Water snakes: varieties and characteristics of life. There are more and more snakes! Snake catcher's advice: how to protect yourself and what to do if you are bitten

IN lately in the press you can often see notes about snakes in the Sea of ​​Azov. What is this - fact or fiction? Do snakes live in salty sea ​​water, if so, what kind of snakes are they? We will try to figure this out and answer all questions.

Sea snakes

As the science of snakes, serpentology, states, sea snakes are found exclusively in the tropics. The waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans and the Red Sea are “home” for them. They stay at the water's edge, but can swim up to 50 kilometers out to sea. The difference between the snake is its bright coloring; as a rule, it has a simple pattern - alternating rings. They are not at all like the snakes in the Sea of ​​Azov.

The sea snake bonito has a different color. Its abdomen and sides are light yellow, almost white, its head and back are black. It has black spots on its flat tail. This snake can even be found near and in the Sea of ​​Japan. Another difference sea ​​snakes from their land counterparts - this is a slightly laterally flattened body and a flat, flattened, ribbon-shaped or paddle-shaped tail, often a small head, adapted so that it can be inserted between stones while hunting.

What else distinguishes them from the snakes in the Sea of ​​Azov is the location of the nostrils. They are located on top of the head, and not on the sides, like our snake. This helps keep its head above water while swimming, as the snake can only stay underwater for no more than an hour. Most sea snakes are poisonous because when they hunt, they first bite their prey and then swallow it whole. Moreover, their poison is many times stronger than that of ordinary poisonous reptiles.

sea ​​snakes

Not a single case of the appearance of sea snakes in the Sea of ​​Azov, in Yeisk in particular, has been recorded. Sea snakes live here, which do not have the characteristic red or yellow spots on their heads. Therefore, they are often confused with vipers.

Water snakes live among stones on the shore, swimming out to sea to hunt. Their prey is sea ​​fish, mostly gobies, amphibians. Fishermen talked about how they caught a fish along with a snake that grabbed onto it. In summer, the snake has checkered patterns on its back and a colored belly. The length can reach up to a meter. These are the snakes that are found in the Sea of ​​Azov. There is no need to be afraid of them, much less kill them. They are completely harmless.

As people call water snakes, “a hybrid of a snake and a viper,” and “a chess snake.” His careless appearance on the beach causes quite a stir, and often the fate of the snake ends in tears.

Are water snakes dangerous?

Hearing the question “Are snakes dangerous in the Sea of ​​Azov?”, I want to reassure everyone: the water snake does not pose any danger. When defending itself, it can emit a loud hiss and throw out foul-smelling excrement. He does not attack people and tries to stay out of their sight. He also does not use his land brother's "cunning" maneuver - he does not pretend to be dead.

Water snakes feed exclusively on fish. During the hunt, they lie in wait near snags or lie at the bottom, waiting for prey. He can no longer swallow the fish in the water, so he pulls it to the shore, where, turning his head towards himself, he slowly swallows it.

The difference between a water snake and a viper

As mentioned above, the water snake has no identification marks- yellow-orange spots on the head. From a distance, its checkerboard coloring resembles the pattern of a viper. How can you tell them apart? The first sign is the head. The viper's head is triangular and has an oval head. The viper's pupil is vertical, while the grass snake's is round.

The snake's scales are much larger than those of the viper. The maximum size of a viper reaches 70 cm, and snakes reach 110 cm. The bite of a viper is not fatal, as it is equal to the stings of several bees. Maximum effects: chills and fever. It is poorly tolerated by people allergic to bee venom.

Summer residents and tourists venturing into the forests trumpet: “There are more snakes,” “Reptiles are literally swarming under our feet,” “We are afraid to let children and dogs into the forest.” What can provoke snake aggression? What to do if the snake does bite? In what cases can death occur? - MK-Estonia journalists asked the scientist-naturalist, former poison extractor in the serpentarium, Alexander Ognev, and Doctor of Veterinary Sciences Dmitry Vasiliev.

One room in Alexander Ognev’s apartment is completely dedicated to enclosures, terrariums, and aquariums. There are about 70 snakes alone. He is especially proud non-venomous snakes, which with their “shirts” disguise themselves as poisonous ones.

- What poisonous snakes should you be wary of? - I ask the naturalist.
- The only poisonous snake in our latitudes is the common viper. It is also called fire viper and marsh viper,” says Alexander Ognev. - Among all the snakes in the world, it has the most extensive range - distribution area: from Great Britain and northern Spain to Lake Baikal.

“The snake is smooth, the viper is velvet”

- Can a viper be confused with one of the non-venomous snakes?

An ordinary one lives in the same territory. Is it black or dark gray. At the base of its head it has two spots - yellow, gray, white, orange or pink flowers. There may be snakes without spots. Sometimes they are such a dark gray color that the spots blend into the general background and are not visible. The grass snake has smoother scales, so it shines in the sun. And the viper is like velvet, it has a comb on every scale.

The snake is a fast-moving snake; when in danger, it curls up into a tight ball and hisses. If he sees that the danger has not passed, he can pretend to be dead. At the same time, it emits a terrible odor reminiscent of garlic. For this purpose it has special anal glands.

Vipers and snakes prefer different biotopes - habitats, vipers - the edges of swamps and clearings, and snakes - areas near rivers and lakes, says, in turn, Dmitry Vasiliev.

- What places should you avoid to avoid encountering a viper?
- In spring they are close to wintering areas. And wintering for vipers can be quite widespread,” says Dmitry Vasilyev. - Thus, in the spring there can be a lot of snakes in a small clearing. And then, after molting and mating, they spread out.

