What does a viper look like? Common Viper - photo, description. Common viper (Vipera berus) Natural enemies of the viper in nature

It is useful to know what a viper looks like and how it differs from other reptiles, because no one is safe from meeting with it. It stands out among other snakes with a short, thick body. Its length can be from 30 cm to 3 m. The weight can also be different. There are specimens up to 15 kg. The head is separated from the body by a narrowing in the form of a neck. The muzzle is blunted in front. There are scaly formations between the nostrils. Some species have such formations above the eyes. The pupils are in the form of vertical slits. In the dark, they can expand greatly, so the viper snake sees well even at night.

The common viper belongs to the genus true vipers and the viper family

Appearance of the snake

The coloration of snakes is varied, it can vary from almost black to light brown and even red. It is determined by the environment. So, in specimens living on trees, a greenish tint predominates. Many individuals have a dark zigzag line running down their backs. From the side of the abdomen, the color is lighter, sometimes there are white spots. The end of the tail can stand out in brightness.

These reptiles overwinter in warm burrows up to 2 m deep. Wintering begins in mid-autumn and ends in spring, after the establishment warm weather. The snakes come to the surface and immediately begin to breed. They live an average of 15 years, sometimes more, up to 30.

The distribution range of vipers in nature is very wide. They can be found in the forest, and in the swamp, and in the sands of the desert. They are found on all continents except Antarctica and Australia. There are 292 species of vipers.

The common viper belongs to the genus true vipers and the viper family. It reaches 60-80 cm in length. It lives mainly in conditions with low temperatures. It is found even at a latitude close to the Arctic Circle. At other latitudes, it settles high in the mountains.

Already - a fast and agile snake. There are signs by which you can distinguish the snake from the viper. Experts and owners of terrariums talk about the intelligence of snakes, but they advise you to remember that not all snakes are harmless.

Common snake, photo by Marek Szczepanek

How to distinguish snake from viper?

Eyes. The pupils of snakes are round, while those of vipers have the shape of a transverse “stick”. characteristic feature most snakes have well-developed eyes:

They have a round, oval or vertical pupil, like a cat, and often have a brightly colored iris, usually well in harmony with the general color of the body. Snakes, looking for their prey mainly with the help of vision, have greatly enlarged eyes adapted to react to moving objects (Animal Life, Volume 5).

So: the pupils of snakes are round, while those of vipers are in the form of a stick, which is located across the body.

Coloring. The coloration of the snakes is varied. Among them there are snakes of dark olive, brown, brown and even almost black color. Some snakes have variegated skin with bright patterns. It is possible that this is the protective nature of the coloration, the desire to imitate poisonous snakes. The family of snakes is numerous. Therefore, in order not to confuse the snake with a poisonous snake, you need to know the characteristics of precisely those species that are found in a particular area. Consider three types of the genus snakes (Natrix) subfamilies Real snakes (Colubrinae).

ordinary snake “distinguishes well from all our other snakes with two large, clearly visible light spots (yellow, orange, off-white) located on the sides of the head. These spots have a semi-lunar shape, and are bordered in front and behind by black stripes. There are individuals in which light spots are weakly expressed or absent. The color of the upper side of the body is from dark gray to black, the belly is white, with irregular black spots ”(“ Animal Life, Volume 5).

Perhaps the advice of a well-known snake-catcher will help someone:

It was quite simple to distinguish a snake from a viper: the snake has yellow or red spots on its head that look like ears, and its body is monotonous - dark gray or black. Vipers do not have “ears” on their heads, their bodies are gray or reddish, and a zigzag stripe stands out sharply on their backs (A Nedyalkov. A naturalist in search).

Water already colored differently. This snake is different common grass snake, although often adjacent to it.

The color of the back is olive, olive-gray, olive-greenish or brownish in color with dark more or less checkerboard spots or with narrow dark transverse stripes. There is often a dark spot on the back of the head, shaped latin letter V, pointing towards the head. Belly yellowish to reddish, mottled with more or less rectangular black spots. Occasionally there are specimens completely devoid of a dark pattern on the body or completely black (“Animal Life”, volume 5).

