How dangerous is the yellow belly for a cat? The largest lizard of Crimea

Date: 2011-03-15

R. Pushkin, Moscow

In the Caucasus mountains and Central Asia there lives a strange creature - yellow-bellied(Ophisaurus apodus). Seeing it for the first time, anyone will decide that it is a snake: a long, more than 100 cm, cylindrical body, an elongated tail, a characteristic way of moving - all this is perfectly consistent with our ideas about snakes.
In reality, this is a completely harmless lizard, only legless. True, upon closer examination one can see on its body small papillary-shaped outgrowths on the sides of the base of the tail - the rudiments of the hind limbs. The presence of ear openings also confirms that the yellow-bellied snake belongs to lizards - after all, real snakes are deaf and have no ears. And the animal’s eyes have eyelids; it can blink, while snakes even sleep with their eyes open.

Photos of Zheltopuzik

This reptile belongs to the spindle family (Anguidae). including 80 species of lizards living in the countries of South, Central and. partially, North America, North Africa. Southwestern, Southern and Southeast Asia. In the CIS, it is widespread in the Crimea, the Caucasus and Central Asia, where it is often found in river valleys, bush thickets and cultivated lands. Another representative of the spindle family also lives with us - the brittle spindle, which enjoys great fame among the people. poisonous snake, although this is also a completely safe legless lizard.

The second largest lizard of our fauna, second in size only to the gray monitor lizard.
This reptile is active during daylight hours, but on hot days it switches to twilight image life, willingly goes into the water and swims for a long time. When frightened, it is capable of moving very quickly, especially downhill, while in a calm state it moves slowly and clumsily.
He is truly terribly afraid of a person. If other reptiles crawl away silently and unnoticed, then the yellow belly makes so much noise, the grass sways above it so much that it is very difficult to confuse it with other reptiles. Perhaps such a non-trivial method of escape is a kind of protective measure, since the lizard, incapable of active defense, makes so much noise, imitates large animal hiding in the grass.
When caught, she does not even try to bite, but, rotating along her own base. trying to get out of his hands, as it were. If this doesn’t help, then he hangs lifelessly in his arms, closes his eyes, as if saying: I’m dead, throw me away. The only manifestation of a defensive reaction on the part of the yellow belly can be considered hissing and sudden movements of the tail, which is twice as long as the body.

During the breeding season ( June-July) female yellowbellied lays 6-10 eggs. Of these, young animals 100-125 mm long are born in August-September. Their slender yellowish-gray bodies are decorated with zigzag transverse stripes. In juveniles, compared to adults, the longitudinal ribs on the scutes are much more pronounced: they merge into long (from the head to the tip of the tail) costal stripes. This makes their bodies look faceted and shimmer with yellow highlights in the sun.
In general, the coloring of young animals bears very little resemblance to the dirty yellow or copper-red tones of adult animals. However, the characteristic skin fold located along the sides allows you to accurately determine the species. Unlike other lizards, and even snakes, the yellow-bellied body is hard to the touch, as if encased in a shell.

Photos of Zheltopuzik

The diet of yellowbellies in nature consists of invertebrates: snails, beetles, slugs, earthworms. But rodents, lizards, frogs, chicks and bird eggs quite often become part of their menu. The yellow belly, holding large prey in its strong jaws, stuns it with sharp shakes of its head. He does not disdain carrion either. A significant portion of the lizard's diet consists of the fruits of various plants.
The variety of food consumed by the yellow belly allows it to be considered one of the most omnivorous inhabitants of the terrarium, which does not cause feeding problems to the owner. In captivity, it produces both live food (mice, frogs, worms, snails) and meat and fish in the form of minced meat or pieces. In the absence of animal food, you can replace it with plant food: apples, grapes, grated carrots. And yet it is not worth depriving lizards of animal protein; It is better to use plant components only as a supplement to diversify the diet. A good addition are also cottage cheese and white bread, soaked raw egg.
They live for a long time in captivity and reproduce even in small terrariums. For a couple of adult animals, a room with a bottom area of ​​70x50 cm and a height of about 40 cm is sufficient. It is best to use coarse river sand as soil. Large, heavy stones or driftwood are suitable for decoration; they also serve for constructing shelters.

