Snakes of the Samara bow. Department of Public Safety. Historical objects in the park
The green jumping creature - the frog - is among those animals that we get to know already in childhood. For many, it forever remains only a slippery and unpleasant creature that lives in any pond or river, more or less large, and flops noisily into the water from under the feet of the passing along the shore. But though. Seemingly. There is nothing more common than our simple green frog, even the very definition of it as a "green jumping creature that lives in the water" is only slightly true (Fig. 1).
Amphibians
Let's start with the fact that only fifteen percent of the world's frogs have connected their lives with water. The rest live somewhere: a number of tropical and subtropical frogs spend almost their entire lives on trees, reeds and other vegetation, and our grass and moor frogs in forests and meadows, sometimes in very dry areas.
And not all frogs can jump. Some simply do not need it: you can fall from a tree. And other species lead an underground lifestyle; underground, you don’t jump much, so they only know how to crawl.
And even the proverbial green skin color we can meet quite rarely among the frog tribe. It turns out that most frogs are not green at all, but brown, gray, blue, and among them there are even yellow and red ones.
No need to think that only in the distant tropics you can find various exotic frogs. No, an ordinary frog living in a nearby pond turns out to be no less interesting upon closer acquaintance.
Only four species out of more than half a thousand species of frogs, numbered by zoologists of the world, live on the territory of the Samara region. The most rare among us should rightfully be called the pond frog. This is a European animal, and the eastern border of its distribution passes through the territory of our region. As elsewhere on the outskirts of the range, it is quite rare here. It is believed that the bulk of our pond frogs live west of the Volga. It is no longer found southeast of our region, but to the northeast on the left bank, single finds of this animal are known in the Dimitrovgrad region up to the Ik river basin (Fig. 2).
Another of our frogs - grass - prefers more northern areas. And the boundary of the range passes through the territory of the region, this time the southern one. In the east, she settled to the Urals, and in some places - to the Ob. And in the north, the common frog reached the latitude of Murmansk, far beyond the Arctic Circle (Fig. 3).
Most often in the Middle Volga region, we will find two other types of frogs - lake and moor, and here they clearly divided their spheres of influence. If the lacustrine is a mass species in reservoirs of various types, from large puddles to the Volga bays, then the moored one adheres to drier places, and it can be found in the meadow and in the forest. And across the country, the moored frog holds the primacy among all other frogs in terms of the size of the range. It extends from the western borders of the USSR to Lake Baikal, from Murmansk to southern Ukraine (Fig. 4, 5).
Of all four relatives, perhaps the most consistent with our idea of a frog tribe is the pond frog. She is one of the representatives of the family living in our area, has a pure green color of various shades. In addition, she almost never leaves her native pond, where she was born and raised.
But the lake frog can be called green only in part, with a stretch. Her skin has a brown coloration with transitions to a dirty green color. This is our largest frog. In the Volga region, its specimens are registered with a body length (without leg length) up to 14 centimeters, but in general, lake frogs up to 17 centimeters in length are known. These are real giants among our amphibians. In the floodplain of the Volga, in some places, about six hundred lake frogs live on one square kilometer.
The moor frog and common frog are quite similar - both are brown to brown and yellow in color. They are sometimes distinguished by size. The body length of a common frog reaches ten centimeters, but in a moored frog, as a rule, no more than eight centimeters. But their main difference is the color of the belly. The vast majority of moor frogs have a white lower body without any spots, while the grassy belly is always spotted with a special “marble” pattern.
The role that frogs have played and still play in the work of scientists is well known. In gratitude to these truly irreplaceable laboratory animals, monuments have been erected in some cities of the world.
Frogs are just one of the families of a large order of the so-called tailless amphibians (this feature distinguishes them from the caudate group, which will be discussed below). Tailless include all other "frog-like" amphibians - tree frogs, toads, spadefoot; but most of all they look like real frogs, perhaps, toads. They are distinguished in a special family of round-speaking. The main difference between toads and frogs is the following: in the latter, the tongue is able to be thrown out of the mouth and capture flying insects, while round-tongued ones are not capable of this.
On the territory of the region, one species from this group is found - the red-bellied toad. (Fig. 6, 7)
The underparts of her body are red or bright orange with bluish-black spots. Usually toads are very few in water bodies, but sometimes they are found in large numbers in floodplain, well-heated lakes with a clay bottom in the valleys of the Volga, Samara and other rivers. Here their number can reach from 40 to 80 individuals per hectare of the reservoir. The toad has such a number in lakes where the water temperature is about 200C, where mosquito larvae, aquatic worms, mollusks, and other invertebrates have multiplied in mass. Then, in the evening hours, there is a rumble over the lake - at this time the flares sing loudly "uu ... uu ... uu"; their voices are easily distinguished from the croaking singing of frogs.
The mucous secretions of the skin of the toad are poisonous. In danger, she bends, turns over on her back. As a result, its bright warning coloration becomes visible - those same red and blue spots that scare away a predator.
Garlic, contrary to its name, does not smell of garlic at all and has nothing to do with it at all (Fig. 8).