Zmeelov A. Nedyalkov warns that it is dangerous to rely only on the color of the snake's skin. Once a viper taught him a lesson that could have ended in tragedy:

I did not yet know that there were vipers painted solid black, and for my ignorance I almost paid a heavy price.

One day I was walking through the forest after rain and saw that a black body stretched across the path large snake. The snake's head was hidden in the grass. The black body means not a viper, but already. I really needed a big one, I bent down and without any precautions took the snake bare hand for the torso. The snake hissed. Snakes, when they are picked up, usually do not hiss. The catcher's reflex worked for me, and with my other hand I grabbed the snake by the neck so that it could not reach me with its teeth. I look - and she has a pupil in the shape of a wand. Viper!

I was saved from a bite by the fact that the viper was very cold after the rain, and the chilled snakes are rather lethargic and clumsy (A Nedyalkov. Naturalist in search).

Brindle already , which is found on Far East Russia (as well as in Northern China, Korea, Japan), painted brightly and elegantly:

The back is dark green or dark olive (occasionally blue specimens are also found), mottled with more or less clear black transverse stripes or spots, gradually decreasing as they approach the tail. In the anterior third of the body, the spaces between the black spots are painted bright brick red. Under the eye there is an oblique black wedge-shaped strip, with its apex pointing downwards; another black stripe runs from the supraorbital shield to the corner of the mouth. There is a wide black collar on the neck, or on the sides of the neck there are one triangular-shaped spot. The upper lip is yellow, the eyes are large, black ("Animal Life", Volume 5).

Smell. The snakes have another difference from other snakes. Alarmed snakes smell disgusting:

Already waved his tail and doused me with a stream of whitish stinking liquid. The stench was terrible: a mixture of fumes of garlic and some chemical. I almost vomited, but I still threw the grass snake on the shore. I rubbed my skin for an hour and a half with soap, sand, and alcohol, but I could not remove the smell (A. Nedyalkov “Dangerous Paths of a Naturalist”).

It is believed that in those places where snakes are found, there are no vipers. It's a delusion:

In addition to vipers, snakes were also found near the ditches. They say that snakes are at enmity with vipers and kill them. I have seen more than once how snakes and vipers lie side by side and calmly bask in the sun. And I have never seen them fight (A. Nedyalkov "The Naturalist in Search").

Types of snakes

There are many different snakes, but these three species are the most common in our country.

(Natrix natrix ) is found in Europe (except Far North). This is a black or dark gray snake up to 1.5 m in size (usually 1 m, females are more noticeable larger than males) with two yellow or bright orange spots on the sides of the head. The snake can be found in overgrown bushes near the water, during moist forests and in the swamps. Already ordinary sometimes settles near people's homes: in heaps of garbage in the yard, in sheds, barns, cellars and poultry yards. He often "nails" to chickens and ducks or crawls into stables and on barnyards. The snake even lays eggs here that resemble those of a pigeon. A dinner egg is filled with a yolk surrounded by a thin layer of protein. The eggs are covered with a leathery shell. The female lays eggs bound by a gelatinous substance in "beads". Egg-laying can be found in dunghills, in a pile of dry leaves, damp moss, or in loose earth. Eggs can be 15 - 17 (rarely up to 30 pieces). About three weeks pass, and the snakes are born. The length of a duckling that has just hatched from an egg is about 15 cm. It is able to eat worms, snails and various insects.

The common snake hibernates on land: it hides in old burrows made by mammals, crawls under the roots of trees, etc.

Water already (Natris tesselata) lives in the southern regions of Russia, as it is more thermophilic than ordinary. There are many such snakes in the Volga region and on the Don. Often a water snake is seen in the Crimea (especially on Kerch Peninsula). These snakes keep near water, not only fresh, but also salty. They are great swimmers (even with a big wave) and dive. They feed on frogs, tadpoles, small fish(gobies) and even shrimp. Rarely by small mammals and birds. In order to make it easier for the snake to swallow the fish, the snake holds it in its mouth and swims to the shore. There he finds support for his body, settles comfortably near it, after which he proceeds to swallow the prey. These snakes hide from the heat underwater. Snakes sleep in dry grass, in hay, climb into rodent burrows, under stones. In the morning, water snakes slowly crawl out onto the banks of rivers and reservoirs. Snakes hibernate under stones, in crevices and in dense bushes.

already brindle (Rhabdophis tigrina) in Russia is found in the south of the Far East (Primorsky Krai, near Khabarovsk) in wet areas near water, in forests and meadows. They are seen even in cities. The length of the snake is about 110 cm. It already feeds on frogs, toads, small rodents and fish. This snake is considered conditionally venomous, as its poisonous teeth are located deep in the mouth (on the back of the maxillary bone).

