Viper - be careful and everything will be fine. All nature lovers should know how to distinguish a grass snake from a viper. What a grass snake and viper look like

All four seasons have their pros and cons. Summer brings hot rays of the sun, a rich harvest of berries, fruits, vegetables and herbs, and the opportunity to breathe in oxygen during sea and forest walks. But it is summer voyages into nature that are fraught with danger - they can bite poisonous insect or even a snake. After all, snakes live almost everywhere on Earth, so for summer residents and owners country houses It is important to know how to distinguish a grass snake from a viper.

These types of snakes are the most common in Russia (with the exception of some northern regions), CIS countries and Europe (except Great Britain and Ireland). And if it is practically safe for human life and health, then a viper bite will not bring anything good. As representatives of the same class - reptiles - these two reptiles have many similarities, but there are also differences - in appearance, habits, and feeding habits. So how can you distinguish a snake from a viper for sure, so as not to suffer from a poisonous bite yourself and not to endanger your loved ones?

Habitat

The habitat is the same for both snakes, it is:

• deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests,
• thickets of bushes,
• swamps,
• surroundings of ponds and wet meadows,
• mountains and wooded hills.

That is, areas where it is easy to hide and hide in order to breed and hunt. They are also similar in that they are found not only far from settlements, but also close to human habitation. For example, in country gardens. In search of warmth, they can climb into a village house or outbuilding. Both snakes can move equally well both in water and on land, and climb trees very well.

The difference between a snake and a viper in terms of the degree of danger to humans

They are not dangerous to humans, whereas vipers are poisonous. A person can suffer quite severely from a viper bite. But viper venom is used in pharmaceuticals - in ointments, drops and balms; in certain doses it is medicinal.

Viper and snake - similarities and differences in appearance and physical capabilities

What a grass snake and a viper look like, and how they are similar, and what obvious differences immediately catch the eye - is presented in the photographs. Knowing about them, even an amateur can easily distinguish snakes from each other and will not allow contact with a poisonous reptile.

The snake is a nimble snake with rapid movements and swims well. The body length of an adult is 1-2 m, more than a fifth of the length is the snake’s tail, which with its amplitude allows the snake to move faster. The body of this reptile is thin and graceful, the head is oval in shape. There are yellow or bright orange spots on both sides of the head in the area of ​​the auditory ossicles attached to the jaw. The snake's eyes are round in shape, which is typical for non-venomous reptiles. In addition, the color of the iris is the same as the main color of the snake.

The snake's belly is light gray, sometimes with dark stripes running along the body. The color of the back depends on the subspecies of the reptile; it can be gray, brown, dark green, but always with a “checkerboard” pattern, which can be practically invisible, or can be pronounced.

What fundamentally distinguishes a viper from a snake is its lower mobility, although it also swims quite quickly in water. The length of the snake is up to 80 cm, the body is dense, the length of the tail is approximately an eighth of the body length. The head is pointed - almost triangular in shape, on the muzzle there are crossed dark stripes running from the eyes to the corners of the mouth. The eyes look like slits, with vertical “cat-like” pupils. The two front poisonous teeth are clearly visible.

The color of both the back and belly of vipers is the same - the snake is completely gray, brown, green or black. And the skin pattern covering the entire body is characteristic - zigzag. But there are also species with a single color without a pattern - just dark gray or black.

About water snakes

The most difficult thing is to distinguish a water snake from a viper. These snakes are mistakenly considered a hybrid of a grass snake and a viper. In fact, water snakes, common in the Russian south, are not at all dangerous to humans, they are not poisonous. They love to swim in both salty sea and fresh river water.

The color of water snakes is olive, olive-grayish, brown or swamp green. A snake of this species can be distinguished by oval (not triangular, like a viper) spots on the back, arranged in a checkerboard pattern (in vipers, the pattern is always zigzag). The skin on the abdomen of a water snake is reddish or yellowish with black speckles.

But it is really incredibly difficult for the average person (ordinary southern tourist) to distinguish completely black specimens of snakes from vipers.

Viper and snake - differences in the method of obtaining food and diet

In principle, the viper also feeds on the same thing:

• frogs,
• lizards,
• small birds,
• bird eggs.

But they hunt and eat differently.

