Poisonous snakes of new zealand. Why are there no snakes in New Zealand? New Zealand fur seal

Snakes are reptiles that live on every continent, with the exception of ice-clad Antarctica, where cold-blooded creatures simply cannot survive. Ireland is an island, and there is not a single snake here, despite the fact that in the UK, on ​​an island located literally next door, they are found. The distance between them is about 80 km, they have very similar flora and fauna, climatic conditions. In any case, an inquisitive person will wonder why snakes are found and were found on one island for thousands of years, and on the other they have never been in the entire history of mankind.

If you think about it, consider the geological past of the planet, it will not be difficult to answer the question. The answer can be found when considering the ice ages of the planet.

Ice Ages and Reptile Settlement

Reptiles, as cold-blooded creatures, are attached to warmth, to the opportunity to warm themselves at least for a short summer, otherwise they cannot be mobile, they cannot exist. Ice ages occur periodically, the exact interval has not been clarified by scientists, however, geological surveys allow us to make some assumptions. Every few million years, the climate on the planet becomes colder, the polar ice caps move south, covering larger areas, and then, with warming, recede.

The last time the ice shells grew was about 110,000 years ago, and about 10,000 years ago they began to recede, liberating Britain in particular. Since the lands in the north of Europe and the nearby islands again became fertile, the migration of people and animals to these spaces began. While the water level was low due to the fact that not all the ice had melted, and part of the water of the World Ocean was contained in glaciers, excellent conditions were created for the settlement of living beings. They easily entered the territories, which, when the water level rose, became islands, along land bridges.

The bridge between the future island of Great Britain and Ireland was the first to be flooded, during this period there were still many glaciers that prevented the normal life of snakes. Britain, on the other hand, was connected with the mainland for about 2 thousand years, during which time the climate managed to become even milder, snakes were able to move to the island from the mainland before the formation of the English Channel. But they could not get to Ireland, it was already separated by ocean waters.

The legend of snakes and St. Patrick

In addition to the scientific explanation, there is also a legend that tells how St. Patrick drove the snakes out of the island. The Christian legend tells that the saint gathered snakes on Mount Crow, ordering them to throw themselves into the waters. But the oldest, cunning snake did not listen to him. Then Patrick argued with him that he could not fit in the chest because of his size. Proving the opposite, the serpent climbed into the chest, where the saint closed it, and then also threw it into the water.

Interesting fact: Ireland is not the only island without snakes. They are not on many other islands, even large ones - in Greenland, Hawaii, New Zealand. They cannot swim long distances, except for sea snakes, which remain mainly in the water element.

Is it possible to bring snakes to places where they do not exist?

The modern climate of Ireland creates all the conditions for the habitat of reptiles, and in particular, snakes. But they exist only within private collections, in zoos, terrariums. The fact is that it is extremely fraught to bring new species to where they were not originally there, to release them into the open environment of an established ecosystem. They can cause serious damage by changing the balance of already established food chains, destroying native species, exterminating them for food, or depriving natural prey, occupying places suitable for life, breeding.

An animal species that is accidentally or intentionally introduced into established ecosystems is called invasive. Once in the ecosystem of the island, where birds are used to nesting freely, the snake is able to exterminate the chicks, attack them until complete destruction. In such conditions, the number of snakes will increase grossly, due to the availability of food and the absence of natural enemies.

In addition, snakes can exterminate rodents and other small animals, which are usually located at the base of the food chain, serving as food for local medium-sized predators. This situation will create a threat of extinction for endemic island species and will affect people's lives. That is why it is unacceptable.

Thus, snakes do not live in Ireland because they simply could not get there. This island separated from the mainland during the early melting of ice masses that arose during global cooling earlier. When the island was connected to the mainland, it was still too cold for snakes. Later, they could not get there because of the water barrier. The modern climate of the island allows snakes to settle, live in these territories, but this is dangerous for already established ecosystems.

