characterized by yellow, brown, brown shades in color, as well as the presence of a black rim with spots in the ridge area and on the sides;
on the back at any age, 4 stripes along the ridge are clearly visible, characterized by intermittence;
the belly is usually colored in blue and gray shades and has a characteristic shine.

It feeds on birds, mammals, and amphibians. It tries to strangle the prey by wrapping it around its entire body and squeezing it.

Important! The European mink is the main threat to the island snake. It was brought to the island of Kunashir in 1985. Also, the threat to the existence of these animals is posed by increased construction, which has caused a significant reduction in the places where these snakes could live.

They are active from May to October, after which they leave for the winter. Eggs are laid in numbers from 4 to 10 from late June to early July. Island snakes are usually ripe for reproduction by the age of three.

Sarmatian (Pallas snake)

Representatives of this species have the following external characteristics:

with age, the Sarmatian snake grows in length from 1.2 to 1.4 m, in some cases these figures can be 2 meters;
painted in yellowish and brown tones with spots arranged in rows. Sometimes there are dark individuals with the absence of light areas, and sometimes almost white;

since the color of Sarmatian snakes is not the same type, their abdominal part can be either deep yellow, orange, or almost white;
The process of changing the color of a young snake occurs when it grows up to half a meter, and when it reaches a length of 70 centimeters, the animal acquires a permanent color.

The habitat of the Pallas snake is quite wide: from Asia and Kazakhstan to the Balkan Peninsula. They live in forest-steppe and steppe zones, semi-deserts and areas with subtropical vegetation, as well as in the mountains. Animals prefer open areas for living, and especially appreciate those places where there are a lot of rodents.

These snakes are active until November and emerge from wintering with the arrival of spring. Thanks to their color, they are perfectly camouflaged in the area. When in danger, they rush at the enemy with an active hiss, their mouths open. But they can remain calm and not show aggression. They eat rodents, birds, lizards, eggs.

Important! Snakes have the prudent nature of preparing an egg saw in their jaws, with which they crush the shell. But the reptile does not always use it, and then the whole egg gets inside.

The Pallas snake is capable of not eating for more than a month, which mainly happens in anticipation of wintering or during breeding.
Snakes begin to mate almost immediately after leaving the winter quarters. The female lays from 6 to 16 eggs.

Female Sarmatian snakes are very caring expectant mothers, and are also ready to selflessly protect their brood. These animals lay eggs in June, and by September their cubs hatch, weighing up to 17 g and growing up to 26 cm.

The Sarmatian snake can be kept in artificial terrarium conditions.

This representative of the colubrid family is also not a poisonous snake. Male green snakes are slightly shorter than females, whose average length is almost two and a half meters.

But at the same time, males are brighter in color than their female counterparts. Green, almost emerald tones give this species an extraordinary personality. This color scheme can be complemented by brown tones, allowing the animal to remain unnoticed among thickets and trees.
There is also a mesh-like pattern on the back. The belly can be either a light greenish tint or yellowish. The belly scutes are characterized by strength, allowing them to crawl through trees without any difficulty.

Sometimes you can see representatives of this species in a monochromatic brown color with a reddish tint.

When in danger, the animal begins to inflate the sac located near its neck, making it appear much larger. This type of snake is active during the daytime. They rarely descend to the ground, preferring to stay in the hollows of trees.

The prey of these snakes are birds, which they catch almost on the fly, while hanging on tree branches.

The emerald snake also feels quite good in artificially created conditions, and it can also get used to eating rodents.

Multicolored

A multi-colored representative of the colubrid family is characterized by the following external characteristics:

this animal has an average size of up to 1.2 meters, with almost half the length being the tail;
the dorsal part of the snake’s body is in gray and brown tones, with brown or blackened elongated diamond-shaped stripes visible on it different sizes spots, in adults there may be more than sixty of them;
several pairs of darkish spots with a light rim are noticeable on the head, which most often form a symmetrical pattern;
The belly of these snakes is yellow with pinkish hues and has darkish inclusions.

Inhabits territories from Asia Minor lands to northwestern China. Prefers rocks and mountain slopes, hides under stones, in crevices, in burrows of rodents, turtles and other animals. Animals remain active from February to November, and in some areas until December.
Lays 5 to 18 eggs between June and July, which begin to hatch in September. This type of snake feeds on rodents, birds and their chicks, and lizards.