This type of amphibian is widespread in our region, but, however, no one can ask anyone - no one knows what kind of animal they are talking about. Meanwhile, many, especially villagers, often meet with spadefoot - they only call it, as a rule, an earthen frog. This amphibian has a nondescript gray-brown body color and very bright spots scattered along the back. And, in fact, she leads a burrowing lifestyle, hiding underground during the day. Thanks to this, the spadefoot often ends up in cellars, basements, underground storages, where we most often see this “earth frog”. And outside of such places, we will be able to see the spadefoot only at night, when it comes out of its holes to feed on various small living creatures - slugs, worms, caterpillars, ants, and so on.
Toads lead a similar way of life, of which there are two species on the territory of the Samara region: gray and green (Fig. 9, 10).
It is easy to distinguish from frogs and other amphibious toads similar to them by two characteristic swellings located on the sides of the head and behind the eyes - the parotid glands. Toads jump extremely rarely and reluctantly; they do not need this - after all, nocturnal toad prey is inactive organisms such as insects, centipedes, worms, mollusks and others. Along with the spadefoot, toads are a very welcome guest in any garden and vegetable garden; several of these amphibians can completely destroy all pests here in a short time, and then maintain it in this state indefinitely.
According to Kazan herpetologist V.I. Garanin, in the Middle Volga region, the green toad should be considered a more common species. Unlike the gray toad, it has a gray-cream color, and on the back it bears large dark green spots trimmed with a narrow black border. The body length of the green fellow is no more than 14 centimeters; in contrast, the nondescript gray toad reaches a length of twenty centimeters or more. IN AND. Garanin also revealed that, although it lives in almost all suitable places in our region (in forests, gardens and parks, forest-steppe ravines, forested swamps), avoiding only wide river floodplains, the number of common toads in biocenoses is small - only about 10 percent of the population. all amphibians.
Perhaps, toads are a classic example of an animal that causes disgust and other negative emotions in the vast majority of people, but at the same time they are extremely useful creatures for humans. An unpleasant appearance, a nocturnal lifestyle associated with a toad a number of corresponding gloomy legends: they allegedly cause warts on the skin of people, or even suck milk from cows at night ... All this is superstition, but, however, such tales in many cases literally cost the lives of these harmless and useful creatures.
As already mentioned, all the amphibians mentioned above belong to the order of anurans; in our fauna, however, there are tailed amphibians. Two types of newts belong to them: crested and ordinary (Fig. 11-13).
The first of these two creatures is a rather rare species in our region. On the territory of the Samara region, according to V.I. Garanin, passes the southern border of the range of the crested newt; it is noted here in the lakes of the Samarskaya Luka and floodplain reservoirs of the Samara River. In the steppe part of the region, there are practically no places where there would be favorable conditions for its habitat, therefore, it can be considered that the floodplain of the Samara River is the southern border of the distribution of the crested newt in the region and in Russia.
The number of this species in biocenoses is only about nine to ten percent of the total number of all amphibians; on average, there are four to six common ones per crested newt in water bodies. This last species is found almost throughout the region.
In summer, both newts very often come out of the water and spend several days in moist shady places, where they feed on soil and terrestrial invertebrates. When comparing representatives of these two species, it is quite easy to distinguish from each other: the body of a crested newt often reaches ten centimeters in size, while an ordinary one is extremely rarely even six centimeters in length. In addition, the latter species always has dark longitudinal stripes on its head, one of which, the largest, necessarily passes through the eye, while the skin of this animal is smooth and slippery. In contrast, the crested newt never has stripes on its head; its skin, unlike that of the common newt, is rough and rough. At the same time, during the mating season, males of the common newts are quite similar to the comb. However, the above differences still remain.
reptiles
About the same as with amphibians, most people treat reptiles. In the minds of many, these are the same nasty, cold and slippery creatures; and as for snakes, they are generally considered one of the most terrible creatures - after all, the look of snakes hypnotizes, it imperceptibly penetrates everywhere, and, moreover, it is poisonous ...
Fear, as you know, has big eyes - almost all of this is fiction. With regard to the latter property, fears, as a rule, are greatly exaggerated - only one tenth of all snakes known to science are poisonous. In the Samara region, 11 species of reptiles are now known, and of them there are six species of snakes, while only two are poisonous: the steppe viper and the common viper. The first one is somewhat smaller: steppe vipers generally do not exceed 55 centimeters in length, while common ones - up to 75 or even more (Fig. 14, 15).
Both of these species are highly variable in body coloration. In the steppe viper, individuals of a brownish-gray color are most often found, usually lighter along the back, while in the common one they are grayish or brownish-red tones. Both the one and the other snake have a dark zigzag strip along the ridge. Among other things, the common viper has an X-shaped pattern on its head, and a dark line runs from the eye to the corner of the mouth. However, in both species of these snakes there are individuals with a darker than normal color, and occasionally even completely black. An ordinary viper in such “clothes” comes across to scientists much more often than a steppe one. So, the herpetologist V.G. Barinov revealed a very interesting fact: it turns out that only an exceptionally black form of the common viper lives on the territory of Samarskaya Luka. At the same time, it was found that all her cubs have a lighter color, and a zigzag line on the back is clearly visible from them. Gradually, small snakes darken, and when they finally mature at the age of two or three, they already turn out to be solid black.