For human bites tiger snake, usually applied by short front teeth, pass without a trace. However, in cases where the bite is applied by enlarged mandibular teeth lying in the depths of the mouth, and into the wound in in large numbers saliva and the secret of the upper labial glands enter, it may occur severe poisoning, not inferior in its severity to that of the bite of real poisonous snakes ("Life of animals, volume 5).

Nutrition of snakes

Snakes swim well and often get their food not only on land, but also in water. The diet of snakes mainly consists of small vertebrates: amphibians and reptiles. However, there are lovers of rodents, birds and fish. Frogs are a delicacy for snakes. He catches them in the water and on the shore. Hungry already swallows several small frogs at once. In the water, he preys on tadpoles and fish.

Watching him eat is annoying. He swallows the frogs alive, just as some people swallow live oysters. The discrepancy between the size of the frog and the snake makes the process of eating a terrible sight - a big mouth of a snake with a small head, a thin body in which a swallowed frog sticks out with a terrible knot ... As a child, I somehow got caught with such a knot around my neck. I poked it with a stick - a living and unharmed frog jumped out from the inside, it was still crawling, but it was completely white: the stomach juice of the snake had discolored it (Hans Scherfig "The Pond").

The snake is said to hypnotize its prey. Outwardly, it looks exactly like this. A. Nedyalkov saw with his own eyes how the frog obediently approached the snake:

I have been told many times that snakes hypnotize frogs. But this time the "hypnosis" did not take place. In order to see everything better, I took a branch of the bush. The frog noticed the movement of the branch and made a desperate jump, turning over its head in the air. He continued to lie still. Looking closely, I saw that from time to time he throws out a forked tongue from his closed lips. I did not disturb the snake and returned to my place. Five minutes later, near the same bush, the frog purred again. I went back to the bush. He was already lying in the same place, and the frog again purred and crept up to him. She did not jump, but, carefully rearranging her paws, she crawled like soldiers crawl in a plastunsky manner. This time I did not move the branches, and soon the frog approached the snake at a distance of twenty centimeters. Suddenly he rushed to the frog and grabbed it by the end of the muzzle with his mouth. The frog thrashed, but she could not escape. Fingering his jaws, he grabbed her tighter and tighter. The frog no longer purred, but desperately scraped the snake's head with its paws. The jaws of the snake kept moving and moving. The frog's eyes were already at the very edge of its mouth. I felt sorry for the wah, and I pushed the snake with the end of the grabber. He didn't immediately let go of his prey. Only after I squeezed his neck quite hard with a gripper did he open his mouth and the frog escaped. She immediately jumped into the grass, and only slipped into the thick of the bush ... I don’t think that I could hypnotize the frog. Most likely, she noticed his moving tongue, mistook this tongue for a worm, wanted to eat this worm and herself became the prey of the snake (A. Nedyalkov “The Naturalist in Search”).

Manual already

Already kept in captivity since the time ancient rome. Then they caught mice. Nowadays, there are also lovers who keep snakes at home. They advise designing a terrarium as a “forest + pond”. It is advisable to feed snakes with frogs and live small fish. Snakes are considered intelligent snakes that are able to get used to humans. Here is what Hans Scherfig recalls about the acquaintance in the book “The Pond”:

He was so sweet and kind. A real domestic already, which was not afraid of people. He even got rid of the old bad habit of hissing and bad smell when you touch it. Frightened snakes smell like garlic.