It is necessary to have a reservoir of suitable size not only for drinking, but also for swimming. The pond must be secured so that your pets cannot turn it over.
Like many reptiles, the yellow belly often defecates in the water, so you need to constantly monitor its cleanliness and promptly replace it.

To heat a terrarium of the specified size, a krypton lamp, located in the corner and reliably protected from animals, is sufficient. The lamp power is selected so that the air temperature is not lower than 25-27°C. To maintain its stability, you can use an aquarium thermostat. At night, the heating should be turned off to simulate a natural decrease in temperature to 18-20°C.
In addition to heating and lighting, the yellow belly, like other reptiles, needs ultraviolet irradiation. Typically, erythema lamps or Photon-type devices are used for this. Sessions are carried out 1-2 times a week for 20-30 minutes from a distance of 50-100 cm. The first procedures should not exceed 5 minutes, then their duration is gradually increased.

Photos of Zheltopuzik

Despite the ease of care, yellowbellies cannot be classified as an animal that is widespread among lovers of keeping reptiles at home. One of the main reasons for this is the lizard’s amazing ability to create chaos in the terrarium, quickly destroying the decorations created there. It must be remembered that the yellow-bellied animal is a strong animal, and the locks of the terrarium must be strong enough.
With good care, regular feeding (2-3 times a week), and careful attention to the animals, you will get real pleasure from observing and learn a lot of interesting things about amazing world reptiles.
In conclusion, I want to say: if you meet a yellowbell in nature, do not harm it. Remember that this is a useful lizard that destroys a huge number of mice, grasshoppers and locusts, beetles, leaf beetles, slugs, weevils and other agricultural pests.

Aquarium Magazine 1999 No. 2

The yellowbell is a legless lizard that is often mistaken for a snake. Long body a reptile that grows up to 100 cm in length, and its characteristic manner of movement can indeed be misleading. But if you look closely, next to the creature’s anus you can see tiny growths on the sides - these are the rudiments of the hind limbs.

The yellowbell is often confused with a snake, as this lizard has no limbs.

Structural features and lifestyle

A distinctive feature of the yellow-bellied lizard is that this lizard has no legs, although it has rudimentary processes in the anal area. Outwardly, it looks more like a snake, which has a long, wriggling body. An adult grows up to one meter, although some representatives of this species can reach 1.5 m in length. There are ear openings on the tetrahedral head, which indicate that the yellowbell is not a snake.

The skin of a lizard consists of scales, the particles of which fit tightly to each other. There are skin folds on both sides of the body. As for the color, it is always monochromatic, although it can be olive, red-brown or yellowish-brown in color. Juveniles under two years of age have stripes on their bodies that may look like zigzags. Their color is always gray-yellow. In addition, all reptiles of this species have an abdomen that is slightly lighter than the main color of the scales.

The yellow-bellied lizard goes into hibernation every autumn and awakens only in early spring. In summer, during the daytime, the reptile prefers to rest, choosing sunny place on the stones, but in the early morning or after dusk she goes hunting.

Like other representatives of reptiles, the yellowbell molts, but sheds its skin in small pieces. Like his relatives, he knows how to throw away his tail, which he does in any danger. After some time, the tail grows back, but is shorter and slightly curved.

IN natural environment The yellow-bellied diet includes:

• insects;
• invertebrates;
• small vertebrates;
• some fruits;
• bird eggs.

If a yellowbelly catches large prey, it chews it thoroughly and only then swallows it, unlike a snake, which does this right away. After the food is eaten, the folds of skin on its sides are smoothed out.

Reproduction process

Lizards always mate after hibernation, when they emerge from suspended animation. Typically, this period lasts from March to May. There are no gender differences in this species of reptile, so only specialists can determine the gender after conducting a series of studies. Because of this, it is extremely difficult to propagate yellowbellies at home.

Lizards always mate after hibernation, when they emerge from suspended animation.