An old Irish legend says that when Saint Patrick christened the country, he drove all the snakes from the Emerald Peninsula. First, the reptiles were gathered on the top of Crow Mountain, and then in the name of the Lord they were ordered to throw themselves into the sea. Historians believe that the patron saint of Ireland did a lot for the country, but the expulsion of snakes cannot be attributed to his merits. The truth is that there have never been creeping reptiles on this island nation.

Archaeological data

Let's start with historical and archaeological data. Ireland is a northern island nation. Not a single archaeological excavation in the country has been able to find any signs of snake fossils. Historians believe that for a long time, even before the islands broke away from the land, a cold climate prevailed here and there was a kingdom of ice. Thus, reptiles were in no hurry to occupy the territory of modern Ireland. And after the warming happened, the British Isles became independent objects. Only now the snakes living in Europe on land could not reach the northern latitudes. Before them appeared an impressive obstacle in the form of melted glaciers, leveled with sea water.

Animal migration

After the last ice age, the migration of animals from Europe began. This was about 10,000 years ago. Then the lands of Ireland and England did not acquire their modern shape, but they gradually dumped annoying glaciers into the sea. First of all, large mammals began to develop new territories: wild boars, bears and lynxes. It is believed that Ireland and England were divided between themselves more than 8,500 years ago. The British Isles completely separated from Europe 6,500 years ago. And this means that the snakes had two thousand years to have time to penetrate the territory of modern Britain. And so it happened, at present, snakes, copperheads and vipers live in Foggy Albion.

Other places where there are no snakes

In addition to Ireland, there are other island states and regions of large countries on Earth where there are no snakes. For example, there are no snakes in Greenland, New Zealand, Hawaii, Antarctica, parts of Canada and northern Russia. It turns out that Saint Patrick was too busy exorcising evil spirits. Well, if apart from jokes, snakes deserved contempt among Irish Christians. People here have a pathological fear of reptiles and still blame them for the expulsion of Eve from paradise.

The former patron was depicted in the form of a snake

It is also known that the Celtic god of fertility was depicted as a reptile. His name was Cernunnos, and it was he who was worshiped by the locals before the accession of Christianity on the island. It is believed that the legend of the expulsion of snakes came from here. Saint Patrick replaced his predecessor and got rid of the reminder. However, we already know the truth, and it is confirmed by scientists Nigel Monaghan, curator of natural history at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin, and Mark Ryan, an expert at the Center for Health Sciences at Louisiana State University.

The only exception

Snakes are found on all continents of the Earth except Antarctica, so their complete absence on the island of Ireland seems strange. What is the reason for ignoring the reptiles of this region?

First, Ireland is an island separated from Great Britain by a strait 80 kilometers wide. Such a distance for snakes living on land cannot be overcome. But why then do snakes live in Great Britain, which is also an island and is separated from the mainland by a fairly wide English Channel?

The reason for such a strange resettlement of snakes should be sought in the geological history of our planet. Throughout its existence, the Earth goes through ice ages - repeated stages lasting several million years, when, due to a sharp cooling of the climate, a significant increase in ice sheets occurs. The last ice age (an integral part of the ice age) began on the planet about 110,000 years ago and ended about 10,000 years ago. Most of northern Europe, bound by permafrost, was finally freed from the ice that covered the British Isles.

Primitive tribes and animals began to migrate to the islands. But not all creatures could penetrate deep into the islands, where the cold climate continued to persist. Among them were snakes, which at first settled only in the south of Great Britain. The remaining glaciers continued to melt, gradually flooding the land road between Ireland and the UK. Thus was formed the North Strait between the two islands. Great Britain, however, remained connected with the mainland for another 2,000 years, until it became cut off from it by the strait that we call the English Channel.

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It turns out that the snakes simply did not have enough time to populate Ireland, which at that time was still too cold for them for most reptiles. The snakes still managed to populate Great Britain, gradually moving deeper into the island along with climate warming.