Important! The salivation of the colorful snake is its means of defense and can be toxic, causing local poisoning if it enters the human body.

The habitat of these snakes is from the southeast of Kazakhstan to Korea and the south of Primorye, China, Mongolia. The habitats of this animal are quite diverse: from desert to sea areas, in open forests, on mountain slopes, in river valleys.

Important! The striped snake can easily be confused in size, color and speed of movement with the arrow snake (Psammophis lineolatus), which is poisonous and lives in the same territories as it. But their external difference consists of the presence of a light stripe along the entire ridge of a representative of the colubrid family.

This is a relatively small representative of the colubrid family:

its length is a little less than a meter;
rounded muzzle - distinctive feature this animal;
also an equally memorable feature of the striped snake is the catchiness and effectiveness of its appearance, which consists in the variety of colors from light brown, greenish, olive shades to dark gray tones on the upper part of the body, white and yellow stripes framed by dark dotted and solid lines, located along the ridge;
The belly of the animal is quite light, in shades of gray.

Important! The striped snake is included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, as well as Kazakhstan. It does not pose any danger to humans, but people often kill it when they see this animal.

In food he prefers lizards and rodents. When danger approaches, the animal tries to hide in suitable places. These oviparous snakes lay 4 to 9 eggs in July, hatching within a few weeks.

It's pretty great view families of colubrids:

reach a length of 2.6 meters, the thickness is up to 6 centimeters;
skin color shows sufficient variability: there may be stripes, as well as spots, brown, black, brown tones, which can become completely black with age;
The brightness of the color is given by the red and orange tone of certain elements of the scales;
The belly of snakes of this species is yellowish, spots can be visible on it.

The habitat consists of the territories of the north and east of the Mediterranean, the steppe territories of Ukraine, the Russian Federation, Transcaucasia, Kazakhstan, and Iran.

The prey of the four-striped climbing snake are hares and lizards; it gives particular preference to birds, their chicks and eggs.

Active from April to October during daylight hours. The mating process occurs in May, when snakes begin to observe the mating fast.
The resulting pregnancy lasts a couple of months, ending with the laying of 4 to 6 eggs approximately in mid-summer. Females often show responsibility, protecting their clutches until the cubs appear with the arrival of autumn.

Applies various ways for the purpose of protection:

fast movement from tree to tree;
may fall like a stone from a tree if found there;
aggressive hissing;
making jumps towards the enemy.

Listed in the Red Book of many countries.

Important! It does not pose a threat to a person, but if suddenly disturbed, it shows strong aggression, lunging sharply towards the offender, emitting an intense hiss, trying to bite. The eastern subspecies is capable of particular aggression.

Japanese

This species of the colubrid family has not been sufficiently studied and was isolated separately quite recently. Prefers habitats with warm climatic conditions.

On the island of Kunashir (Japan) it huddles in grasses, thickets of bamboo, on forest edges, among stones near heat-generating sources and volcanic craters. It is active from April to October.
It begins to reproduce in the spring and lays 4–8 eggs between August and September. In food it gives preference to rodents, birds and their eggs.

The Japanese snake is a snake of small size, as for representatives of the colubrid family:

length is up to 0.8 meters;
the color is mostly monochromatic: brownish-gray, olive-gray, brown-brown, red-chocolate tones are possible;
the belly is dark gray or even black;
The color of young animals is somewhat different from mature animals in brightness: gray-yellow, orange with dark spots on the dorsal and lateral parts.

Did you know? The Japanese snake differs from most other species of the colubrid family in the number of rows of scales on its body.

This is a very beautiful snake with eyes blue color and white skin tone, grows a little less than two meters. Her head is distinguished by its flat shape, reminiscent of the tip of a spear.

Distributed throughout North America from southern Canada to the southern United States. It can feel comfortable in different natural areas: river valleys, ravines, forests, bushes, and is found near cities.
It gives preference in food to lizards, rodents, quails and other birds, bird eggs, and amphibians.

The female is capable of laying 12–20 eggs at a time, which are born after approximately 70 days. The temperature regime for the survival of babies is needed at a level from +27 to +29 degrees.