The snake attacks its prey suddenly, as it is characterized by jumping ability and swiftness. It swallows its prey completely and slowly - it takes up to several hours for it to pull a caught animal into its esophagus. Snakes may not eat at all for more than 2 weeks, which does not affect their physical activity and dexterity. The fact is that these reptiles quickly gain weight - they have a sufficient supply of subcutaneous fat, which makes it easy to endure even long periods of hibernation.

The viper watches its prey for a long time and patiently. Then it attacks, stings, waits for the moment when the victim weakens from the poisonous bite and only then begins to eat. The viper itself, its own poison, which entered its body with the blood of the victim, does not cause any harm, since the gastric juice of this snake has the ability to neutralize it.

Despite the poisonousness of vipers, wildlife they are eaten by other animals. They are food for foxes, hedgehogs, martens and badgers. Among the birds that hunt vipers are the heron, stork, and kite - these birds eat both the snakes themselves and their eggs.

Reproduction method and offspring

In this they are similar to the viper, although the latter is an ovoviviparous reptile. The mating period for both reptiles begins in the spring, when they emerge from hibernation. Both eggs are laid during June, first making secure nests in secluded places. A female snake hatches 8-28 babies, a female viper hatches 8-20 babies.

The benefits and harms of snakes and vipers for humans

Snakes exterminate field and garden rodents. When kept in captivity, they are unpretentious in care and undemanding in food. Sensing danger, they do not attack the person, but try to hide. If it is not possible to disappear from the person’s field of vision, they take a defensive pose, hiss and make short lunges towards the threatening object. If the danger has not disappeared, a strong-smelling enzyme is released to scare off the enemy.

The viper is dangerous poisonous bites, but when frightened, she will not rush at a person first if she had no intention of attacking. When threatened, this snake curls up into a ball, extends its neck and hisses, opening its mouth wide and rotating its jaw so that its fangs become visible. Almost always, a viper bite takes the life of a small animal. For humans, in most cases, a bite does not end in death. Medicines are made from viper venom and used in folk medicine.

Bottom line

So, the main differences - as a brief reminder to tourists:

• at non-venomous snake eyes are always round;
• the snake has a checkerboard pattern of oval spots on its skin, the viper has triangular spots, arranged in a zigzag;
• The head of the snake in the area of ​​the ears is decorated with bright spots, the viper has two poisonous teeth.

But the size and color of snakes can be confused with each other. The most important thing, if it is not clear who exactly is in front of you - a snake or a viper, remains calm, making it clear to the reptile that you are in a peaceful mood and will not cause harm. Then the snake will calmly crawl away. We hope now you will be able to distinguish a snake from a viper when you meet it, good luck!

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Even in the century before last, an ordinary person could calmly settle in a peasant’s yard without fearing for his life. The villagers were afraid to kill an uninvited guest because of the superstitious fear of bringing disaster to their home.

Appearance, description of an ordinary grass snake

The reptile belongs to the family of colubrids, differing from its friends in the snake kingdom by yellow “ears” - symmetrical markings on the head (closer to the neck). The spots can be lemon, orange, off-white or completely invisible.

The size of the average individual does not exceed 1 m, but there are also more respectable specimens (1.5-2 m each). Males are much smaller than females. The head is noticeably separated from the neck, and the body longer than the tail 3-5 times.

The top of the snake’s body can be painted dark gray, brown or olive, diluted with a dark “checkerboard” pattern. The belly is light gray or off-white, with a dark longitudinal stripe in the center. In some individuals this stripe occupies the entire lower side. Among the snakes there are both albinos and melanists.

Similarity to a viper

This is interesting! The good-natured snake is related to poisonous viper little: favorite places relaxation (forest, ponds, lawns) and the desire to avoid collisions with people.

True, the viper is less likely to maintain composure and attack a person at the first careless movement.

There are many more differences between reptiles:

• it is longer, slimmer than a viper and has a smoother transition from body to tail;
• yellow spots stand out on the head of the snake, and a zigzag stripe stretches along the back of the viper;
• the snake has an oval, slightly ovoid head, while the viper’s is triangular and resembles a spear;
• snakes do not have poisonous teeth;
• Snakes have vertical or round pupils (similar to a cat’s), and vipers have transverse pupils, like sticks;
• snakes eat frogs, and vipers prefer mice.

In fact, there are many more differences (for example, in the shape of scales and scutes), but an amateur does not need this knowledge. You wouldn't look at the scales if there was a threat of a snake attack, would you?