For those who are not satisfied with the scientific explanation for the absence of snakes in Ireland, there is a beautiful legend. It tells that the island was saved from snakes by the Christian discoverer Saint Patrick, who gathered all the reptiles on Mount Crow and ordered them to jump into the water. Only one old kite disobeyed and remained on the mountain. Then Patrick had to resort to cunning and argue with the snake that he would not be able to fit into a nearby wooden chest. The snake, wanting to prove Patrick wrong, climbed into the box, which the man immediately closed and threw into the sea. So Saint Patrick rid Ireland of snakes.

Be that as it may, in fact, the absence of snakes is typical not only for Ireland, but also for such large islands as New Zealand, Hawaii, Iceland and Greenland. But this is not always beneficial for the territory. A snake accidentally released into the wild (such as a snake that escaped from a zoo or pet store) can become an invasive species and cause irreparable damage to the environment by wiping out native species. Such a picture is observed on the island of Guam, where snakes were absent until recently. But the brown boiga accidentally introduced into the ecosystem, able to climb trees perfectly, multiplied and became a real disaster for local birds, almost completely exterminating the population of birds.

Your attention is the TOP 10 places where you instantly die, whether you like it or not.

1. Queimada Grande or Snake Island

"Snake Island" fully justifies its name! Very poisonous spear-headed snakes live on it, the poison of which causes quick death and torment. If you think that you will not encounter snakes, then I can assure you, according to scientists, there are from one to five snakes for every square meter. It is forbidden for a person to set foot on this island off the southwestern Brazilian coast - it is forbidden in his own interests. And all this because now snakes live there.

2. Lake of death in Sicily.

The lake is located on the island of Sicily, hence its name. This lake is the deadest and most dangerous on the planet. The lake is absolutely lifeless, it's not that there are no fish in it, there is not even plankton in this lake. All the shores and waters of this lake are completely devoid of any vegetation and living creatures. And all because any living creature that has fallen into the aquatic environment dies instantly, a person who has bathed in it will dissolve in the lake in a few minutes and swim in it is deadly. Being near this place is also life-threatening.

3. Boiling lake in Dominica.

America has Yellowstone, New Zealand has hot springs in Rotorua. But none of them compare to the boiling lake in Dominica's Morne Trois National Park. Located six miles east of Roseau, the 60-meter lake is considered very dangerous. The water temperature near its shores ranges from 80 to 90 degrees Celsius. The stones on the banks are extremely slippery due to the constant cooling steam, so many visitors simply fell into the boiling water and died. This lake is located right on the hole in the earth's crust, releasing steam from hot lava. There are no settlements nearby, and you can only get here with the help of a 12-kilometer walk. Visibility is extremely limited due to the constant cloud of steam.

4. Underground volcanoes of Namaskard.

Next on our list is another beautiful geothermal attraction located at the base of Mount Naumafjall in Iceland. It is quite smelly (due to heavy sulfur emissions) and cold land, and is considered one of the most active volcanic areas in Europe. The land is littered with solfarates - boiling pools of mud, as well as fumaroles that shoot sulfur-saturated steam into the air. Just below the surface, there is constant geothermal activity, making the earth very unstable. Visitors to the area are advised to move only along the marked paths, as the earth's crust here can suddenly fail. Due to the boiling, smoking earth and the complete absence of vegetation, Namaskar was called the “Gateway to Valhalla”.

5. North Sentinel Island

We have two news: good and bad. The good news is that you can visit a tribe that has rejected all the blessings of civilization and whose way of life has hardly changed in the 60,000 years since its inception. Thus, you can see with your own eyes the distant past of the Stone Age. The bad news is that the people of this tribe do not want to see you on their island. If you arrive there, they will most likely try to kill you.

The tribe lives on the Northern Sentinel, a small, about 72 km², island off the coast of Myanmar. For centuries, the people who live here, who have not even learned how to make fire, avoid any contact with the civilized world. And it seems that the Sentinelese, who live under the protection of the Indian authorities, are quite satisfied with their lives and do not need any changes.