In the first month of summer, the female lays eggs; on average, she can lay 6-10 eggs. The shape of the eggs is oval, the size is about 2 cm in transverse diameter, 4 cm in longitudinal diameter. The lizard usually immediately tries to hide them in the foliage, while carefully watching them and guarding them until the young emerge. This period lasts from 35 to 60 days.

The optimal temperature for embryo development is +30 °C. When born, the cubs are up to 12 cm long, excluding the tail. Puberty occurs in the fourth year of life. As a rule, the individual has already grown to 0.5 m by this time. Average duration The lifespan of yellowbellies in the natural environment reaches 30-35 years.

Habitats

Yellowbellies have an extremely limited geographic distribution. They can be found in South-West and Central Asia. In addition, they are localized in Europe, but only in its eastern part. Depending on their habitat, they are divided into the western species (these yellowbellies are much longer and larger than their relatives from the East) and the eastern one, whose representatives look normal.

These reptiles can live in different places. Some choose steppes and semi-deserts as their homes, others prefer to settle on high mountains and river valleys, and still others even dig minks in fertile lands where rice, grapes or cotton are grown. By the way, the yellow belly can easily exist in water - in it it often hides from all kinds of enemies.

The yellowtail can exist both in water and on land.

At home, such lizards are kept alone and are connected only in mating season. For an adult reptile you will need a horizontal terrarium, its parameters should be:

• length - from 100 cm;
• width - from 60 cm;
• height - 50 cm.

To create ideal conditions It is necessary to place river sand mixed with fine gravel at the bottom of the tank. In addition, a drinking bowl and a separate container with water are installed in the terrarium so that the reptile can swim in it if desired.

The Yellow Tummy loves bright light and needs ultraviolet rays, so you will need to install special lamps. But you shouldn’t place them too close to the tank, otherwise your legless pet will get burns. Temperature is also important for your pet. During the daytime, the air should warm up to +30 °C, and at night it should drop to +20 °C. As for humidity, it is better to keep it at 60%. In addition, it is necessary to build special shelters in the terrarium. Suitable for this:

• small driftwood;
• clay and ceramic elements;
• medium sized stones;
• tree bark.

As for feeding, the diet of yellowbellies must include live food in the form of insects; you can feed them mice, snails, earthworms, and bird eggs. It is allowed to periodically feed pets with fruit and vegetable slices, mixing them with curd mass or boiled eggs.

In addition, you need to regularly add mineral supplements in the form of bone meal, you can also use calcium glycerophosphate, but it must be served with soft food.

At the end of autumn, it is necessary to create conditions for the yellowbelly in which it could hibernate. This can be done by gradually reducing the air temperature to +5 °C. It is also necessary to stop feeding your pet exactly two weeks before anabiosis.

The legless lizard brings many benefits. It destroys many small pests that cause harm agriculture, destroying the plantings. Don't be afraid of her: Unlike the snake, the yellowbell is non-venomous. He is a completely harmless reptile.

Quite often, residents and guests of the Crimea, the Caucasus or Central Asia are frightened by the creeping reptile yellow-bellied, which is mistaken for poisonous steppe viper. In Ukraine, his place of residence is only Crimea.

The length of this representative of the spindle family reaches about a meter, and it has a menacing appearance. However, the local inhabitants know that this animal is completely harmless, and the yellow-bellied little one moves with difficulty, so those who are especially fearful will always have time to hide. But we also do not recommend trying to catch him, since he will still be able to bite, so much so that he will crush his fingers. You won’t need any help, but there won’t be many pleasant sensations either.

Description of the yellow-bellied lizard

This representative of the spindle lizards can grow to a length of about 125 centimeters. The body is hard and elastic, serpentine in shape and somewhat flattened at the sides. There are lateral flattened folded formations. From lizards, they have the property of “shedding” their tail.

IN natural conditions The yellow-bellied snake has a quite colorful and memorable appearance, its skin is smooth and shiny. Unfortunately, in captivity all this is lost, and the animal takes on a somewhat nondescript appearance. Therefore, it is necessary to soberly assess the feasibility of such an acquisition.