According to research, females usually migrate close, up to 800 meters, and males can crawl up to 11 kilometers.

In the fall, they crawl to the places where they spent the previous winter.

In spring, when there is little sun, vipers can be found in some open places. And in summer they can be seen early in the morning and in the evening. Usually encounters occur at the interface between environments: a swamp - the edge of a forest, a mowed part under power lines - the edge of a forest, garbage on summer cottage- vegetable garden. Vipers do not just like forests or open fields; they are there only as migrants. But permanent places where they spend the night are associated with shelters, these should be shaded places where they can hide - holes, heaps of branches, and so on.

- So there are no vipers in the dense forest?
- They need to be able to warm up somewhere in the open. If this is a forest, then there should be a clearing nearby.

Don't attack yourself and you won't be attacked

- Is it true that a viper does not attack a person first?
- First of all, I want to note that our nature is very safe. It greatly discourages our compatriots,” notes Alexander Ognev. - Therefore, I am not at all surprised that in Cambodia, sea urchins prick only tourists from countries former USSR, because no one else would think of stepping on sea ​​urchin. Or stick your fingers into the crevices of the coral to see if a moray eel is hiding there. A huge number of dangerous animals live further south. Take Turkey, where there are not only poisonous snakes, but also poisonous spiders, fish, jellyfish. In the middle zone, you should take it as a usual rule: do not go into the forest barefoot or in shorts. And the worst thing is not a viper, but a tick, which can reward you with a whole bunch of diseases.

And the mortality rate from the viper is very low. She doesn't chase people, she never attacks herself. This is a rather cowardly creature; in case of danger, it will try to run away. The only thing is, if you come across a pregnant female, it will be difficult for her to quickly disappear, she will curl up into a ball, begin to hiss and defend herself. What are our people doing? They start hitting her in the face with a slipper, and the snake, accordingly, bites their leg. Then they say, “A snake attacked me.” In fact, they were the ones who attacked the viper.

I know several places where natives and vipers coexist perfectly.

Snakes have their own “patch”, they do not leave this territory, there is an excellent food supply there, full of rodents and frogs.

And the villagers, accordingly, do not interfere in their snake “state” and do not disturb the reptiles.

You have to be careful when picking berries and mushrooms. Before you step into the grass, move a stick along it. But there is no need to hit the bush with a stick. There were many cases when mushroom pickers accidentally picked up a snake, lifted it with a stick to their face, then were horrified: “A viper jumped on me.” She can't jump 1.5 meters! The viper can throw upward a maximum of 10–15 centimeters. Sneakers, high boots or boots can serve as protection. The snake does not bite through them; the length of its teeth is 4–5 millimeters.

If a viper sees a person, it will follow him. Before he steps on her, she will make her presence known by hissing,” says Dmitry Vasiliev, in turn. - If the viper is heated, you won’t even see it, it will run away so quickly, only the grass will rustle. Bites occur when people try to play with the viper, pick it up, or accidentally step on it or sit on it.

- At what time of day are snakes active?
“They usually go out half an hour before dawn and take positions where they can bask in the sun. “They sunbathe” until 9 am, and when they warm up, they go into shelter, says Alexander Ognev. - A snake can be seen during the day. These are so-called fattening snakes that are in search of food. The second peak of snake activity begins after four o'clock in the afternoon and lasts until sunset. My latest discovery of a viper was around 10 p.m.

No tourniquets or immobility!

- What to do if the viper does bite?
- Firstly, when you go into the forest, you must remember that you are the enemy there and that you are going into someone else’s territory. And you need to dress appropriately. Secondly, you need to put at least suprastin in your pocket. The fact is that the danger from a bite, according to my observations, is to a greater extent due to allergic reaction for poison The poison is protein, and different people they react to it differently. Death is usually associated with anaphylaxis. Swelling of the mucous membranes of the mouth and nasopharynx can develop within two minutes - and the person dies.

I don’t have any allergies to viper venom; some of my snake-catching friends had swelling in their face and nasopharynx, and some had difficulty breathing. To avoid this, you need to take some kind of antihistamine with you into the forest: tavegil, claritin, cetrin, pipolfen. For example, I always had diphenhydramine with me. This medicine, in addition to everything, also has a powerful sedative effect - it relaxes and relieves pain, which is important when bitten by a snake.

If you don't small child, but as an adult or teenager, a viper bite is unlikely to be fatal for you.

Yes, it hurts, you will get sick. Teenagers or women can spend a week in bed. Men, being more massive creatures, cope with a viper bite in three to four days.

(Alexander Ognev knows what he’s talking about. Poisonous teeth sank into him 91 times. 20 years of work in the serpentarium had an effect. Plus, during the capture, the herpetologist was touched by: green rattlesnake, copperhead, steppe viper, Caucasian viper, common viper, bamboo keffiyeh, etc.)

- How correctly do those who try to suck out the poison from a wound act?
- It has more of a psychological effect. It’s not a bad lesson, but don’t forget about placebo (from the Latin placebo, a substance without obvious medicinal properties, used as medicine, healing effect which is associated with the patient’s belief in the effectiveness of the drug. - approx. ed.). Of course, you won’t suck out any poison there, but your mouth was occupied with something - and you were already distracted from the perception of the bite.

In the French Legion, for example, fighters are given a special locking syringe with which they can suck out snake venom, says Dmitry Vasiliev. - It is believed that somewhere around 10–15% of the poison can be removed in this way. But it should be noted that snake venom contains a special enzyme - hyaluronidase, which instantly removes the venom from the bite point. And it is better not to do any traumatic effects, in particular cuts, treatment with some chemical agents such as potassium permanganate. Because of all this, you can subsequently limp for the rest of your life, lose a finger, and so on.