White Texas snake is not a poisonous representative of snakes, but is distinguished by its aggressiveness, especially when it senses danger and a hopeless situation. These snakes live up to 17 years.

This type of reptile is perfect for keeping even for novice hobbyists.

Representatives of this species grow up to 1 m 30 cm and are slender.

Did you know? The species received its name due to the presence on the muzzle of individuals of an elongated and upward-curved nose, covered with small scales.

The eyes of these snakes are large and have a round pupil. The coloring of almost all representatives of the species is the same - uniform greenish.
The species is widespread in the tropics of southern China and northern Vietnam. Living in trees is suitable for representatives of this species; here they improve their homes.

But trees should be located near rivers or lakes, and there should be a lot of vegetation on the banks. They are active at night.

The prey of these snakes are rodents, birds and other small animals. The laying of eggs in an amount of 5 to 10 in females of the Boulanger snake occurs quite early - from April to May.

After a couple of months, cubs are born up to 35 cm long, having a grayish-brown tint with darker stripes along the body.

During the first year, babies acquire gray with some steely tint, and after a couple of years - a permanent greenish color.

All types of snakes feel great in artificial living conditions; they quickly adapt and get used to people.

To do this, terrarium owners must comply with a number of conditions:

To stimulate the snake to reproduce, it needs to winterize.
The snake's daylight hours should be 12 hours. She also needs radiation to replace sun rays. In summer, if the weather is good, the snake can be taken outside to bask in the sun. In winter, the snake, like other snakes, hibernates.
Within 2-3 weeks, the snake’s daylight hours should be reduced to 8 hours, the night heating should be turned off and food should be stopped, then the daylight hours should be reduced by another 4 hours and the daytime heating should be turned off.
The snake is then placed in a light-proof, ventilated cage filled with sawdust or well-pressed sphagnum moss. The temperature during wintering should not exceed 17 degrees. You need to bring the snake out of hibernation in the same order. If several snakes live in a terrarium, then females and males are brought out of hibernation separately.

Contents of the corn snake: video

Terrarium

In order for these representatives of the colubrid family to feel comfortable in captivity, the terrarium for them must be of sufficient size and have a horizontal appearance. Each species is distinguished by its specific dimensions, according to which the terrarium is selected.

Depending on preferences and natural features One type or another needs to be equipped with a container. When determining the height of the terrarium for the snake, you need to take into account the presence of lamps for lighting.

Required containment conditions:

Almost all snakes like to be kept in warm conditions, so appropriate temperature regime in the terrarium: from +28 to +32 degrees during the daytime and from +23 to +25 at night. With the help of heating, it is necessary to provide conditions under which one corner should be warmer than the other.
It is necessary to monitor air humidity, this will be facilitated by the presence of sphagnum, as well as additional air irrigation. Since almost all snakes can swim, it would be a good idea to install a container of water where the snakes can both swim and soak during the molting period. The water should be changed systematically and have an appropriate warm temperature. Regularly, at least once a week, you need to clean the terrarium.
Additionally, in the terrarium for a comfortable stay of snakes, it is necessary to provide places and objects for their shelter, as well as for crawling: houses, sticks, flower pots, branches, snags and more.
The soil in the terrarium will also be useful, for which gravel, sand, paper material, and coconut peels are used.

Feeding

Rodents (mice, rats, hamsters), chickens, quails and other birds are suitable for consumption as food for almost all types of snakes. It is recommended to feed systematically, preferably once every few days. To strengthen the immune system, you can give these snakes vitamins and minerals, crushed eggshells, and calcium.

Home cleaning

To avoid problems with the health of snakes, you need to periodically remove the terrarium from its waste products. Water and soil must be replaced, all equipment must be periodically changed and refreshed.

Precautions

At home, when caring for snakes, you need to follow a few tips on precautions when keeping these animals:

You can buy a pet at a zoological store, but it is better to do this from snake breeders; here it is better to immediately find out about all the features of keeping the animal;
a properly selected and equipped terrarium will help avoid many problems with snakes;
maintain the correct temperature;
snakes that have become pets should, just like other pets, undergo a systematic examination by specialists checking the condition of the eyes, teeth, scales, breathing, heart function and other organs;
runners are not poisonous snakes, but some of them, in a state of aggression, are capable of attacking a person, biting him and even strangling the owner with their muscular and strong body, so you need to be especially careful and attentive in your behavior with such pets;
It is better to feed snakes with frozen carcasses, this will help to avoid many diseases (for example, salmonellosis) that can be transmitted by feeding live rodents or other animals;
snakes can carry salmonella and other infections, so hand washing should be mandatory after every interaction with them.