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In August 2014, I visited the Nurgush nature reserve, but my hands did not reach to make out the photographs taken there. Recently, when selecting shots for the photo contest “Reserves and national parks of Russia are 100 years old”, I remembered several portraits of snakes from the reserve. In the protected zone of the Nurgush Reserve (the one where outsiders are allowed to access) there is a clearing on which many years ago, even before the formation of the reserve, there was a summer camp for cattle. The remains of which, in the form of a heap of rotten pieces of wood overgrown with lichen, can still be seen on the edge of the clearing. This place is very fond of snakes. Vipers bask in the sun on wooden debris, among which they can hide in case of danger. No wonder this clearing is called Serpentine. Even though they look different, they are all the same common viper(lat. Vipera berus). Some of them are light gray in color with a dark pattern on the back, some are completely black. This is a manifestation of melanism, excessive dark pigmentation. It is easy to distinguish from harmless vipers by the absence yellow spots in the back of the head, and if you get to know them very close, then the pupil of a snake is round, and that of a viper is vertical, like that of a cat. But the viper, too, should not be afraid of panic. For all its toxicity, she herself prefers not to catch the eye of a person and hides at the first danger. Only when cornered or taken by surprise does it hiss and lunge menacingly. You should not even consider your life over if the worst thing happened - you were bitten by a viper. Over the past half century, there have been almost no deaths from the direct bite of a viper (unless Small child was stung in the face), more from the consequences of his improper treatment (cutting the wound, pulling with a tourniquet, cauterizing and other nonsense). But more on that below.

What does a common viper look like

This snake is 35-50 cm long. The common viper can be different color but there is one hallmark for all vipers: it is a dark zigzag on the back, from the back of the head to the end of the tail, which is accompanied on each side by a longitudinal row of dark spots. It can be assumed that the main color of vipers is silver, but this is conditional, since there are light gray, yellow, green and brown individuals. In some areas, up to 50% of the population are melanistic black vipers. The abdomen of the viper is dark gray or even black. The end of the tail is always a lighter color, more often lemon.

The head behind is noticeably wider than the neck, rather flat, the neck is clearly separated and slightly laterally compressed, the tail is relatively short, noticeably thinner in the last third of its length and ends with a short, hard tip. The male has a shorter and thinner body and a relatively thicker and longer tail than the female.

Vipers have large, round eyes. Some say that they reflect some kind of deceit and aggression. The color of the iris is usually bright fiery red, in dark females it is light reddish-brown.

Where do vipers live

The common viper is distributed mosaically in the forest belt of Eurasia from Great Britain, France and northern Italy in the west, to Sakhalin and the Korean Peninsula in the east. IN Eastern Europe the viper sometimes penetrates the Arctic Circle - for example, it lives in the Lapland Reserve and on the shores Barents Sea. To the east - in Siberia and the Far East - distribution in many places is limited by the lack of suitable wintering burrows. From the south, the range is limited to the steppe regions.

In the habitat, the viper does not have any special preferences, it can be found here and there: in forests and deserts, on mountains, meadows, fields, swamps and even in the steppes. The main thing is that there is enough food and light, and she does not make special demands on the rest. Especially a lot of vipers are found in marshy places. Here they live sometimes in terrifying numbers.

The viper lives in some hole in the soil, under the roots of a tree or between stones, in a mink (from which it first drives out the hosts), in a crevice in the soil - in general, in some kind of similar shelter, near which there should be a small open space where she could bask in the sun.

Common viper lifestyle

Vipers spend their entire lives (and they live twelve to fifteen years) in the same territory. Distributed unevenly, depending on the availability of places suitable for wintering. Saddled, as a rule, does not move further than 60-100 meters. The exception is forced migration to the wintering place, in this case the snakes can move up to a distance of 2-5 km. In the summer, sometimes basking in the sun, but for the most part hides under old stumps, in crevices, etc. Despite the fact that vipers love light and warmth, it cannot be argued that this snake leads daytime look life, on the contrary, during the day they are slow, they like to soak up sunshine, and with the onset of twilight, vipers become active and crawl out to hunt. Even her eyes are adapted to seeing in the dark: the pupil can increase and decrease, which is rare in reptiles.

Vipers feel great at a body temperature of nine to thirty degrees. If the temperature drops below nine or rises above thirty-five degrees, the animal dies. Therefore, the snake is forced to spend the whole day in the shelter, crawling out into the sun several times to warm up.

