Desert snake efa: description, habitat and danger to humans. Efa sand snake: description and behavioral characteristics Cruel or ferocious

The snake that will be discussed in this article belongs to the family of vipers, and they, in turn, are considered the crown of the evolution of reptiles and are recognized as the most poisonous snakes in the world. The sandy efa, despite its beautiful appearance and quite friendly character, capable of poisoning her opponent in a matter of seconds strong poison, which, even after administration of the serum, will remind the bitten person of health problems for the rest of his life.

What does sand efa look like?

These cold-blooded creatures are not large in size, average length their body length is 70–75 cm, and individuals longer than one meter are very rare. Males are slightly larger than females. Their body is decorated with white spots, and two zigzag lines run along the sides, giving the snake an elegant and unusual appearance.

There is a design on the head that looks like a cross or a bird soaring in the sky. The eyes are large, round in shape, the color of the iris depends on the overall color of the scales, the pupil is vertical. The ventral side is light yellow, and the color of the scales can be either golden or brown - the exact color depends on the area where the snakes live.

The body of the efa is covered with small and rough scales, some of them grow in opposite direction and are used by the snake to notify others of its appearance - they make a special sound, similar to a rustling or a kind of rustling.

Did you know? The sand epha is capable of jumping to a height of more than one meter and approximately three meters in length. An angry female, guarding her nest, will rush at her opponent with lightning speed without warning of the attack. That is why in mating season snakes are especially dangerous.

Is the bite dangerous for humans?

It is not for nothing that the sand epha is one of the ten most poisonous snakes on Earth. Every fifth person bitten by the sand ephas dies. The toxins contained in its venom have a special effect on the hematopoietic process - they sharply reduce the level of fibrinogen, a special protein responsible for blood clotting.
Without providing the necessary assistance, the person bitten will soon begin to bleed heavily - from the wound at the site of the bite, nose, ears and even throat. A particular danger is the long wait for the body's reaction to the poison - fatal outcome may occur 40 days after the ephas bite.

It should be noted that these snakes prefer to lead a reclusive lifestyle and avoid meeting people. As practice shows, most efa bites occurred because of humans - the victims either stepped on the reptile or stirred up its nest, even if this happened unintentionally.

Where does it live?

Efa prefers to hide in thickets of branchy bushes that grow in sandy areas, on the banks of shallow rivers, as well as in areas where loess and clay soils predominate.
This species of venomous snake is widespread in the deserts of India, northeast Africa and the arid areas of East Asia and the Arabian Peninsula.

What does it eat?

Sand ephs differ from their relatives by increased activity - they are in constant movement, even after hearty lunch. The main part of the sand epha's diet consists of various insects - locusts, beetles and centipedes. Adults are not averse to pampering themselves with small rodents, chicks and even small lizards.

Important! One of the main rules of providing first medical care When bitten by poisonous snakes, the procedure is to suck out the poison from the wound at the site of the bite. This technique significantly reduces the amount of toxins that enter the human blood. But this is effective only in the first ten minutes after the bite.

The snake goes out hunting after dark, but encountering it during the day is not uncommon.
True, on particularly hot days she does not leave her hole, preferring to move in the cool of the night. At slight decrease temperatures in winter period they can easily overwinter without hibernating.

Mating season and reproduction

Mating dances among Ephs begin with the beginning of winter, and mating begins in January. Another feature of this breed of snake is viviparity. The female gives birth to babies in March; in total, the offspring range from three to fifteen nimble babies. Their body length immediately after birth does not exceed 15 cm.

Now you know what one of the most poisonous snakes on the planet looks like. When planning to visit countries where you might come face to face with the sandfly, stay away from it. favorite places habitat - rocky cliffs and dense bushes.

Class: Reptilia = Reptiles

Subclass: Lepidosauria = Lepidosaurs, scaly lizards

Order: Squamata Oppel = Scaly

Suborder: Serpentes (Ophidia) Linnaeus = Snakes

Genus: Echis Merrem = (Sand) ephas

Species: Echis carinatus Schneid = Sand epha

Sandy Efa - Echis carinatus* Schneid* IN lately highlighted independent species, living in the USSR, Echis multisquamatus.