Keeping a yellow belly at home

There is a real opportunity to keep one of these in a private home. To do this, he needs to be provided with complete solitude in a terrarium that has a flat horizontal shape. The bottom is filled with sand with the addition of gravel.

It is imperative to maintain a temperature regime close to natural living conditions. legless lizard yellow-bellied, namely: at night from 18 to 22 ° C, and during the day the temperature environment should range from 22 to 30°C. There is no need to provide a certain air humidity, since yellowbellies are quite happy with the microclimate of a city apartment or house.

Feeding and breeding of the Crimean yellowbell

In nature, this reptile feeds various kinds insects, and its diet is not much different from an ordinary lizard. At home, the yellow belly should be fed with earthworms, slugs, newborn mice, eggs of small birds, juicy fruits and vegetables. It is quite possible that your pet will willingly feast on small lizards or snakes.

Successful reproduction of the fat belly presupposes an obligatory long hibernation, which is provoked by the stable maintenance of low temperatures in the terrarium. Such a dream can last for several months. Around June or July, a female yellowbell can lay up to a dozen eggs. average size and somewhat oblong in shape. The incubation period is 30 or 45 days and must occur at an ambient temperature of at least 30°C.

Features of home maintenance

In captivity, cardinal changes can occur with the yellow-bellied appearance. For example, as young individuals grow older, they change their striped yellow-gray color to a uniform brown or bronze color. This is one of the few species of lizards that does not show natural aggression towards its owner, even with powerful jaws and decent body size.

The opinion that the yellowbell is poisonous is very erroneous. This specimen is on the verge of extinction and is listed in the Red Book of Ukraine for the simple reason that it is often mistaken for dangerous viper and are mercilessly exterminated.

Essentially this is big lizard with modified legs, which are represented by specific longitudinal folds on the sides of the body. It is by this feature, as well as by the absence of teeth and the presence of eyelids, that one can distinguish the yellowbell from the rest, representing real threat, reptiles.

Find corners of solitude with nature in spacious city parks. The resort's many green streets represent unique ecological systems, home to many animals and birds. Moreover, there are truly unique individuals that live only in the south of our country. Sometimes it is useful and informative to look around and especially at your feet. On the hot days of summer, the nature of Anapa is ready to present a meeting with many lizards that have taken up residence in the dense thickets of the Children's Park and the warm blocks of the high shore of the pebble beaches of Utrish and Sukko. I wanted to highlight the largest lizard of Anapa - the yellow-bellied or armored spindle. Despite the lack of paws and external resemblance to a snake, the yellow-bellied lizard is a real and purebred lizard.

Appearance

Masquerading as dangerous snake lizard, co funny name yellow-bellied, can grow up to one and a half meters. An ordinary individual that can be found in Anapa reaches a size of 50-70 centimeters. The body does not have the legs typical of lizards; nature denied the yellow-bellied such luxury, leaving only small tubercles near the anus. The body begins with a large tetrahedral muzzle with a pointed nose. The head has strong jaws with blunted teeth. The body, consisting of hard scales, is slightly compressed from the sides and ends long tail. The abdominal and dorsal regions, closing, form a fold that runs along the yellow-bellied body. The transition from the body to the tail is almost invisible. Due to the bone armor in which the string is encased, the body is elastic and dense; this structure prevents the lizard from twisting into rings like a snake.

The body color of an adult yellowtail has an olive or dark yellowish tint, the abdominal part is slightly lighter. The young are very different from their parents because of the black stripes that cover their entire body.

How to distinguish a yellowbell from a snake

If, while walking through secluded areas, you suddenly come across a snake-like creature, do not panic, maybe it is a harmless yellow-bellied lizard. The main signs by which you can distinguish our hero are eyes that have eyelids. Take a closer look, maybe an imaginary snake winks at you or blinks slowly, then this is a yellow-bellied snake. Also, snakes do not have a pronounced longitudinal fold or auditory openings on the sides of the head. Our yellow belly will not be able to curl up into a ring, the strong parts of the shell will not allow it.