6. Dallol in Ethiopia.

The city of Dallol is located in a natural depression at the northernmost tip of Ethiopia. This former mining town holds the record for being the hottest place on Earth for a reason (based on year-round averages with a constant temperature of around 35 degrees Celsius). The nearby Dallol Volcano has been dormant for nearly a century, but there is evidence of continuous geothermal activity. Constant humidity in these places exceeds 60%, and hot vapors and sulfur from hot springs do not allow the earth to cool down even at night. Very impressive are the brightly colored landscapes with lemon green water, rust and crusts of blue salt.

7. Death Valley in Kamchatka.

There is one anomalous place in Russia, which is located in Kamchatka. They call it Death Valley. It became known in the 30s of the XX century.

On the western slope of the Kikhpinych volcano, there are hot springs, there are small thermal terraces, which are cut by ravines. At the bottom of these ravines, weak trickles of hot acidic water, gas and vapors make their way.

The lowest terrace, among the local population, went into disrepute, for which it was called the Valley of Death. The unfortunate valley was accidentally discovered by hunters who had lost their dogs.

After a short search, the hunters found the corpses of dogs in the upper reaches of the Geysernaya River at the foot of the Kikhpinych volcano. From what they saw, the hair on the head of the hunters began to move - an absolutely dead area. In the whole district there was not a blade of grass and a large number of dead animals: wolves, hares, birds, even bears, here are the corpses of their dogs.

Seeing the terrible place of the tragedy, the hunters hurried to leave this "damn cemetery" and not in vain. The dogs that visited this strange place with them died after some time, and people began to quickly lose weight, became lethargic, inhibited, severe headaches appeared.

Rumors about this mysterious valley quickly spread around the world. Several expeditions were sent to the Kamchatka Peninsula and more than 100 enthusiastic researchers rushed. Many of them died, and those who survived did not want to talk about this terrible place at all.

Studies made by scientists have shown that in a valley 2 kilometers long and 300 meters wide, there is a large accumulation of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide.

And only in 1982, the researchers managed to establish that in the emitted gases of the Death Valley, in addition to hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide, there are highly toxic, very dangerous for all living things - cyanide compounds.

If you ever find yourself in Kamchatka, be careful: the Valley of Death lurks on the territory of the Kronotsky Reserve. Animals that find themselves there die from poisoning. The same fate awaits a person if he spends some time there. The mystery of the valley is in poisonous gases rising in this place from the bowels of the earth. There are several similar places on the planet, but the gas mixture of the Death Valley from Kamchatka is the most dangerous. As scientists have established, this “gas cocktail” quickly causes paralysis, so the animal, although it feels mortal danger, can no longer leave this terrible place.

8. Quicksand Arnside.

Quicksand is most often found in the lowlands of hilly areas, on the shores of seas, rivers and lakes. It seems to be ordinary sand, which is either periodically flooded by the tide, or has an underground river under its layer or some kind of water source that makes its way up. Water fills the space between the sand grains, pushing them apart and reducing the cohesion between them, causing the sand to become mobile.

When the underground water flow rises, the appearance of sandy soil practically does not change, but it becomes extremely dangerous. Anyone who risks stepping on it is instantly sucked in. The hardened mass squeezes the legs, and it is impossible to pull them out without outside help. So, for example, it happened in 1999 in Arnside (England), where in front of the parents the sand sucked up to the waist of a four-year-old kid. Fortunately, the rescuers arrived in time, and the tragedy was avoided.

Arnside is located near Morcambe Bay, notorious for its high sea tides and quicksands, in which almost one and a half hundred people have died since 1990 alone. At low tide, the water here recedes far from the coastline, and the exposed sandy bottom quickly dries up, creating the illusion of a great beach, which is actually fraught with mortal danger. People walking on the dry surface are trapped in quicksand, and the fast tide, which rises nine meters, covers the unfortunate people with their heads.

9. Forests of New Zealand.

On their own, they are beautiful, but if you come across a New Zealand nettle tree, or ononga, as the Maori call it, which grows up to 5 meters in height and absolutely everything is covered with hollow spines containing histamine and formic acid, run as far as possible from it. But watch your feet. This plant is quite common and can kill a dog and even a horse by injecting a mixture of strong poisons under their skin. Fine, burning hairs on the leaves contain histamine and formic acid. The first of these compounds causes the strongest reaction of the whole organism: blisters and redness appear on the skin. It is difficult to call it a poison, but if a significant dose enters the bloodstream, it will lead to shock and collapse.