Class Reptiles, or Reptiles - Reptilia Suborder Snakes - Ophidia, or Serpentes Viper Family - Viperidae

Ecology and biology. A small snake up to 80 cm long. The color varies, but the typical color of the body is grayish-sand with light zigzag stripes on the sides. Light transverse stripes are clearly visible along the top of the body. There is a characteristic light cross-shaped pattern on the head. With the help of small ribbed scales on the sides of the body, the efa produces a characteristic dry rustling sound. Another feature of the f-hole is the so-called “side passage”, traces of which are clearly visible in the sand.

Occurs from east coast Caspian to Aral Sea, in Southern Uzbekistan and Southwestern Tajikistan. The habitats are very diverse: sands overgrown with saxaul, open forests, mountain slopes, river terraces, etc. favorable conditions the number of efa can be very high. From February to June there is a daytime service, and in the summer - night look life. They feed on mouse-like rodents, small birds, frogs, and sometimes other snakes. In July - August, females give birth to 3-15 cubs up to 16 cm long. Young ephs feed on invertebrates, including: centipedes, scorpions, locusts.

Efa is a very mobile snake, its throws are swift and therefore dangerous.

Picture of poisoning. Poisoning is accompanied by hemorrhagic edema, bleeding from the wound, nose, gums, extensive subcutaneous hemorrhages, foci of hemorrhage in internal organs, hematuria, shortness of breath, palpitations, muscle pain.

Chemical composition and the mechanism of action of the poison. The poison contains enzymes with proteolytic activity, as well as L-amino acid oxidase, phosphodiesterase, hyaluronidase, NGF, phospholipase A2. Among proteinases and esterases, enzymes that hydrolyze casein, arginine esters, kininogenases and arylamidase have been characterized.

Toxicity (DL50) of whole venom for mice is 0.72 mg/kg with i.v. administration and 5.4 mg/kg with i.p. administration. In poisoned animals, there is a lack of coordination of movements, convulsions, and bleeding of mucous membranes. The poison causes necrosis of the renal cortex. The drop in blood pressure is explained by a decrease in peripheral resistance and the physiological effects of kinins released in the body. Disturbances in the blood coagulation system are dramatic. The most toxic (DL50 0.6 mg/kg) is the venom fraction that has a proteolytic effect and leads to coagulopathies. Venom enzymes cause direct activation of prothrombin, transforming it into thrombin. In addition, the poison inactivates antithrombin III. As a result, the resulting thrombin is not activated, but is only sorbed on fibrin. For these reasons, heparin therapy for DIC caused by epha poison is not advisable. Practical significance. Epha poison can be used as a diagnostic drug for diseases of the blood coagulation system, instead of expensive foreign ones. Used in the production of polyvalent anti-snake serum.....

Poisonous animals and plants of the USSR/B.N. Orlov, D.B. Gelashvili, A.K. Ibragimov. - M.: Higher. school, 1990. - 272 s.

Not all snakes come from eggs. There is a viviparous snake efa, photos and videos of which we invite you to watch today. Efa is not only viviparous, but also very poisonous.

The sand ephas is one of the ten most poisonous snakes on our planet. Its bite is extremely painful and dangerous. Let's get to know this amazing snake better.

This snake is a reptile that scientists classify as a member of the Squamate order. The name of this animal comes from the Latin - “Echis carinatus”. The sand ephas belongs to the viper snake family and is considered one of the ten most poisonous snakes in the world.

What does Sandy Efa look like?

Representatives of this species of reptiles in adulthood acquire not very large sizes. Very rarely their length exceeds 100 centimeters. Typically, the length of an adult sand epha is approximately 70 centimeters. These animals are quite noticeable because they have a fairly bright yellow or golden color. The body of the efa is “decorated” with a long zigzag pattern from the head to the end of the body, and the entire snake is covered with light spots (on the body) and dark spots (on the head). If you look at everything dark spots on the head, you can see something like a cross.

It is not for nothing that Efa belongs specifically to the Scaly order, because there are small ribbed scales all over its body. The scales, which are located on the sides of the snake’s body, have jagged ribs.

The snake moves very interestingly: it first throws its head to the side, then throws the back part of its body forward and to the side, and only then pulls up the front part of itself. This type of movement is called "lateral movement". After the snake has crawled across the sand, its trace remains in the form of oblique stripes.