Habits

Zheltopuzik, like all lizards of Anapa, flows into hibernation. After a long sleep, around April, the breeding season begins. Small lizards emerge from small eggs, which the female protects. Caring for eggs is one of the unique features light-bellied lizards.
The yellowtail feeds on insects, slugs, large snails, and sometimes attacks small rodents. Due to its destruction of pests of fields and vineyards, the yellow-bellied lizard is considered a useful lizard for humans, which people urge to protect.

There are times when the yellow belly declares a hunt for small rodents. The yellowtail, like a snake, cannot swallow its food whole. The caught victim must be held firmly with your teeth. Then the lizard quickly spins in a circle, when the prey loses consciousness, the yellow belly begins to pinch off tidbits and swallow.
Although the yellowbell is a lizard, it does not have the ability to cast its tail.

Where to see in Anapa

The armored spindle avoids human eyes and, when meeting a person, tries to quickly disappear from view. In the hands, the yellow belly begins to twist and make frightening sounds. If all preventive methods have failed, the offender must be doused with excrement that has a pungent odor. Despite its strong jaws, the yellow belly does not bite humans and is absolutely safe. In Anapa, you can meet an amazing lizard in secluded places in the Children's Park and on the stone slopes of the bald mountain.

The Yellow Tummy or Capercaillie (Pseudopus apodus) is a legless lizard, a representative of the order Squamate, the spindle family.

What does a yellowbell look like?

The body length of an adult yellowbell is about 120 cm, with the tail being approximately 80 cm. The reptile has no neck at all, the tetrahedral head completely merges with the body, the muzzle has a narrowed shape at the end. The entire body of the lizard is covered with large scales that have a ribbed structure.

Adults usually have a uniform olive-brown, dirty yellow, gray-brown, or reddish-brown color. The abdomen is mostly light.

The “clothes” of young animals are somewhat different and they wear them until about two to three years of age. Juveniles are yellow-gray in color, with dark stripes across the body from the head to the root of the tail in the form of Roman fives, half-arcs or zigzags, and on the tail they are replaced by elongated dark spots. The head is also decorated with stripes. Young yellowbellies are completely different from their parents.

A characteristic feature of the reptile is the lateral folds of skin stretching from the ear to the anus, where small tubercles are noticeable on the right and left, traces of limbs lost in the process of evolution, which the ancestors of the yellow belly once possessed.

The yellowtail is often confused with a snake, which is not surprising. A non-specialist will be able to understand that this is a lizard only by the presence of ear holes (snakes do not have them) and also by the fact that, unlike snakes, the yellow-bellied can blink. Internal structure The yellowbell also differs from the snake - it has reduced shoulder and pelvic girdles.

Yellowbellies shed not like snakes - in stockings, but in pieces.

Like other lizards, the yellow-bellied lizard can cast its tail.

Habitat of the yellowbell

In nature, yellowbellies are found on the southern coast of Crimea, in Asia Minor and Central Asia, on the Balkan Peninsula, in Israel, Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, the Caucasus and southern Kazakhstan. They inhabit a wide variety of biotopes - rocky lowlands and forest edges, river banks and mountainous semi-deserts.

Yellowbellies feed mainly on insects - dung beetles, borers, ground beetles, chafers, earthworms, slugs, centipedes, grasshoppers, spiders, etc. The omnivorous yellowbell, on occasion, will not refuse newborn rodents, as well as the eggs of birds nesting on the ground. The lizard's favorite food is grape snails. The powerful jaws of the yellowbell easily grind both mouse bones and snail shells.

Reproduction

Males and females of yellowbellies have no external differences, and only specialists can determine the sex of lizards (by behavior during the mating season, by the level of sex hormones, by radiography).

Yellow-bellied lizards mate in March - April, and in May, females lay 6 to 10 eggs, from which, at a temperature of 28-30º C, young lizards will hatch in 30-45 days, unlike adults - striped ones. The yellowbells guard and care for the clutches throughout the incubation period, turning the eggs over and clearing debris.