Vipers winter in the soil at a depth below the freezing layer, climbing into the holes of moles and rodents, the passages of rotten roots of trees and shrubs, deep rock cracks and other shelters. Sometimes they accumulate in one place in small groups. Numbness in vipers during the period hibernation lasts for middle lane Russia for about six months.

The viper has a lot of enemies in nature, such as owls, foxes, hedgehogs, ferrets, minks and eagles. The greatest danger to an ordinary viper is a person, primarily his economic activity aimed at deforestation and other changes in natural landscapes. Among forest dwellers, the main enemies of vipers are hedgehogs, which are immune to snake venom. The hedgehog uses the following tactic when attacking: it bites the snake's body and immediately curls up into a ball, substituting its needles for a retaliatory strike. The procedure is repeated several times until the viper weakens and dies.

What does a viper eat

The food for vipers is mainly made up of warm-blooded animals, especially mice, which the snake prefers to any other food. From the observations of scientists it follows that she catches mice not only on the ground, but also underground. Chicks, especially those birds that nest on the ground, often fall prey to vipers. It can also prey on adult birds. She eats frogs and lizards only as a last resort.

The viper lies in wait for its prey and bites (for example, wood mouse), and then lets go in order to later find the corpse on the trail, since under the influence of the poison that has penetrated into the wound, the bitten animal quickly dies.

Vipers are predators from birth. Young snakes catch insects - locusts, beetles, less often butterfly caterpillars, ants, slugs and earthworms. In turn, vipers become prey birds of prey and animals.

viper breeding

The mating season is in May, and offspring appear in August or September, depending on the climate. Mating starts only when spring weather established. The number of cubs produced by a female depends on the age of the mother: younger ones have five or six cubs, older ones - 12-14, even 16 pieces.

The viper is a viviparous - the development of eggs and hatching of cubs occurs in the womb. Quite interesting intrauterine development viper embryos. The walls of the upper shell of the eggs are permeated with blood vessels, so the embryo feeds on both the yolk of the egg and the nutrients dissolved in the mother's blood. It happens that at the time of childbirth, the female wraps around a tree or stump, leaving her tail in the air, “scattering” kites on the ground, which from the first moment begin an independent life. Juveniles are usually 15-20 cm long and are already poisonous. As they grow, they molt, leaving behind crawling out like snakes.

The viper is born evil and remains evil for the rest of its life. Small vipers, freshly hatched from their eggs, hissed and bit angrily when touched. Immediately after birth, each little viper crawls away, and the mother does not pay any attention to the cubs.

What is dangerous viper

Vipers are the most common venomous snakes in central Eurasia. Their bite is dangerous to humans, but not fatal. If a person is not allergic to snake venom, then the bite does not pose a danger to life.

This snake is not aggressive and, when a person approaches, it tries to use its camouflage coloration as much as possible, or crawl away. Only in the event of an unexpected appearance of a person or with a provocation on his part, she can try to bite him. This cautious behavior is explained by the fact that it requires a lot of energy to reproduce the poison in conditions of changing temperatures.

The viper never attacks a person first, only biting if it is being chased, grabbed or stepped on. At the sight of a person, the viper is always in a hurry to crawl away, hide, or lie quietly.

When attacked, the snake curls up and draws its neck into the middle of the resulting flat circle, so that with each bite it quickly extends it by 15, at most 30 cm. Retraction of the neck is always a sign that the viper wants to bite, immediately after the bite, it again quickly retracts the neck preparing for the next attack.

When attacking, the viper focuses primarily on lightning speed, and not on accuracy. When attacked, she often misses, but immediately makes another attempt until she achieves her goal. You have to be careful, because the viper never attacks silently. Even if she is hunting, before attacking her prey, the snake emits a loud hiss. This hissing or snorting is made with the mouth closed and is caused by her inhaling and exhaling air more forcefully than usual. When air is exhaled, the sound is strong and low; when inhaled, it is weaker and higher.

The viper injects a small amount of poison into the victim. She saves it, since the production of poison is a very energy-intensive process and takes a lot of strength from the snake. The viper has large hollow fangs with a deep groove. The snake injects venom into its prey by reflex contraction of the temporal muscles that surround the venom glands.