Range, habitats

IN northern latitudes The common grass snake can be found from Karelia and Sweden to the Arctic Circle, in the south - on the northern coast of Africa (all the way to the Sahara). The western border of the range runs along the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula, and the eastern border covers central Mongolia and Transbaikalia.

Snakes adapt to any landscape, even anthropogenic ones, as long as there is a body of water with standing or slowly flowing water nearby.

These snakes live in meadows, forests, river floodplains, steppes, swamps, mountains, gardens, urban wastelands and forested areas. When settling in the city, snakes often end up under wheels, as they like to bask on the asphalt. This is the main reason for the decline in snake populations in densely populated areas, although globally There is no need to worry about the number of species.

Duration and lifestyle

It lives a long time, from 19 to 23 years, and the main condition for its long life is considered to be water, which is responsible for the scientific name of the species - natrix (from the Latin natans, translated as “swimmer”).

This is interesting! Snakes drink a lot and swim, making long swims without a specific goal. Their route usually runs along the coast, although some individuals have been seen in the open sea and in the center of huge lakes (tens of kilometers from land).

In the water it moves like all snakes, raising its neck vertically and bending its body and tail in a wave-like manner in the horizontal plane. During the hunt, it dives deeply, and when resting, it lies on the bottom or wraps itself around an underwater snag.

It searches for prey in the mornings/evenings, although the peak of activity occurs during daylight hours. On a clear day, the common snake exposes its sides to the sun on a stump, stone, hummock, fallen trunk or any convenient elevation. At night it crawls into shelter - voids from uprooted roots, accumulations of stones or holes.

Enemies of the common snake

If the snake does not hide before sunset, it will quickly cool down and will not be able to quickly escape from natural enemies, among which are:

• carnivorous mammals, including foxes, raccoon dog, weasel and hedgehog;
• 40 species of large birds (for example, storks and herons);
• rodents, including rats;
• amphibians such as frogs and toads;
• trout (eats young fish);
• ground beetles and ants (destroy eggs).

Trying to instill fear in the enemy, he hisses and flattens the neck area (pretending poisonous snake), folds its body in a zigzag and nervously twitches the end of its tail. The second option is to run away.

This is interesting! Finding itself in the paws of a predator or the hands of a person, the reptile pretends to be dead or splashes itself with a stinking substance secreted by the cloacal glands.

Snakes constantly experience a shortage of reliable shelters, which is why they enjoy using fruits human activity, inhabiting houses, chicken coops, bathhouses, cellars, bridges, sheds, compost heaps and garbage dumps.

Diet - what does the average person eat?

The gastronomic preferences of the snake are quite monotonous - these are frogs and fish. Periodically, it includes other prey of suitable size in its diet. It can be:

• newts;
• toads;
• lizards;
• chicks (fallen out of the nest);
• newborn water rats;
• insects and their larvae.

Snakes disdain carrion and do not eat plants, but they willingly drink milk when they find themselves in a terrarium.

When hunting for fish, the snake uses a wait-and-see tactic, grabbing the prey with a lightning-fast movement when it swims close enough. Frogs are actively pursued on land, but they do not even try to jump to a safe distance, not seeing the snake as a mortal danger.

He swallows a fish dish without any problems, but eating a frog usually lasts for many hours, since it is not always possible to grab it directly by the head. Like other snakes, it already knows how to stretch its throat, but the angular frog is in no hurry to go into the stomach and sometimes breaks out of its supper mouth. But the executioner is not ready to let go of the victim and grabs him again to continue the meal.

After hearty lunch It can go without food for at least five days, and if necessary, for several months.

This is interesting! There is a known case when a forced hunger strike lasted 10 months. He was subjected to this test by a German naturalist who did not feed the experimental subject from June to April. The first feeding of the snake after the hunger strike passed without any deviations from the gastrointestinal tract.

Snake breeding

Puberty occurs at 3-4 years. The mating season lasts from April to May, egg laying occurs in July-August. Periods mating games may not be the same in different regions, but always begin after the end of the first seasonal molting(it usually changes its skin after catching and digesting the first prey). Cases of autumn mating have been recorded, when the female lays eggs after wintering.

Coitus is preceded by the intertwining of several snakes (a female and many males) into a “nuptial ball”, which results in the laying of leathery eggs in quantities ranging from a few to 100 (and even more).

This is interesting! If there are not enough secluded places in the population’s habitat, females create a collective storage of eggs. Eyewitnesses told how they once found a clutch of 1,200 eggs in a forest clearing (under an old door).