- Someone tries to apply a tourniquet when bitten by a snake. This is right?
- There is no need to do this. It’s just better if the poison dissipates throughout the body, says Alexander Ognev. “It’s bullshit that the poison can be stopped somewhere.” One of the enzymes contained in viper venom causes tissue necrosis. If you apply a tourniquet, the likelihood of necrosis increases, gangrene begins - and you will have to amputate the part on which you applied the tourniquet. Any intoxication is measured in milligrams of poison per kilogram of weight of the bitten person.

I believe that when a snake bites you, the whole body should “work”, and not the part where the snake bit you.

Let the poison dissipate. General poisoning will be more noticeable, but overall it will pass much faster and easier. I had a record of four hours.

When bitten by a snake, most guides advise staying still. I did the opposite. Firstly, I drank alcohol, alcohol has a wonderful property, it works as a vasodilator. Secondly, I kept moving. A snake bit me left hand, I worked intensively with a brush, the same way when blood is taken from a person’s vein. My hand swelled very quickly and I began to feel dizzy. After two hours, severe itching began, and this is usually a signal that the poisoning has ended and the body has begun to fight. After four hours, the swelling began to subside.

But what about the recommendation to fix the bitten hand in a bent position with the help of a cloth thrown over the neck?
- You definitely need to keep this in mind when you sleep. On the first night after a bite, many cannot sleep due to severe pain. Most often, a snake bites a person on the hand. It swells so much that it hurts even to touch it. At night, you need to build a pyramid out of pillows and place the bitten hand 15–20 centimeters above the heart; if it is lower, it will be much more painful due to the rush of lymph and blood.

To drink or not to drink?

- Do you need to drink more fluid if you are bitten by a snake?
- This is true. I've had too much various options, watermelon comes first, followed by beer and coffee. All of them have good diuretic properties. If you are in the forest, prepare some tea and throw in a handful of lingonberry leaves. Lingonberries also have a pronounced diuretic property. The fact is that poison is eliminated from the body only through the kidneys. Therefore, we need to write, write and write again. And for this you need to constantly refill your body with water.

- Why do they say: if you are bitten by a snake, never drink alcohol?
“Our people, for the most part, don’t know how to drink alcohol in small portions, and after drinking a fair amount of it, they lose touch with reality and become disoriented.

For myself, empirically, I found the right dose, which is 50–70 grams of vodka.

No more, alcohol should work as a superficial vasodilator. I also used fresh water with the addition of dry wine. The acidic environment disinfects, you never know what kind of E. coli you pick up from the local pond.

- There are those who apply half a cut onion to the bite site. Does this have any effect?
- There is no use in doing this. There is no more poison at the site of the bite, says Dmitry Vasiliev. - There is such a demonstrative experience. U guinea pig They shaved spots on both sides down to bare skin and injected poison tinted with methylene blue into one point, and saline solution with methylene blue into the other. The area of ​​the spot where the poison was injected was a hundred times larger than the place where the saline solution was injected. That is, the conductors in the venom instantly lead it away from the bite point. It “flies away” to the nearest lymph node.

Unless there is an allergic component, the viper's venom is not strong enough to cause death in an adult. But if, within an hour after the bite, a severe headache, vomiting, diarrhea, bleeding from the mucous membranes, clouding and loss of consciousness, a sensation of flashing light in the eyes appeared, the person must be urgently taken to the hospital.

How to secure your summer cottage

- How does viper venom affect cats and dogs?
- About the same as for a person. Sensitive to snake venom dogs large breeds Malos group, says Dmitry Vasiliev. - Dogs most often receive a bite in the area of ​​the nasolabial triangle, that is, when they sniff a snake. Swelling develops quickly and dogs may have difficulty swallowing food or water. And, for example, hunting dogs and dachshunds tolerate snakebites quite easily. In cops and drathaars, symptoms of poisoning spontaneously disappear within six hours, but this does not exclude further complications associated with the kidneys. Large breed dogs may experience heart murmurs, wheezing, and pulmonary edema. Therapy for dogs is the same as for humans. In the hospital they are injected with anti-snake serum. And then they carry out symptomatic treatment: if the pressure drops, they raise it, “drip” antihistamines and painkillers.

- Can a snake bite while in water?
- The viper swims, and quite well. Another thing is that it does not live where there are large bodies of water. And she easily swims across small rivers,” says Alexander Ognev. - In the river, if you grab it with your hand, of course, it can attack.

But this is not her native element; in the river she is thinking about how to get away from you.

“I know for certain two cases when a snake bit a person in the water while trying to throw it away,” says Dmitry Vasiliev. - This is despite the fact that in order for a snake to bite, it must take a certain position. To throw the front third of the body forward, it needs some kind of solid support. And water is not very convenient for this. If someone mentions a snake in the water, then it is most likely a snake. They swim very willingly.

- How can you protect your garden plot from snakes?
- In the morning, at about 8 o’clock, when the sun is just starting to get hot, walk around your territory and inspect everything carefully. Usually snakes warm themselves and are motionless. To avoid encountering a viper in your dacha, perform hygiene in the area and remove construction waste, says Dmitry Vasiliev. - If you see a faded snake skin, reclaim these places and fill up all the holes.

It is impossible for the garden plot to have deposits of firewood, piles of boards, pieces of roofing felt left after repairs,” explains Alexander Ognev, in turn. - Few people are interested in neatly stacked firewood. But piled up, rotten boards and heaps of garbage are an ideal place to hide rodents and lizards. A viper can also climb there and feel completely safe. Mow the grass regularly garden plot- and it will lose its attractiveness to lizards, shrews, voles, and vipers.