Features of the Efa lifestyle

Snakes of this species are in constant motion throughout their lives. No matter what the efa does, she remains mobile. Even after she has “had lunch” and the food is digested inside her, she continues to move. Such an active life for many snakes stops when the period of hibernation begins for reptiles, but this does not apply to the sand ephe. Then, when the rest of the representatives of the “snake kingdom” are already motionless and hibernating, the efa continues its active life. If winter is not cold, then its onset will not affect the activity of the snake in any way.

It is noteworthy that the sand epha is a species of viviparous snake, that is, its cubs are born in the form of small snakes. Mating of individuals of this species often occurs in January, and young snakes are born as early as March. Typically, one female gives birth to from 3 to 16 cubs.

Snakes related to this species, feed, as a rule, on insects, as well as small mammals. They love grasshoppers, various beetles, centipedes, small lizards, scorpions and even chicks. And among mammals they prefer to eat mice.

Where does the Sandy epha live?

These snakes are called Sandy because they live most often in deserts. Therefore, snakes of this species are common in Africa, and, in addition, in the deserts located on the territory of the Eurasian continent (in its Asian part). On the territory of the Hindustan Peninsula, scientists have discovered a record accumulation of sand effluents.

Most of all, ephs prefer thickets of bushes or tall grass, but they can also live on rocky surfaces, as well as clay areas.

How dangerous is sand epha?

It has been proven that the efa can kill a person with its bite. Just 1 milligram of sand epha poison is enough to kill dozens of people. Scientists conducted research and made sensational statement that every seventh person on our planet who died from a poisonous snake bite became a victim of the Sandy epha.

We present to you the top 10 the most poisonous snakes on the planet. Snakes can be found anywhere from the forests and steppes of Russia to the Australian deserts and African tropics. According to statistics, snake bites cause about 125 thousand deaths per year worldwide.

Good news: chances of dying from snake bite are miniscule compared to the risk of death from cancer, heart disease, or car accident. Bad news: to be bitten by a snake is very painful way die. Those lucky enough to survive described various horrific symptoms, such as the inability to breathe normally, numbness in their limbs and failure of various organs. And although doctors have developed many antidotes, the cure still needs to be obtained. However, even the most poisonous snake in the world does not sleep at all and sees how to bite a person. Usually these creatures want to be left alone. And it is better to fulfill this desire if you value your life.

10. Kaisaka, also known as labaria (Bothrops atrox) – lethal dose of poison 50 mg

Due to the yellow color of the chin, this representative of the pit viper family is also called the “yellow beard.” Kaisaka is an aggressive creature that often crawls into human habitation. Found in Central America and tropical South America. The venom of this snake acts very quickly and is fatal within a few minutes. Workers in coffee and banana plantations often become victims of labaria.

9. Black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) – 10-15 mg

The snake, sometimes called the "black mouth", also known as the black mamba, inhabits the savannas and woodlands of tropical Africa and can often be found near termite mounds. The body color varies from gray to dark brown, and the reptile's name comes from the black mouth cavity, as can be seen in the photo of the attacking mamba. Black mamba - fast snake, possessing extremely powerful poison containing a toxic mixture of neurotoxin and cardiotoxin. It kills most victims, including humans, within 20 minutes. Despite its aggressive reputation, the mamba does not rush at a person first and attacks only when it is cornered or taken by surprise. The mamba is also the longest species of venomous snake in Africa and the second longest in the world.

8. Boomslang (Dispholidus typus) – lethal dose 10-12 mg

The most beautiful snake from the colubrid family lives in Sub-Saharan Africa and hunts by expanding the front part of its body. Usually it hangs motionless on a tree or bush, imitating a branch with its shape. For this reason, it was called a “tree snake” by the Dutch settlers (boom - tree, slang - snake). Boomslang injects poison when chewing its victim, because its teeth are located almost in the middle of its mouth, and not at its beginning, like other representatives of the rating of the most poisonous snakes in the world. Its venom is dominated not by a neurotoxin, but by a hemotoxin, which causes the destruction of red blood cells. Boomslang is a very shy snake and thanks to its good eyesight is able to promptly avoid meeting a person. However, if you grab it, the bite is inevitable. This is how the famous herpentologist and zoologist Carl Paterson Schmidt died from a boomslang in 1957.