The masonry must be protected from drying out and cold, for which the snake seeks out a moist and warm “incubator”, which often becomes a pile of rotten leaves, a thick layer of moss or a rotten stump.

Having laid eggs, the female does not hatch the offspring, leaving them to the mercy of fate. After 5-8 weeks, small cones are born, 11 to 15 cm long, and from the moment of birth they are preoccupied with finding a place to winter.

Not all baby snakes manage to feed themselves before the cold weather, but even hungry kids survive until the spring warmth, except that they develop a little slower than their well-fed sisters and brothers.

Snakes tolerate captivity remarkably well, are easily tamed and undemanding in maintenance. They need a horizontal type terrarium (50*40*40 cm) with the following equipment:

• thermal cord/thermal mat for heating (+30+33 degrees in a warm corner);
• gravel, paper or coconut shavings for the substrate;
• shelter in a warm corner (to maintain humidity it is placed in a ditch with sphagnum moss);
• shelter in a cold corner (dry);
• a spacious container with water so that the snake can swim there, soak in water when molting, and not only quench its thirst;
• UV lamp for daylight.

IN sunny days no additional illumination of the terrarium is required. It is sprayed once a day warm water so that the sphagnum always remains moist. Homemade diet The snake consists of small fish and frogs: it is desirable that the prey shows signs of life, otherwise the pet may refuse to eat.

This is interesting! Sometimes snakes are accustomed to defrosted foods. Colubrids are fed 1-2 times a week, large reptiles- even less often. Once a month, mineral supplements are mixed into the food, and instead ordinary water give mineral. The water in the drinking bowl is changed daily.

If desired, the snake is hibernated, for which, with the onset of autumn, the lighting/heating time is reduced from 12 to 4 hours. After you reduce the temperature in the terrarium to +10+12 degrees and stop lighting it, the snake will go into hibernation (up to 2 months). The sleep you simulate will have a beneficial effect on the body of a rested pet.

With the onset of spring, a person tired of the winter cold is drawn to nature - to walk along forest paths, breathe in invigorating fresh air, barbecue with friends on the edge of a birch grove. But what positive emotions If they overwhelm you, be careful - there may be a snake hiding in the grass.

In our forests, there are mainly snakes and vipers - the former are harmless, the latter are poisonous, it is better to stay away from them, so before the spring-summer season, it is a good idea to learn how to distinguish these reptiles from each other.

How to distinguish a grass snake from a viper by the shape of its head

While walking through the forest, did you encounter an unknown snake? Stop and take a closer look:

• bright orange or white markings are visible on the oval head, the eyes are round, the pupil is bordered by a light iris - that’s it;

• the head is triangular, similar to the tip of a spear, in the upper part of which one can see dark brow ridges. The eyes are fiery red with a vertical pupil - in front of you is a viper.

How to distinguish a snake from a viper by color

The color of the skin will also tell you what animal you met.

• A poisonous snake has a zigzag pattern along its body of triangles, which turns into stripes on its back, and skin covering– with a gray, blue, brown or black tint.

• The snake is covered with a longitudinal pattern with spots and specks, and the main color of the reptile is black-brown.

How to distinguish a snake from a viper by body shape

It happens that a snake is camouflaged between stones, and it is difficult to see it completely, but by looking at individual parts of the body, you can understand which individual has taken refuge nearby.

• A long elongated body, smoothly turning into a sharp tail, indicates that this is a snake.

• The snake is small, no more than 75 cm in length, the transition from the body to the blunt tail is obvious - a viper.

• Even if you determine that it is already hidden, do not tug at it with a twig or pick it up - the snake, in defense, may bite painfully or shoot at you with a foul-smelling liquid, which will take a long time to wash off.

How to distinguish a water snake from a viper

The water snake is confused with a viper due to the checkerboard pattern of the skin, similar to the triangular pattern of a poisonous reptile, and the absence of bright ears. But it’s easy to distinguish the snake - it has an abdomen with yellowish rectangular spots, and on its head there are clearly visible marks in the form Latin letter V.

The viper does not try to attack a person, and its hiss is not a battle cry, but a warning. If you cannot avoid the bite, use our first aid recommendations:

• Place the bitten person’s head below body level to avoid disruption of brain function;
• suck the poison out of the wound (it looks like two bleeding spots) for a quarter of an hour, periodically spitting out saliva. At the end of the procedure, rinse your mouth with water;
• treat the sore spot with an antiseptic and apply a sterile bandage. Give the victim some sweet tea, give him an allergy pill, and take him to the nearest medical center to administer an antidote.