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Elaphe spinalis Peters, 1866

Description:. Body length up to 860 mm, tail length up to 250 mm. The tip of the muzzle is bluntly rounded. The upperparts are light brown, greenish-olive or dark gray. A narrow white or yellow stripe, bordered by more or less pronounced dark dotted lines or solid dark stripes, originates in the front part of the frontal shield, along the seam between the parietals and stretches to the end of the tail. The back of the body has dark and light brown longitudinal stripes. The ventral side of the body is light yellow with light gray transverse stripes. At the border of the ventral scutes, a light gray dotted line runs from the head and reaches the tail. The underside of the tail is greyish.

Spreading: Although assumptions about the distribution of the striped snake in the Ussuri region have been made since the beginning of the century, the first reliable find of this species on the territory of Russia was registered only recently. It is confined to Penzovoy Zal Bay. Posyet to the south. parts of Primorsky Krai. In the same bay, 2 more specimens of this species were found, which finally decided the question of the habitat of this species in the Far East. Finds in the vicinity of Khabarovsk are more likely explained by importation from China. Outside Russia it is found in the Zaisan Basin to the southeast. Kazakhstan, widespread in the north. China, Mongolia and Korea.

Habitat: In Penzovaya Bay, a striped snake was found in old willow reinforced concrete banks on the seashore in thickets of rose hips, not far from a grass-sedge swamp. No lifestyle data available. There are differences in the habitats of this species in the Far East with its humid maritime climate and in Kazakhstan or Mongolia in arid landscapes. In China, it is found along river banks, on bush-covered mountain slopes, and also in sparse forests. Feeds mainly on lizards; clutch of 4-9 eggs in early July.

Number: There are no registration data for the territory of Russia. A total of 5 finds were registered in the Far East, 2 of which are unreliable, and therefore further study of the species’ range is necessary. There is a point of view about the rise in the number of the species, which is associated with the latest finds in the south of Primorye.

Security: Protected in the Far Eastern Marine Reserve.

Description

Reaching a length of 86 cm, the tail makes up about 1/3 of the body. The muzzle is bluntly rounded. Around the middle of the body there are 17 scales, ventral scutes - 188-207, and subcaudal scutes - 91 - 101 pairs. The anal shield is divided.

From above, the body has grayish-olive or brownish shades, with a white or yellow narrow stripe stretching from the frontal shield along the ridge to the end of the tail and bordered by dark dotted or solid lines. Dark longitudinal stripes are visible in the back of the body. The belly is light yellow, on the lateral edges of the abdominal scutes it runs along a grayish dotted line. The tail is grayish below.

Spreading

The striped snake lives from South-Eastern Kazakhstan (Zaisan Colony) to Korea and Southern Primorye (Penzovaya Bay of Posiet Bay - just a few finds). It is also found in China and Mongolia. Findings of this species near Khabarovsk are considered an accidental introduction.

Lifestyle

The striped snake inhabits very different habitats: from arid gravelly-wormwood deserts and mountain slopes overgrown with shrubs to coastal areas of rivers and the sea. In the Far East, it was found in clusters of rose hips near a grass-sedge bog. The diet is dominated by lizards. In early July, the female lays 4-9 eggs. It hides from enemies both in bushes and in rodent burrows. How rare species on the periphery of its range it is included in the Red Books of Kazakhstan and Russia.

Notes

Literature

Ananyeva N. B., Orlov N. L., Khalikov R. G., Darevsky I. S., Ryabov S. A., Barabanov A. V. Atlas of reptiles of Northern Eurasia (taxonomic diversity, geographical distribution and conservation status). - St. Petersburg. : Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2004. - pp. 136-137. - 1000 copies. - ISBN 5-98092-007-2
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. 265-266. - 415 s. DjVu, 18Mb

Links

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