What to do with a viper bite

Most often, the bites of non-venomous snakes leave only small scratches on the body. The bite of a venomous snake leaves deep punctures from the teeth, through which poison is injected. When bitten, the poison can get under the skin, into the muscle tissue or into the lumen of the victim's vessel. The bite into the lumen of the vessel is more difficult, due to the fact that the poison spreads faster throughout the body causing various disorders. There are cases when the bite occurs with one fang, as a result of which a smaller dose of poison is injected and the poisoning proceeds more easily.

The viper's venom is hemo- and cytotoxic, that is, it destroys blood and tissues. It contains hyaluronidase and phospholipase and destroys the walls of blood vessels, red blood cells, proteins, forms blood clots inside the vessels, leading to circulatory disorders. In addition, the poison disrupts cardiac and liver function, and also disrupts the water-mineral balance.

Hyaluronidase- splits connective tissue, destroys the walls of small capillaries, increases the permeability of tissues for water and ions.

Phospholipase- splitting the lipid layer of erythrocytes, leads to their destruction (erythrocyte hemolysis).

The above enzymes increase the permeability of cell membranes (mast cells) containing biological active substances(histamine, heparin, etc.), which leads to their release and the manifestation of inflammatory and allergic reactions (swelling, redness, pain, itching).

For humans, the bite of an ordinary viper is considered potentially dangerous, but it rarely leads to lethal outcome. For example, in the UK, only 14 deaths were recorded between 1876 and 2005, the last of which occurred in 1975 (a five-year-old child died from a bite). About 70% of those bitten either do not experience any symptoms at all, or feel a burning pain directly in the area of the bite. Often, redness and swelling develop around the wound - hemorrhagic edema. With a more severe degree of intoxication, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, blanching of the skin, increased sweating, chills, and tachycardia are possible within 15-30 minutes. Finally, with special hypersensitivity loss of consciousness, swelling of the face, a significant fall may occur blood pressure, heavy bleeding (DIC), renal failure, convulsive or coma. In the vast majority of cases, the effects of a bite disappear after 2-4 days, but can stretch for a longer period up to a year. In particular, improper self-treatment can lead to complications.

As first aid when bitten, doctors recommend calming down, applying a pressure bandage (but not a tourniquet), reducing the load on the limb up to immobilization, and providing plenty of fluids. Opinions on the benefits of suctioning the poison from the wound are divided: some experts believe that with this procedure, up to 30-50% of the entire poison can be removed within 10-15 minutes, the other considers it harmful, since bacterial flora can enter the blood along with saliva, causing purulent inflammation. Of the wrong and erroneous, but still occurring methods of treatment, there are transverse incisions at the site of the bite, cauterization, applying a tourniquet, covering with snow.

What to do it is forbidden with a snake bite?

Can't apply a tourniquet. The tourniquet sharply disrupts blood circulation in the bite area and significantly increases the degree of tissue damage. Applying a tourniquet for 20-30 minutes sharply worsens general state sick. The poison is already necrotizing, and you also cut off the blood flow. The case will end with the fact that the arm or leg will have to be amputated.

Can't make cuts, in order for "poisoned blood" to flow out, there is a high probability of damaging a nerve, vessel or tendon, as well as infecting. I remind you once again - the poison is necrotizing, and so the damage is massive. There is no need to exacerbate the picture. Bloodletting is also not necessary. Poison in the systemic circulation is negligible. And the one that is already causing damage circulatory system, and even more bleeding will not lead to anything good.

You can not cauterize bite site.

Can't take alcohol, it only speeds up the spread of the poison.

Can't be chipped bite site novocaine or adrenaline, impairs local blood supply, exacerbates tissue damage.

What can be done is to lay the victim so that the head is below the level of the legs. This is how we keep cerebral circulation at a more or less acceptable level. The spread of the poison occurs mainly through the lymphatic vessels and increases with muscle contractions. This means that you need to immobilize the bitten limb, as in fractures. Ideally, you need to immobilize the victim himself, give him a plentiful warm and sweet drink (hot tea is fine). The sooner the bitten gets to the hospital, the better.