Instead of an afterword: when relaxing in nature, be careful not to step on or sit on a dormant viper. If you notice a snake from afar, you should not approach it - go your own way and your health will not suffer.

In the warm season, many people prefer to relax on fresh air- in the forest and in plantings, in the country, near reservoirs. Here they are in danger in the form of snakes, some of which are quite harmless, and some of which are deadly!

We decided to clearly understand how it differs from a viper and how not to confuse them.

Snake and viper: differences in head shape

When you encounter a creeping reptile, you need to look carefully at its head. Snakes have an elongated and oval skull, resembling the shape of an egg. Vipers have a head that looks like a triangle or a spear. Poisonous representatives of the fauna have very noticeable arches in the neck area. IN summer time a snake can easily be confused with a viper, especially if it is in a bad mood. In this way the snake tries to scare the intended enemy.

Eyes and their differences in vipers and snakes

Poisonous snakes and snakes have many differences. One of them is the pupils. Vipers are characterized by the presence of rods in a colored shell. They are located parallel to the body. Harmless snakes have round or oval pupils. They can be compared to cats. The iris has some differences. In vipers it contrasts with the body color, while in snakes it merges. The latter have excellent vision, which allows them to quickly search for food, reacting to objects in motion.

Shields on the reptile's head

The shape of the scutes in non-dangerous animals is distinguished by regular lines. They have enough big sizes and are symmetrical in relation to each other, covering most of the head. Venomous reptiles have three scutes. Their shape is wrong. The scutes are located in the anterior region of the crown, where the transition to scales begins.

Characteristics of snake bodies

Determining the type of snake by color is the least reliable way. In nature, there are a huge number of individuals on whose bodies it is almost impossible to identify patterns. In lighter-colored vipers, you can see triangles along the back line that gather into stripes. In the colors of snakes, zigzags are excluded. They are more characterized by longitudinal rows consisting of spots, specks and other similar segments. Aquatic individuals have a dark body color. The spots and dots here are arranged in a checkerboard pattern. From a distance, these colors look like zigzags, which causes errors in determining the type of animal.

The body shape of poisonous reptiles is short, thicker and denser. The transition from body to tail is very noticeable. Safe snakes are long and fairly thin. The transition between body and tail is smooth.

Differences in scale shape

Both representatives of the fauna have keels on their scales - narrow longitudinal elevations. In snakes, they visually divide the scales in half and are double. The keel on the viper's scales is solid.

First, we need to figure out individually who the viper and viper are.

Let's start with the horror

It's a snake.

The length of the snakes is from 15 cm to 1.5 m. The body is covered with scales.

The coloring of the common grass snake has characteristic feature- these are two bright ones yellow spots on the head, similar to eyes.

Snakes are safe for humans.

The habitat of snakes is very wide. It passes through Russia, North Africa, countries of Asia and Europe, except for the northern regions. Snakes love damp areas.

Active during the daytime. They hunt in the morning and evening, and bask in the sun during the day. Snakes can crawl up trees and swim well in water. They hibernate from autumn to spring.

The diet generally consists of amphibians (frogs, tadpoles, toads) and fish, but they also do not refuse mice, rats, small birds, moles, small squirrels, bird and snake eggs. At the same time, they can remain without food for a long time, without harm to their health.

Vipers

A viper is a poisonous snake.

The body length of vipers can be from 30 cm to a meter.

The color of the common viper is varied: the color of the back can be black, light gray, yellow-brown, beige, reddish-beige. In many, you can see light zigzag stripes along the back.

Vipers pose a danger to humans.

The habitat extends over almost the entire Eurasia. She lives mainly in a forest belt.

Leads night look life. But it can also crawl out during the day to bask in the sun.

The diet consists mainly of small rodents (rats, mice), insects, amphibians (frogs, toads) and birds.

Similarities between vipers and snakes

• Both representatives are snakes;
• they can have a very similar color (black, dark brown body color);
• live in the same territory and can be found in a forest area, in a field, meadow, next to a pond or lake;
• both species hibernate;
• approximately the same body length;
• both of them can be found during the day, basking in the sun;
• they have a similar diet (rodents, amphibians, lizards, birds);
• may have crawled to people’s homes in search of food;
• the body is covered with scales.