10. Top of Mount Washington.

In the middle of summer, a snow storm can suddenly arise, sweeping away everything in its path, throwing ice needles into people's faces, piercing everything around with great speed. In this case, you will be blown by the wind at a speed of 327 km / h. Good luck!

Its uniqueness of the natural and animal world, rich in endemic plants and birds, is due to remoteness from other lands and long historical isolation for 60-80 million years.

2. About 1000 years ago, when there were no permanent residents on the islands, mammals did not live on the territory of New Zealand, except for two species of bats, as well as whales, sea lions and seals that lived in coastal waters.

3. The active formation of European settlements in the 19th century provoked the emergence of new animal species. During the settlement of New Zealand lands, dogs and rats appeared on the islands, and later Europeans brought goats, cows, pigs, cats and mice to New Zealand.

4. This has become a real test for the fauna of the islands. Rabbits, rats, ermines, ferrets and cats, which were brought for hunting, reached large sizes, because they had no natural enemies.

5. At present, New Zealand's conservation authorities closely monitor the fauna of New Zealand, and some areas have been completely rid of animals that pose a threat to the fauna and flora of the country.

New Zealand takahe bird

6. New Zealand has two types of endemic mammals that are descended from rare varieties of bats. Animals of New Zealand, which can be called the most prominent representatives of the fauna of this country: the kiwi bird, the world's largest owl parrot kakapo, one of the oldest reptiles - tuatara, the only mountain parrot kea, hatteria, European hedgehog.

7. Animals of New Zealand are also freshwater fish species, of which there are twenty-nine species. Eight of them are now on the verge of extinction.

8. Also, more than 40 species of ants live in this country.

9. For a long period of time it was believed that snakes did not live in New Zealand. But in the 2000s, a group of researchers from Australia and New Zealand discovered the remains of these reptiles. This discovery was proof that about 15-20 million years ago snakes still lived in New Zealand.

10. For what reason these animals became extinct is not known to this day. A number of scientists suggest that this happened due to the ice age. The snakes simply could not stand the cold, and since New Zealand is located at a fairly remote distance from civilization, new species of reptiles could not be brought here in time.

Kiwi bird

11. The symbol of New Zealand - kiwi - is positioned as a bird, although it cannot even fly, it lacks full-fledged wings.

12. Representatives of this kind of wingless do not have feathers, hair grows instead of them, they also have very powerful paws with which these creatures walk and run.

13. Kiwis are nocturnal animals. They developed the ability to hide in forests or bushes and to be nocturnal, which reduced the likelihood of being eaten by other animals. The main enemies of kiwi are birds - eagles and falcons.

14. They are very aggressive. By the way, kiwis do not defend themselves with their beaks, like birds, but use their sharp claws.

15. There are five types of kiwi.

Owl Parrot Kakapo

16. Kakapo is a single representative of the subfamily of owl parrots.

17. He has a very strongly developed facial plumage, so he has a resemblance to owls.

18. The feathers of a parrot are green with black stripes on the back. Kakapo has excellent wings, but due to the fact that the keel of the sternum is practically undeveloped, and the muscles are very weak, he cannot fly.

19. Previously, these endemics were widespread in New Zealand, but now they remain only in the southwestern part of the South Island. The parrot lives in forests and in areas with high humidity.

20. Kakapo is the only parrot that is predominantly nocturnal or twilight. In the daytime, it hides in burrows or crevices of rocks.

New Zealand tuatara

21. Tuatara is a unique animal of New Zealand, a descendant of dinosaurs.

22. It is protected at the legislative level, and the government is trying to prevent the extinction of the population, since there are only one hundred thousand reptiles left.

23. They have a lot of enemies, including themselves (male tuatars are considered cannibals, they can eat eggs and growing offspring). They are also attacked by birds and other predators.