If possible, the most effective way is to administer an antidote. If the victim in the most short time to introduce a specific serum, the action of which is directed to the poison of a particular viper, he will get off with only a slight fright. In the case of vipers, the serum must be injected within the first 30 minutes. Well, an hour is the maximum. When administered after a few hours, its effectiveness will drop significantly, and later it is generally pointless to inject.

However, upon closer examination of the snake, it was separated into a separate species and named after the zoologist Nikolsky (Vipera nikolskii).

The black viper has a more slender build than the common one. The body reaches a length of 765 mm, the tail - 80 mm. Males are slightly smaller than females. The head is broad, large, clearly demarcated from the neck and slightly flattened. Color iris. Adult snakes are always black, as can be seen in the photo. The viper on the upper labials may sometimes have white spots. The underside of the tip of the snake's tail is yellow-orange or yellow. Juveniles are gray-brown in color with a zigzag on the back. Brown color. By the age of three, the pattern disappears, the color becomes dark.

The black viper lives in the forest-steppe and steppe regions of the European part of Russia and the Snake is noted in Voronezh, Tambov, Penza, It occurs in the valley and its basin. In the northeast, the habitat extends to the foothills of the Middle and Southern Urals.

The black viper usually adheres to broad-leaved forests and oak forests. In the summer, it can be found in glades, clearings and forest edges. Prefers floodplain landscapes of the rivers Vorona, Medveditsa, Khoper, Don, and Samara. Summer and wintering habitats are apparently the same. In wet areas there are more than 500 representatives of the species per 1 km². The black viper begins to show activity closer to the middle of spring. Mating occurs in May, and in August the female has juveniles (8-24 live individuals). The color of young snakes begins to darken after the first molt.

Nikolsky's viper is most active in daytime days. The main food of snakes is small rodents and (to a lesser extent) birds, frogs, and lizards. In rare cases (apparently, with an extreme shortage of food), the black viper can eat fish or carrion. The biology of this species is not yet well understood.

The black viper moves more slowly than snakes, but swims very well. In dangerous situations, it takes an s-shaped stance, hisses and lunges towards the offender. Nikolsky's viper is poisonous. For a person, her bites are very painful, but the victims recover in a few days. Poison is a mixture of protein substances, enzymes and inorganic components. It has a destructive effect on tissues, paralyzes nervous system and promotes blood clotting. Caught individuals secrete a liquid with a repulsive unpleasant odor from the cloaca.

For a long time, this snake was considered a dark form of the common viper, based on the fact that in all its populations there is a certain percentage of melanists. However, after a thorough study of the ecology and morphology of this snake, it was given species status. This greatly increased the interest of specialists in its study. But opinions still differ. Some scientists continue to consider this snake as just a subspecies of the main form.

Classification

View: Common viper - Pelias berus

Genus: Real vipers - Vipera

Family: Vipers

Squad: scaly

Class: reptiles

Type: chordates

Subtype: Vertebrates

Dimensions: The length of the snake is about 60 cm; weight - from 50 to 180 grams

Lifespan: up to 15 years

A dislike for snakes has been cultivated in human society throughout its history.

Some peoples deified snakes, others considered them to be the fiends of hell, but all cultures are united in one thing - in fear of these legless creatures.

The northern countries are not very rich in representatives of the snake community, but the viper, unlike, for example, can be found almost everywhere, even on the Arctic Circle.

Habitat

Snakes are reptiles, so they prefer warm climate. This does not apply to the viper.

Its distribution range extends from Great Britain and France in the west to Sakhalin and Korea in the east.

In Europe, the viper can be found both in the highland forests of Italy and southern France, and on the Scandinavian Peninsula.

In the taiga Eastern Siberia it lives up to the border of permafrost.

In order for a viper to get into the camera frame, a photo of a snake needs to be taken only in the forest. This species is adapted to life in the forest zone.

The southern border of its range in Russia and Ukraine coincides with the border of forest-steppes and steppes. To the south, the viper can only be seen in mountain forests.

The reason for this is the adaptation of the reptile to life in cool conditions.

Interesting! Of the many types of venomous snakes on Earth, the viper is the most common and numerous. The viper is the only venomous snake found in northern latitudes Eurasia.

Characteristic

It is noteworthy that 5 species of this genus are listed in the Red Book:

Dinnik
Kaznakov
Nikolsky
steppe
Gyurza

The common viper that can be found in our forests belongs to a separate genus Pelias berus.