7. King Cobra (Ophiophagus Hannah) – 7 mg

Is the longest poisonous snake on Earth. Most individuals reach 3-4 meters in length, and there are also 5.6-meter giants. The queen snake's venom is so dangerous that it can kill an elephant in just a few hours. For a person, 15 minutes is enough. Fortunately for humans, the cobra prefers not to waste its main weapon and does not bite without warning. She can bite “idly”, without injecting poison or releasing a minimal amount of it.

Lives king cobra V tropical forests South and Southeast Asia, and prefers to hunt rat snakes. She does not disdain poisonous “colleagues”.

6. Taipan (Oxyuranus) – 5 mg

In sixth place on the snake hit parade is the most dangerous snake in Australia and one of the most poisonous creatures on Earth. If you've ever heard the expression “be careful, you're dealing with a sensitive, excitable little bastard,” it perfectly describes the taipan. Any movement near this nervous reptile will most likely provoke an attack. The taipan's venom contains a neurotoxin that works by paralyzing the victim's muscles, which in turn stops breathing. Without an antidote, a taipan bite always ends in death. The person who has been bitten has approximately 30 minutes to get to the hospital.

5. Sandy epha (Echis carinatus) – 5 mg

About 5 mg of poison is enough to kill a person. This is perhaps the most dangerous and deadly snake on our list, as scientists believe that the sand ephas has killed more people than other species of snakes combined. The poisonous reptile is so mobile and aggressive that it bites several times. Ephs are not afraid of people; they often crawl into homes, basements and utility rooms in search of food. Those who survive an epha attack may develop kidney problems due to blood coagulation defects.

4. Harlequin adder (Micrurus fulvius) – 4 mg

Mother Nature's brightly colored snake is found in the southeastern United States and northeastern Mexico. This is the only snake in North America, laying eggs rather than giving birth to young. This poisonous beauty prefers not to attack people, but if he really has to, he attacks with lightning speed and without help, the death of the victim occurs within 20 hours. Therefore, it is better to admire him on video and never meet him in life.

3. Indian krait (Bungarus caeruleus) – 2.5 mg

These small reptiles and their relative, the ribbon krait (Bungarus multicinctus), are responsible for the deaths of thousands of people every year across South Asia. In their range from Pakistan to India and Sri Lanka, kraits often crawl into homes to hunt rodents and often bite people while they sleep. The bite of this snake causes paralysis of the facial muscles and sometimes the entire body. Death from respiratory failure can occur within 1 to 6 hours if antivenom is not administered.

2. Tiger snake (Notechis scutatus) – fatal dose 1.5 mg

It lives on the southern edge of Australia and nearby islands in the region. When this fierce, venomous predator prepares to strike, it bends its head and neck in the manner of Asian and African cobras. Tiger snakes are very aggressive and kill more people in Australia than any other snake on this continent.

1. Enhydrina schistosa – 1.5 mg

Although the question is which snake is the most poisonous is controversial, enhydrina is often considered to be the deadliest of all.

This reptile is known not only to be extremely poisonous, but also very aggressive. This type of sea snake is responsible for more than 50% of all attacks sea ​​snakes per person and is responsible for about 90% of all deaths caused by sea snake bites.

Most sea snakes are poisonous, so if you see one in the water, swim away!

Fortunately, none of the top 10 most poisonous snakes are found in the Russian Federation. The most poisonous snake in Russia is the Viper, which is also one of the most common. The guaranteed toxic dose is 40-50 mg. The number of deaths is so small that scientists have not yet been able to determine a more accurate dosage.

Snake with pretty beautiful name efa is very common in the foothills and valleys Central Asia. There is so much talk about this snake here that efa is already becoming almost legendary. There is especially much talk about its danger to humans. A small drop of its poison is enough to kill an entire company of soldiers. If an efa bites, the person is doomed; even if he survives, he will remain crippled forever.

In fact, these are not just stories. Of course, much of all the talk about this snake is exaggerated, but the truth is that its venom is indeed very toxic. Every year many die from ephas bites. The sand ephas ranks seventh among the twenty most dangerous snakes to humans. In Africa, more people die from its poison than from all others African snakes combined.