What to feed your yellow belly at home?

At home, the main food for yellowbellies are crickets, feeding cockroaches, locusts, zoobass, snails, caterpillars, and earthworms. From time to time you can offer the lizard newborn mice, pieces of heart and liver, once a week - quail egg. You should not feed your yellow belly flies and domestic cockroaches - they can be poisoned by chemicals. Insects for feeding your pet should be raised in conditions where they do not come into contact with household poisons and infection. You can purchase a starter colony from a pet store and then breed them for your lizard yourself.Most yellowbellies know their limits and will not eat too much, although some can be very gluttonous and will overeat if not limited.

In captivity, yellowbellies are often fed with poultry meat and chicken eggs. However, constant feeding of these products can lead to metabolic disorders and digestive diseases. Signs of such disorders are that the reptile refuses food, the feces become softened, and there are undigested pieces of food in it.

Arrangement of a terrarium for a yellow belly

For a comfortable life for a yellow belly at home, it will need a horizontal terrarium measuring approximately 100x60x40 cm. A bedding of sand and fine gravel should be placed on the bottom. The required temperature is +25- +28°C during the day, about +20°C at night. Recommended humidity level is 60-65%.

In their natural habitat, lizards love to sunbathe, so the terrarium should have a place where the yellow-bellied lizard can bask - the temperature at this point should be 30-32°C. However, it is necessary to protect the heating point from contact with the animal’s body, otherwise the pet may get burns. To maintain comfortable temperature it is necessary to place an incandescent lamp connected using a thermostat. A UV lamp must also be installed. Length daylight hours should be 10-12 hours.

The yellow belly should receive ultraviolet light - this is especially important for young animals and pregnant females. With its deficiency, rickets, weakness, and impaired bone structure may develop, growth in young animals may slow down, and weak or nonviable offspring may be born in pregnant females. Both of them experience lethargy, digestion worsens and the molting process is disrupted.

You need to put a drinking bowl in the terrarium, and, if possible, a bathing basin, since reptiles, despite their land-based lifestyle, love to lie in warm water.

In natural conditions, the yellowbell uses burrows of various animals, spaces between stones and the roots of bushes as shelters. To create a “homey environment,” the terrarium should also be equipped with a shelter in which the reptile can hide - a piece of bark, a stone, a broken pot, etc. will do.

And one more thing: you need to be careful in using disinfectants and detergents when cleaning the terrarium: the reptile may be intolerant to such substances.

In cold weather, yellowbellies need wintering. “Winter” lasts 2-3 months, and the terrarium should be dark and relatively cold - +5- +10 ° C. 2 weeks before wintering, the lizard is stopped feeding, only water is given, and the temperature in the terrarium is gradually lowered.

It is better to keep yellowbellies alone, combining them into groups only during the breeding season and preferably on neutral territory. You can mate one male with one female or create reproductive groups of two males and three females (this increases the chances of getting offspring). Young animals bred in captivity are fed crickets, cockroaches, and earthworms.

Where to buy a yellow belly?

If you really want this cute creature to live in your home, the question arises: where can you buy such a lizard?

You can go to the Bird Market and look for the yellowbell there. However, even at the bird market, most likely, you will be offered a captured reptile. In addition, sellers usually do not bother to provide animals normal temperature, which leads to overheating in summer and hypothermia in winter. If you still couldn’t pass by the terrarium with a yellow-bellied lizard, then carefully examine the lizard to see if it has wounds, swellings, ulcers or blisters on its skin. Observe the yellow belly to see if it moves well and if it willingly accepts food.

The most reasonable option is to purchase a yellow belly at a pet store, or even better, from those who breed these reptiles at home. When visiting a breeder, pay attention to the condition of the young animals and parents, and the conditions of their detention. If reptiles live in spacious, clean terrariums, they are mobile, have no visible damage or anomalies, and take food well - buy with confidence. You will receive unusual pet, which is easy to tame and very interesting to watch and care for. As a rule, the yellow belly gets used to new conditions quickly. A little time will pass and it will become completely tame.