It differs from the rest of its relatives in that its triangular head with a rounded muzzle is covered with three shields: one frontal and two parietal.

Interesting! During the mating season, male vipers usually face off. By this they achieve the location of the female. Intertwining their bodies, the rivals rise and furiously hit each other with their heads until they fall from powerlessness. At the same time, they try to injure the opponent as little as possible. Sometimes such a duel lasts more than 30 minutes, but always ends with one of the males giving in to the other and crawling away.

Appearance

The common viper is a small, up to 60 centimeters long, snake.

Males have a shorter and thinner body, but their tail is longer. Females are found even up to 90 centimeters in length.

This is what a viper snake looks like in the photo in the vast majority of cases.

Ferocity is also imparted by large growths hanging over the eyes, resembling superciliary arches.

The belly of the snake has a gray tint, grayish-brown or black, sometimes there are white spots.

Key Features

A feature of all vipers is that they have poisonous glands located in the sinuses behind the upper jaw.

The poison from them enters the bite site along two empty teeth inside. These teeth are attached to the rotating maxillary bone.

Usually these fangs are not visible, as they are folded and covered with a special film.

At the moment of attack, the jaw of the reptile opens 180 degrees, and the fangs turn in the direction of impact.

To capture a snake bite, a photo of a viper must be taken at the time of the throw. This is beyond the power of a person, but with the help of slow motion on a video camera it is possible.

Due to the fact that the bite of this snake is very dangerous and can even lead to death, you need to know the following precautions:

Never touch a viper.
In the forest where these snakes live, you must wear high, durable boots and tight trousers.
Before entering thick grass or stepping into a hole, you need to make sure that there are no reptiles there.
When picking mushrooms or berries, you must first rummage around with a stick on the grass around you. The snake will crawl away or hiss.
Do not move if a viper is crawling nearby. Most likely she will crawl past.

Another feature is the ability of the pupil to respond to illumination by changing its size.

This property is very rare for reptiles and is associated with a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle.

Interesting! Not every bite is accompanied by the release of poison, 25% of attacks are "idle". It is believed that the Egyptian queen Cleopatra was killed by a horned African viper.

Nutrition

Like all reptiles, the viper loves heat and light. During the day, she prefers to bask in the sun and remains relatively slow.

However, at night, all her energy is directed to the extraction of food.

At dusk, she sees perfectly not only in the visible range, but also using infrared (thermal) radiation from heated objects.

It preys on mammals and small birds. This is due to the ability to better see warm-blooded animals due to the peculiarities of vision.

Most of all, she prefers mice and other small rodents such as and. She catches them both on the ground and underground.

reproduction

In order to survive the winter, vipers make shelter under snags or in abandoned animal burrows.

Up to a dozen individuals can winter in such a nest. Reptiles hibernate.

At this time, their metabolism slows down so much that the body does not require food.

Snakes sleep restlessly and at the slightest danger they are able to wake up and move, albeit slowly.

Upon exiting hibernation, in April, they begin mating season. They mate when warm weather sets in.

It is at this time that males arrange their endurance tournaments. The birth of vipers occurs after a 3-month pregnancy.

The female brings from 5 to 12 cubs. Their length does not exceed 18 centimeters.

Interesting! An interesting feature in viper reproduction is the presence of a combined nutrition of embryos. They feed not only on substances from the egg yolk, but also by obtaining nutrients from the mother's circulatory system.

Many zoos around the world have terrariums that contain vipers.

Similar conditions are created with the content, and even.

They prefer narrow and long compartments that are well lit by lamps. Light day for them should be from 9 to 12 hours.

For southern species snakes, including snakes, it is necessary to maintain the air temperature within 22 - 28 ° C, and common viper does not need this feature.

Besides, in winter time hibernation conditions must be created. It is necessary to feed adults with laboratory mice.

Important!Please note - it is categorically not recommended to start and keep a viper at home. She can escape from the terrarium and harm people.

Photo of a viper snake: a poisonous forest dweller

Description and habits of the viper. Photos and information about appearance and the nature of the viper snake. Precautions when encountering a viper. Features of the viper.