Efa is a snake that is not very large, half the size of a cobra or viper, its length is about 70-80 cm. Males, on average, are slightly larger than females. But, despite its small size, by snake standards, the efu is very difficult not to notice. It is golden sandy in color. Large white spots appear throughout the body, with a light zigzag drawn on the side. The underside is light yellow, sometimes with brown dots arranged in the form of stripes, and on the head you can see a kind of cross.

Efa lives throughout northern Africa to Algeria, and in the south it is distributed to Abyssinia. In addition, it is found in Palestine, Arabia, Persia and the west of the Hindustan Peninsula. Lives in lumpy sands overgrown with saxaul, in clay deserts, thickets of bushes, on river cliffs and in ruins. In favorable conditions, efa can be very numerous. For example, in the valley of the Murgab River, over an area of ​​about 1.5 km, snake catchers produced more than 2 thousand eff.

Efa is an amazing snake. In many ways it differs from its cold-blooded counterparts. For example, ephas may not hibernate if the winter is not cold. They can mate in January. And by March, small snakes appear, while in other snakes they appear no earlier than June. Surprisingly, the efa does not lay eggs and gives birth to live snakes. The female brings from 3 to 16 young reptiles 10-16 cm long.

Despite the fact that the efa is one of the most poisonous snakes, it rarely attacks living creatures that are larger than a vole. Most often, its prey is centipedes, spiders, grasshoppers, and midges. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the efa is quite nimble and cannot, like many snakes, simply lie in the sun. But in order to digest large prey, you need for a long time be at rest.

Efa is characterized by sideways movement. She throws her head to the side, then brings the back of her body forward and pulls up the front of her body. This method creates better body support on a loose substrate. Because of this method of movement, a characteristic mark remains on the sand - separate oblique strips with hooked ends.

Efa very rarely crawls into people's houses, but it still happens sometimes. Similar cases have been recorded in Egypt. You need to be especially careful with ruins or abandoned houses. In 1987, three children died in Cairo after finding a nest in an abandoned house where no one had lived for many years. The children entered this house out of curiosity and accidentally disturbed the ef family hiding there. The snake, protecting its newly born offspring, attacked the children. They could not be saved because the poison acted very quickly.

In India, sand faff is very common. Settles in the area where there is sandy soil. Here she is credited with most of the deaths caused by snake bites; Workers in the fields especially suffer from it.

Although efa is considered one of the most dangerous snakes, but more than half of all her attacks occurred due to the negligence of the person himself. If the snake thinks that it or its offspring are in danger, it will defend itself fiercely. The energy, mobility and speed with which the efa defends and attacks makes a great impression. As soon as the snake senses danger, it begins to wriggle in a special way, forming two semi-lunar curves from its body and keeping its head ready to attack in the middle of one of these curves. At the same time, she does not remain calm for a minute, but constantly turns right and left. The snake remains in an offensive position as long as a person or animal is nearby and sinks its teeth into every object it can reach. She is said to be able to make jumps as high as half her body. Therefore, it is better not to approach the snake at a distance of less than three meters. During a defensive position, this snake still makes a characteristic sound. Its sandy fret is produced by friction of the side scales.

As already noted, the poison of efa is very toxic. It sharply reduces the level of fibrinogen in the blood, which causes heavy bleeding, both in the bite area and in other “weak” places, especially from the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and mouth. The remaining symptoms of poisoning are typical for most venomous snakes. Every fifth person bitten by ephas dies. To stop the effect of the poison that has entered the body until doctors arrive or until the victim is taken to the nearest hospital, a number of actions must be taken. A first aid measure for a bite is to immediately suck out the venom from the wounds, so that a significant part of the venom can be removed from the body. Squeezing out the venom with your fingers and suctioning should be done within 7-10 minutes after the bite. Suctioning is completely safe for the people doing it. A tourniquet should not be applied. It practically does not delay the process of absorption of poisons.

To avoid having to use these actions in life, you must be careful, especially if you know that there may be a sand efa nearby. Because of its light spots, the efu is easy to spot on the sand. The snakes themselves try to avoid people and go around the houses in which a person lives. And then - the efa never attacks without warning; it will certainly warn the uninvited traveler with its rustling sound, and can only bite when a person approaches it or tries to grab it.

Length: 70–80 cm.
Habitat: found in the foothills and valleys of Central Asia, throughout northern Africa to Algeria.

Danger!
One of the ten most poisonous snakes. Aggressive and very fast.