24. In Tuatars, mortality exceeds the birth rate. It takes a long time to reproduce offspring.

25. These reptiles live up to about a hundred years. Tuatara's favorite food is insects.

Ermine

26. Ermine is a predatory animal, it has 34 sharp teeth and paws with tenacious claws. These animals are very agile and excellent at climbing trees. The stoat eats small rodents and birds.

27. The ermine was brought to New Zealand to control the rabbit population. But the animal successfully acclimatized and began to breed very intensively, which led to an increase in the population. So the ermine turned from an assistant into a pest that began to exterminate the chicks and eggs of local birds.

28. In New Zealand, they found the remains of flightless giant birds moi, exterminated more than five hundred years ago, whose height was three and a half meters.

Kangaroo New Zealand

29. There are also kangaroos here. These animals of New Zealand prefer to lead a nocturnal life and live in groups of several individuals. Many species of kangaroos are on the verge of extinction.

30. Animals in New Zealand that cannot survive on their own live in 14 national parks and hundreds of small reserves under the constant supervision of specialists. Almost all species of animals in this country are under state protection.

New Zealand giant skink

31. New Zealand lizards are skinks. There are three types of skinks: otago, suter and big skink.

32. They can often be seen on the rocks, where they bask in the sun. The number of large skinks alone, according to the Ministry of Nature Protection, is 2-3 thousand individuals.

33. Otago is a giant among endemic lizards and reaches 30 cm in length.

34. Skinks breed every year. The offspring is usually 3-6 cubs. Lizards feed on insects and fruits of plants.

35. Skinks have greenish-yellow skin with a striped pattern that provides excellent camouflage for rocky, lichen-covered environments.

New Zealand fur seal

36. New Zealand fur seal belongs to the species of eared seals. Their fur is greyish-brown in color. Males have a chic black mane.

37. These New Zealand animals live throughout the ocean, primarily on Macquarie Island. It is inhabited all year round by young males who are not yet able to reclaim their own territories.

38. At the end of the 19th century, large populations of fur seals were almost completely exterminated. Currently, animals are listed in the Red Book, there are approximately 35 thousand individuals.

39. Why won't snakes be brought to New Zealand today? Of course, if there was such a need, snakes could be brought here, at least from neighboring Australia, but the fact is that snakes are outlawed in New Zealand.

40. Breeding or keeping this reptile at home in New Zealand is strictly prohibited! Also, a fine will be imposed on those who accidentally saw a snake, but did not report it to the relevant authorities.

New Zealand sea lions

41. New Zealand sea lion has a brown-black color. Males have a mane that covers their shoulders, which makes them appear larger and more powerful. Females are much smaller than males, their coat is light gray.

42.95% of the fur seal population is found on Auckland Island. Each male defends its own territory from other males. In battles, the most enduring and strongest representative wins. There are approximately 10-15 thousand individuals of this species.

43. But still, in New Zealand there are snakes, only not terrestrial, but marine ones - the already visible sea krait and yellow-bellied bonito. These reptiles were kept alive only because they do not crawl out onto land and are practically not found off the coast of New Zealand.

44. So why are the authorities so reverent and categorical about the fact that snakes do not appear in New Zealand? And the answer is simple - snakes would immediately destroy the main symbol of the country - the kiwi bird.

45. The most dangerous representative of the animal world of New Zealand is a feral boar.

New Zealand insect - ueta

46. ​​Ueta lives here. This huge insect, weighing more than a sparrow, resembles a huge cockroach.

47. But there are no mosquitoes in New Zealand.

48. The carnivorous snail Powelliphanta, listed in the Red Book, is also found in the country. She is able to devour worms that are not inferior to her in size.

49. Off the coast of New Zealand lives the smallest species of dolphins - Hector's Dolphin. An adult reaches 1.4 m in length, which is less than the average adult.

50. However, despite tight control, there is still a certain plus in the absence of snakes in New Zealand - the country is considered one of the safest countries in the world for nature travel.

photo from internet