Snakes near and in the water

Snakes of most species cannot live away from water, and, naturally, encounters with people are not uncommon. This is not always safe. How to behave when meeting a snake? We asked A. Nedyalkov, who has been studying the biology of some species of snakes for more than 20 years, a former foreman of snake catchers, and now the head of the Department of Biology of the Moscow State Medical University, to talk about this.

On post-Soviet space There are 56 species of snakes. Among them are 5 - non-poisonous, but vicious, capable of causing very painful bites, and 10 - poisonous, whose bites can be life-threatening. Where do they live?

1st zone (tundra). There are supposedly no snakes here. However, in some places in the forest-tundra, reindeer herders complain that animals suffer from snake bites. Apparently, the common viper is found there, but I did not find information about this in the literature available to me, and I did not have to visit those places myself.

2nd zone. This middle lane Russia, whose northern border runs approximately 61-63° northern latitude, and the southern - at 46 degrees north latitude, the western - coincides with the state border of Russia and the eastern - with the shores Pacific Ocean. Here you can find only 4 species of snakes.

The 3rd zone in the north begins from the edge of the 2nd zone, and in the south its border runs along the northern shores of the Black, Azov, Caspian and Aral Sea, then it runs through the Kazakh steppe to Lake Balkhash and the Dzungarian Alatau ridge. In the west, the zone covers the Carpathians and east direction- Central Black Earth regions, lower Volga region, western and central Kazakhstan, up to the Tien Shan. This zone is home to 17 species of snakes, including 2 species that are not poisonous, but vicious and cause painful bites, and 3 that are poisonous.

In the 4th zone (Krasnodar and Stavropol region, republics North Caucasus, Kalmykia) there are 14 species of snakes, of which 3 species are conditionally dangerous and 3 species are also poisonous.

The 5th zone (Crimea, Caucasus, Transcaucasia), one might say, is replete with snakes. There are 24 species here, including 5 conditionally dangerous species and 6 poisonous species. In Crimea, among the poisonous snakes there is only the steppe viper.

In the 6th zone (Central Asian republics and southern Kazakhstan) there are 28 species of snakes, among which 3 are conditionally dangerous and 5 are dangerously poisonous.

Finally, in the 7th zone (Far East) there are 15 species of snakes, of which 3 are poisonous. The reference book “Amphibians and Reptiles of the USSR” (Mysl, 1971) gives the following interesting fact: on the shore of Posiet Bay, south of Vladivostok , a two-colored bonito, a venomous sea snake, was found.

In this article, I will talk in more detail only about those types of potentially dangerous and poisonous snakes that an amateur fisherman may encounter, as well as about some snakes that cause harm when breeding fish in ponds.

Snakes that eat fish

The water snake is found in zones 3, 4, 5 and 6. This - large snake up to 160 cm long. The upper body is gray-green with dark spots and transverse stripes to almost black.

There are no bright spots on the head, like a common grass snake. The belly is white, yellowish, pink-red, dark gray, very often motley, like a chessboard.

Excellent diving and swimming. IN mountain rivers with quite cold water, hunting for fish, hides under water, between stones. Active from March to November, but in the water only from May to September.

In case of danger, it usually escapes underwater, where it can stay for more than half an hour. If it fails to reach the water, it curls up into a ball, hisses and throws its head towards the enemy. It is not dangerous to pick it up with your hand, but it can give off a foul-smelling liquid.

The water snake feeds on small fish and amphibians. IN pond farms turns out to be a serious pest, as it readily eats fry and yearlings of carp. Going to winter quarters in large groups. For example, at one wintering site near Tashkent, more than 200 snakes were found.

Here's another interesting fact. A self-propelled barge brought reed slabs to Moscow from near Astrakhan. In the South Port, loaders refused to unload these slabs because they contained many snakes. At the invitation of the port management, I caught about 600 water snakes on this barge, which had gathered in reed slabs for wintering since the fall.

Water snakes usually use the same wintering grounds from year to year. Sometimes they crawl away from the reservoir for the winter at a distance of up to two kilometers.

Water snakes are so greedy that they sometimes penetrate fishermen’s net cages and swallow them. large fish eats, after which they cannot get out of the cage: the belly, swollen from swallowing the fish, does not allow them to crawl through the cell of the cage. Often a frightened fisherman throws the fishnet along with his catch, believing that the viper has got into it. This dangerous snake she really looks like a water snake, but she doesn’t eat fish. Therefore, take the fishnet away from the shore, carefully untie the neck, get rid of the impudent thief and save your catch.

Fish also occupy a significant place in the food of dinodons - snakes that live on Far East(zone 7). However, their lifestyle has been poorly studied, and therefore it is difficult to judge whether dinodons can cause noticeable harm to fish farming.

They also do not disdain fish - common snakes (zones 2, 3, 4 and 5) and tiger snakes (zone 7). Ingested fish were also found in the stomachs of the patterned snake (zones 4, 5, 6 and 7), bigeye (zone 6) and redback (zone 7).

Of the poisonous snakes, as far as is known, only the eastern copperhead swallows fish. Obviously, in places where there are large concentrations of these snakes, they devour a lot of young fish. However, this is just my guess, and it needs to be verified.

Non-venomous, but aggressive snakes

The yellow-bellied snake is found in zones 3, 4, 5 and 6, but this species does not live in most of Kazakhstan, and in zone 6 it is found only in the south of Turkmenistan. This is a large snake up to one and a half meters long. The color of adult individuals ranges from almost black to olive-gray on the back, but the belly is always light with a yellowish tint.

This snake can be found in the steppe, semi-desert, field, ravine, rocky and steep banks reservoirs, in forest belts and gardens. The yellowbelly hunts during the day. Food: small mammals, lizards, snakes, birds. It crawls very quickly. When meeting a person (especially in spring and early summer), it often not only does not crawl away, but makes throws up to a meter in his direction. May grab onto a leg or arm. However, the yellowbelly is not poisonous and the wound from its bite usually heals quickly.

The olive snake lives in the 5th zone and in the south of Turkmenistan. Adults sometimes reach a meter in length. The upper body is olive in color with a brown, brownish, gray or greenish tint. On the sides of the front part of the body there is one row of spots outlined by a dark border, sometimes this border is yellowish. When meeting a person, it usually tries to crawl away, but when pursued it defends itself and can even attack. The bites are painful and take a long time to bleed.

The multi-colored snake is a resident of zones 5 and 6. This is a rather long (up to a meter) but not very thick snake. The body is gray on top with a brown or yellowish tint. Along the back there is a row of dark (to the point of blackness) transverse stripes. Sometimes snakes have only black heads. I quite often found black-headed snakes on the steep banks of rivulets and streams.

The bites of a multi-colored snake are quite unpleasant, especially since, clinging to your hand, it hangs on it like a bulldog. But after a bite, the hand does not swell much and the next day only traces of the snake’s teeth remain on the skin. Of course, wounds, as in all other cases, should be disinfected with iodine, brilliant green or alcohol.

The Caucasian cat snake is found in zones 4 and 5. Not very large (up to 75 cm), the body is gray or dark gray on top with spots along the ridge. Belly with small specks. The pupil is vertical. Does not avoid human proximity and is often found in reed ceilings outbuildings. It hunts in the evening and morning hours, and during the day it hides in crevices and under stones. It crawls very well on steep rock surfaces.

Some literary sources report that a cat snake bite is harmless to humans. I wouldn't say that. I myself saw a man bitten by this snake. The tumor on my arm lasted for almost a week, and the pain was felt even after half a month.

The lizard snake lives in zones 3, 4, 5. It can be very large, about two meters long, and meter-long snakes are not uncommon. The body of the lizard snake is not very thick, so it gives the impression of being swift and slender. The color of the body is dark olive, brownish or grayish-brown. The pupil is round. Snakes often live in rocky places with semi-desert vegetation, but they often “stay” in gardens, vineyards and the banks of irrigation canals. They feed mainly on lizards and snakes, including steppe vipers.

Usually, when meeting a person, it hides or tries to escape, but, pressed or pursued, it resists desperately. Moreover, he is not shy about using his teeth.

Poisonous snakes

The common viper is found throughout the territory of zone 2 and in zone 3 in the Carpathians. This is perhaps the most numerous and most widespread species of venomous snakes on the territory of the USSR. The usual length is 50 cm, but some individuals reach 90 cm. The color of the general background of the body is gray, brown, red, brown and solid black. On the back (of course, except for black snakes) there is a characteristic zigzag stripe of black, brown (very rarely red) color. If the snake's head is not visible, do not rush to grab it, as black vipers can easily be confused with an ordinary snake. This has happened to me.

Vipers live in pockets most often near raised moss swamps, floodplain meadows, in pine forests And mixed forests. Vipers are active from the moment the first thawed patches appear until the first snow. Their food consists of mice, frogs, frog eggs, and lizards.

Vipers swim very well and warm water swim away from the shore at a distance of up to 5 km. I've seen them fall prey several times predatory fish. In dry years, the bulk of vipers gather near water sources: along the banks of streams, rivers and lakes.

Quite often you can hear stories from “eyewitnesses” about how vipers crawled into tents and even into unattended boots. I have been studying vipers since 1964 and many times I have lived in a tent for long periods in the most snake-infested places. Not once did vipers crawl into the tent, much less into the boots. Vipers have a good sense of smell, and I believe that the “scents” of humans are well known to them and do not cause pleasure. Sometimes female vipers were fifteen meters away from me all summer (before giving birth, which takes place in August-September), and we remained peaceful neighbors.

Viper bites are painful, cause general poisoning of the body, but are not fatal. I specifically collected materials on the consequences of viper bites in the Pskov, Kalinin, Vologda, Novgorod regions and in Belarus. I was able to familiarize myself with almost 10,000 case histories of those who were bitten, and only in two cases did death occur after the bite. And both times - because of incorrect and untimely medical care.

The area bitten by a viper usually swells quite heavily. Sometimes the victim feels sick, but after receiving special medical care, he recovers in 10-12 days. Just do not need to tighten the bitten arm or leg: this will not delay the action of the poison, but, on the contrary, will strengthen it.

The steppe viper is found in zones 3, 4, 5 and 6. The snake is small; its usual length is 35-40 cm, the longest is 55-57 cm. The general background of the body is brown-gray. On the back there is a dark zigzag or stripe, sometimes intermittent. Active from March to November. Habitats: clayey and saline steppes.

In the spring, while the grass is green, vipers crawl across the steppe. As the grass burns out, they move into floodplains, onto the banks of streams, into wet lowlands and form clusters, sometimes very large. Thus, in the floodplain of the Ili River (Kazakhstan), over an area of ​​several square kilometers, with my participation, more than 20 thousand steppe vipers were caught in one season.

Snakes often lie under rolls of hay. This needs to be remembered by amateur fishermen in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, who go to steppe rivers or lakes and use fresh hay to spend the night.

The venom of the steppe viper is considered weaker than that of the common viper. But when one of the laboratory assistants was bitten by a steppe viper after the poison had been taken from the snake, the victim lost her sight for quite a long time. So you shouldn’t joke with steppe vipers.

The Caucasian viper is less common; it lives only in zone 5. The usual length is 40-50 cm. The main color of the body is from straw yellow to brick red. Along the ridge there is a wide dark or black stripe, sometimes broken into separate spots. The head is often black on top. There are also completely black snakes.

It lives on forested mountain slopes and subalpine meadows. The bite for humans is considered more dangerous than that of the common viper. There are cases with fatal. Fans of trout fishing in the mountain rivers of the Caucasus should remember this.

This species is rare and is listed in the Red Book not only of Russia, but also of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). When you meet, try to give the snake a wide berth, if only for the sake of not reducing the number of these already endangered animals.

The long-nosed viper also inhabits zone 5. Larger than the Caucasian viper, the usual length is 6-70 cm. The body on top is yellowish-brown, gray or reddish-brown in color, with a dark or black zigzag, sometimes with rhombuses or transverse spots. At the tip of the muzzle there is a soft, upward-pointing, scaly process.

It is found on rocky slopes, in mixed and coniferous mountain forests, and in bushes along the banks of reservoirs.

The species is very rare, included in the Red Books.

The Asia Minor viper is another resident of zone 5. It is considered very rare, but in some areas of Armenia it is quite numerous. The snake is large, often about a meter long and up to 10 cm thick (body girth). The upper body is dark gray, black, and in spring dark blue. Along the ridge there is one row of yellowish, orange or light brown spots. The species is alpine, lives at an altitude of 1200 to 3000 m above sea level. Inhabits clearings of mountain forests and bushes near piles of large stones and rocks. Winters in rock crevices, gathering in large groups. In spring it appears depending on the weather, but not later than the first ten days of May. Quite often it forms clusters on rocks near waterfalls.

The venom of the Asia Minor viper is stronger than that of the viper. When meeting a person, he usually hides and prefers to quietly go home.

Listed in the Red Books of Russia and the IUCN.

The viper, the famous grave viper (as its Latin name is translated), is perhaps the most dangerous poisonous snake. It is found in zones 4, 5 and 6.

Scientists distinguish two varieties of viper: Central Asian and Transcaucasian. Gyurza catchers know that the Central Asian fish, in turn, is divided according to external signs to the flat and mountain shape. The Transcaucasian and lowland forms are light to dark gray in color with an olive or brown tint. Along the ridge they go dark spots, there are also dark spots on both sides, but smaller. Snakes living in the Turkestan, Zeravshan, Nurata ranges and the Pamirs have a general body color background ranging from steel to blue, and the spots are rusty-red. Among the mountain vipers there are also completely black ones. Plain vipers are much larger than mountain vipers. Average length they are 120-130 cm, but there are also snakes more than two meters long and as thick as the arm of an adult man. The average length of mountain vipers is 70 cm, and the longest is 160.

Like all vipers, vipers live in patches, but in the mountains the patches are much denser than on the plain. Usually in the spring they crawl to their summer hunting grounds, and in the fall they crawl back to wintering grounds, although they do not hibernate even in warm climates. sunny days They come out to bask in the sun. At the end of May, the viper begins the mating period, during which several males gather near one female. These snakes guard the female and can be the first to attack anyone who approaches her.

Before the onset of heat, vipers are active during the day, and then they switch to night look life. On the plain, vipers stay near colonies of rodents, pink starlings and burrowing birds (bee-eaters, swallows, etc.), along the edges of tugai forests, in the valleys of desert rivers. They love to swim, especially in warm, sun-warmed water. Mountain vipers usually hunt near water sources, while they lie in crevices near springs, in thickets of mint, reeds and thorny bushes - chingil. During the day they hide in temporary shelters: under stones, in old holes, in rock crevices. Very often they live in the ruins of old buildings. In hot weather, vipers crawl to the water to drink. I have caught these snakes many times, swollen with water like bottles.

Viper are generally cowardly, but in the spring and early summer the males are aggressive and attack unexpectedly. Fans of marinka fishing in mountain rivers in the Pamirs, Zeravshan and Turkestan ranges should know about this feature of the viper. On the islands of the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers, in their upper reaches, viper are also found, and they are no less dangerous than their fellow tribesmen in the mountains. When hunting birds, mountain vipers climb up tree branches and bushes, often growing above the water. Disturbed, they rush straight from the branches into the water and swim away to shelter.

The sandy efa lives in zone 6. The average length is about 50 cm. It is variegated and beautifully colored: on a light brown or sandy background, whitish or yellow lines stretch in a zigzag on the sides of the body. On the back, closer to the middle, symmetrically to the zigzags on the sides, there are the same whitish or yellow spots. An almost regular white or yellow cross stands out sharply on the head. Oddly enough, such a variegated coloring is protective: to the inexperienced eye, an efa lying motionless often remains invisible. This should be remembered by the amateur fisherman on the banks of the Surkhandarya, Kizyl-Su and other rivers in the Surkhandarya region, Turkmenistan and Karakalpakstan. Slippers and sneakers will not protect your feet from the teeth of the efa. Boots are more reliable.

I had the opportunity to catch eph along the banks of the Surkhandarya, in the vicinity of the city of Termez. Snakes were found along the dry beds of old irrigation ditches, under cliffs of river banks and near crumbling adobe walls of abandoned buildings. Quite often they were found 20-30 m from residential buildings.

The f-holes lie in their characteristic “saucer” pose: the body is bent in a double arc, the head is in the center of these arcs. Having noticed a person, the efa remains motionless for some time, and then makes threatening movements. At the same time, the bends of the arcs rub against each other and produce a sound that resembles the hissing of drops of water falling onto a hot frying pan. I have never heard ephs hiss like other snakes. If a person retreats, the efa calms down and lies motionless again. If it approaches, the snake makes sharp lunges with its head and, maintaining the “saucer” pose, moves sideways to the nearest hole or crack. Once near the shelter, she immediately slips into it.

The Central Asian cobra lives only in zone 6. Places where it can be found: foothills, mountain gorges and sands. It is not so rare that they live along the banks of rivers, reservoirs and canals.

The average length of a cobra is 120 cm, but there are individuals up to 250 cm long. The cobra is thinner than the viper and does not look so ugly. Her body is slender, and her scales are smooth and shiny. Characteristic hallmark cobra - her threat pose in which she lifts the front of her body off the ground and straightens the folds of skin (hood) under her head. U Indian cobra There is a design on the hood that looks like glasses. For this drawing, the cobra was called the spectacled snake. Cobras living in our country do not have such a pattern. Adult cobras are brown, sometimes with a steely sheen.

Cobra is very careful. Noticing a person, she quickly crawls away to the nearest shelter. If the shelter is far away, the cobra first hides, and when it is discovered, it assumes a threatening pose, hisses abruptly and sways from side to side. Two circumstances are noteworthy in the behavior of the cobra: first, the cobra never bites without first assuming a threat pose, and second, it can hit the enemy with its head without opening its mouth, that is, it tries to scare him away without using its poisonous teeth. If the person retreats, the cobra rushes to the nearest shelter. Indeed, she rushes, because her movements are so swift that even running it is difficult to catch up with her. The cobra never chases a person and does not ambush anyone.

The common copperhead, a relative of the famous American rattlesnakes, is found in zones 2 (southern Siberia), 3, 4 (northern Kalmykia), 5 (southern Azerbaijan), 6 and 7. The size of the snake is medium. The color is yellowish-gray with dark transverse stripes on the body. Sometimes the overall color tone has a pinkish tint.

The copperhead lives in patches, populating mountain forests, bush thickets, steppes, semi-deserts, subalpine meadows. The discovered snake does not rush to hide, but takes a pose of threat, which is very peculiar to it: it curls up into a ball, hisses and finely shakes the tip of its tail. When disturbed, the copperhead often emits a characteristic, bad smell, which can be felt even at a distance of 4-5 m.

This snake's bite is painful, but deaths not noted.

The eastern cottonmouth lives in zone 7. Like its common “relative”, it has medium sizes (length 50-55 cm). Above the body is brown-gray or brown. On the sides there are a number of large elliptical spots, lighter inside.

It lives along the edges of forests, clearings, in thickets of bushes, on old rice fields and rocky slopes of hills. Swims willingly and catches fish on occasion. The main food is frogs and rodents. It is poisonous, but there are no known cases of human death from its bites.

Well, what should you do if you meet a snake while fishing! First of all, you should firmly remember: a snake, as a rule, is not the first to attack a person (the exception is male viper), but this does not mean at all that it will be indifferent to an attempt to come into contact with it and will allow itself to be taken in hand with impunity. All sorts of things living creature values ​​freedom and defends it with everyone accessible ways. Including teeth. Well, if these teeth are poisonous, then...

Arkady Nedyalkov

In conclusion, about one more task. Have you ever wondered why snakes swim and crawl? They don't have any fish tail, no fins, they simply bend, but at the same time move forward.

This problem has attracted numerous researchers for 40-50 years. Having become interested in it, I proposed one purely mechanical principle that makes it possible to qualitatively and quantitatively explain the mechanism by which the bending forces of a fish can be transformed into traction.

The best way to introduce this principle is to look at a specific mechanical problem: a solid tube with a circular cross-section of constant radius is coiled into a flat spiral. An elastic rod with a circular cross-section exactly equal to the cross-section of the tube is inserted into the tube. Do you think that if there is no friction between the rod and the tube, will the rod remain stationary or will it move? And if movement begins, in which direction?

I remember, while working on this task, I asked these questions to everyone who caught my eye - both doctors of science and students, but few could confidently answer it. Meanwhile, to answer, it is enough to recall the general law of mechanics, established back in the 18th century: if a body capable of changing its shape and position has potential energy and is not acted upon by external forces, then it tends to change its shape and position so that it potential energy decreased.

By inserting the rod into the tube and bending it, we, as it were, charged it with elastic energy; it should now be like a cocked spring, which, under certain conditions, is capable of straightening. But where? The rod is inserted into a tube bent in a spiral, and the curvature of the spiral is not constant, it increases from its outer to inner turns. In which direction will the rod move?

Let us first assume that the rod moves in the direction of increasing curvature, closer to the middle of the spiral. But at the same time, he will need to bend even more, and for this he needs to apply additional energy. So this premise is false.

Now suppose that it moves in the direction of decreasing curvature - into the outer turns of the spiral. In this case, each element of the rod will straighten, that is, it will lose potential energy, which, in the absence of friction, will completely turn into kinetic energy rod movements. As a result, the elastic rod, moving in the direction of decreasing curvature, straightening, continuously accelerates until it completely flies out of the tube. At this moment, all of its potential energy will turn into kinetic energy. ,This simple principle explains some facts well.

For example, it is known that snakes, in particular snakes, can easily move in sinusoidally curved tubes, the diameter of which is close to the diameter of their body. Assuming that it can only strive to straighten or bend, we will try to find out where and what efforts it should make. From the proposed principle it is clear that in sections of the channel where the curvature decreases, the body should tend to straighten, and in sections where the curvature increases, it should tend to bend even more. In short, you need to adapt the elements of your body to the profile of that section of the canal where this element should move.

Obviously, instead of a tube, you can take a winding trench with vertical walls, and replace the trench quite often with pegs driven in a sinusoid or, approaching the living conditions of a snake, with blades of grass. When moving in the grass, the snake makes a winding passage between the blades of grass with its head and, creating the necessary forces in all elements of its body, moves in the grass as if in a canal.

Can this principle also be applied to explain the movement of snakes and some fish, such as eels, in water? Indeed, in order for a snake to move in a sinusoidal tube, it is necessary that it resist bending forces. On a very smooth glass plate with negligible friction, a snake or an eel cannot move.

It turns out that this principle also applies to movement in water. True, the calculation here is much more complicated and requires a lot of mathematics. I will still try to explain the essence of the matter without formulas.

Everyone knows that with the same muscular effort, the highest you can jump from a solid support.

The more flexible the support, the weaker the jump. And yet a jump, albeit weakened, is possible even from liquid support. If a flattened ball is placed in water and allowed to straighten, it will bounce up. The energy of the compressed ball will turn into kinetic energy of movement of both the ball and some mass of water. In what ratio will the energy be distributed? This will depend on the relationship between the mass of the ball and the mass of the liquid located near the ball.

Now let's get back to the main task. The body of a snake or eel - in a first approximation, a bending cylinder - is entirely immersed in water and bent along a sinusoid. Will he be able to acquire forward speed?

Instantly creating bending stresses in its body, exactly the same as those needed to move in a curved tube, it sets in motion nearby masses of water. True, at the initial moment they accelerate in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement. In this case, the original sinusoidal shape begins to change, the undulation becomes steeper. The thrown masses of water create forces that act on the snake’s body like the walls of a solid channel. Under the influence of these forces, each element of the body acquires speed in the direction of its axis, and it begins to move forward...

January 1st, 2013

But this is 2013, the year of the snake! Let's find out if snakes can really catch fish...

Photo S. Shinkarenko A water snake lies in wait for a fish swimming by. Filming from water level, I had to sit up to my neck in water for several hours.

One of the fishing snakes is a water snake. The main food of water snakes is fish. The snakes swallow the caught prey outside the water - on the shore or on snags.

Water snake - close relative common snake. It is more heat-loving and even more moisture-loving.

In size, the water one is practically no different from the ordinary one. The largest known specimen reached a total length of one and a half meters. The water snake has large SCALES located on its head somewhat differently than the common snake. It also differs in color: yellow spots it has no head on the back, the pattern on the back is different, the ventral side is pink-red or orange-yellow. The general color background is greenish-gray or brownish; dark spots or narrow transverse stripes are usually located along it in a checkerboard pattern. Sometimes these spots form longitudinal stripes. There are also monochromatic individuals (without a pattern of spots) and even completely black ones - melanists.

In Europe, the water snake is found only in the south of its central and eastern parts. Also widespread in Central and Asia Minor, the Caucasus, western India and China. In Russia it is known from the Southern Volga region and Ciscaucasia.

These snakes rarely live far from bodies of water. This is where they spend the bulk of their active season; found on the banks of ponds, lakes, streams, rivers and even seas. There are many of them in artificial canals, ditches, reservoirs, and fish ponds. They prefer open, warm, stagnant or slowly flowing waters, but are also found in fast, cold mountain streams. In the mountains they are found at altitudes up to 3000 meters. Because these snakes hunt in water, they avoid muddy, polluted bodies of water. Favorite places their resting places are branches bent over the water or flat stones on the banks. Snakes swim perfectly on the surface and in the water column, cope with strong currents, and swim from the shore to a distance of up to five kilometers. In addition, the water snake climbs trees and bushes well and often crawls into the crowns of semi-aquatic plants.

The water snake feeds mainly on fish, which it catches in both fresh and sea water. In one hunt it can swallow up to forty small (2-3 cm) fish, but it also catches larger fish - up to 15 centimeters in body length. This snake uses two hunting tactics - either actively searches for, pursues and catches fish, or lies in wait for it and grabs it in a throw; if the attack is unsuccessful, it does not catch up with the lost prey. Tries to grab the victim by the middle of the body. Sometimes he swallows small fish right under water; larger ones are more difficult for him to cope with. The problem is that it can neither kill nor swallow relatively large prey directly in the water: it needs solid support. Therefore, he swims ashore, holding the fish tightly in his mouth and lifting it above the water. Having caught on some stone with the back of its body, it with difficulty pulls the struggling victim onto land, where it swallows it, always from the head. It happens that a snake catches a fish that is too large or wide (for example, crucian carp), which it cannot swallow, and then with such effort the prey pulled ashore has to be thrown away. In addition to fish, they catch frogs and toads in the water, as well as their tadpoles. Occasionally they eat snakes small mammals and birds.

Eating large number small fish, water snakes can cause significant damage to fish farms, where they have to be controlled.

When in danger, the water snake tries to hide in the water and hide at the bottom. When picked up, it secretes a foul-smelling yellow liquid, just like a common grass snake.

sources
http://macroclub.ru/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=91003
http://humor.deport.ru/humor216065.html
http://www.nat-geo.ru/contest/1/stshinkarenko/2806/
http://animalregister.net/v/vodyanoy-uzh.html