Steppe viper - southern view; its main area is Kazakhstan, the Don and Trans-Volga steppes, the south of Ukraine. It has not been found anywhere north of the mouth of the Kama. In our region, as a rule, it lives only in the zone of real steppes. In contrast, the common viper is a northern species; some parts of its range even go beyond the Arctic Circle, into the Murmansk and Arkhangelsk regions. The southern boundary of the distribution of this snake coincides with the westernmost points of the southward advancement of the forest-steppe natural zone. The mentioned line runs throughout Eurasia, coinciding with such cities as Chisinau, Kharkov, Samara, Chelyabinsk, Novosibirsk. At the same time, our region, in particular Samarskaya Luka, turns out to be one of the northernmost habitats in Russia.
But how deadly are the poisonous teeth of the mentioned vipers? It turns out, oddly enough, but for humans, these "terrible" snakes of our region are of little danger. So, science generally does not know a single case of death from a bite of a steppe viper of a person over hundreds of years of the history of medicine. During the same time, however, several cases of death from a bite of a common viper were revealed, but experts consider it unclear to the end whether in each case the death of a person was the result of poisoning with snake venom or improper methods of treatment.
Harm from vipers is thus minimal. At the same time, the benefits from them are enormous - these snakes destroy hordes of mouse-like rodents and even harmful insects, primarily locusts. And to obtain a healing snake venom, vipers are kept in special nurseries; medicines based on it have already saved the lives of thousands of people. So the question - is it worth grabbing a stick when meeting a snake - should be decided unambiguously, in favor of the reptile; in addition, these animals are never the first to attack a person, but, on the contrary, tend to hide unnoticed.
If vipers are known as poisonous snakes, then snakes, on the contrary, are harmless, harmless to humans. In our area there are two types of them - ordinary and water. It is quite easy to distinguish these snakes from each other: the common snake has clearly visible yellow or orange spots on the temples; the water snake has nothing of the kind. If the first reaches 120 centimeters in body length, then the second - even 130 centimeters (Fig. 16, 17).
Already ordinary - a very common inhabitant of the most diverse places in the Samara region. Most often, such places are the vicinity of water bodies - rivers, floodplain and other lakes, springs, ravines. As a refuge, this one already uses heaps of brushwood, voids under stones and rhizomes, hollows, holes of various animals.
And the water ear got its name because in life it is much more connected with water than all other types of snakes. Water already always lives near flowing or stagnant reservoirs, crawling out onto rocky slopes only for rest and food. This species is very rare in the region. For us, the water one is most interesting because the northernmost point of its habitat in the USSR is located in the Samara region - this, of course, is Samarskaya Luka. It is similar to vipers in its variegated body coloration, however, this pattern has the appearance of dark spots on a light background, and not a zigzag line.
In our region, there are several places where the number of both ordinary and water snake is very high. First of all, it is necessary to name the area of the Serpent's Backwater in the south of the Samarskaya Luka (for good reason, apparently, this Volga bay received such a name). According to V.G. Barinov, in the vicinity of the backwater there are up to 22 ordinary and 24 water snakes per kilometer of the route; This is almost 10 times more than the regional average. However, in this place, the number of snakes has been steadily declining in recent years. According to the calculations of the herpetologist V.M. Shaposhnikov, in just six years, the number of water snakes in the area of the Serpent's Backwater has fallen by five to seven times, mainly due to the direct destruction of them by humans and due to the increased disturbance factor.
In the same way as for the water snake, now Samarskaya Luka is the northernmost location in the country for another snake - the patterned snake. This is a very interesting reptile; back in 1935, the zoologist I. Bashkirov described it for the Zhiguli as a relic species of the Neogene time. Samarskaya Luka is an isolated habitat in the country; in other places of the region, finds of the snake are still unknown. It exists only in more southern regions of the country than our region (Fig. 18).
This snake, sometimes reaching a meter in length, is usually gray with a brownish tint, sometimes with a brown or reddish tint. Along the body of the patterned snake, as a rule, there are four wide, unsharply outlined brown lines, of which the two middle ones pass to the tail. The snake's head is crowned with a characteristic pattern consisting of an arched transverse stripe in front, a longitudinal stripe in the center and two spots on the sides. The patterned snake is a non-venomous snake; his food is small rodents, occasionally birds, their eggs, small reptiles. It adheres most often to open rocky mountain slopes overgrown with grass and rare shrubs, where it prefers to be in well-lit areas.
V.G. Barinov believes that on the Samarskaya Luka the number of snakes is small, but in a number of places the density of its population reaches significant values. If on Bolshaya Bakhilova Gora it has been kept at the level of two or three snakes per kilometer of the route for many years, then at the Serpentine Backwater after the 70s it fell from 11 to 4 individuals per kilometer and has stabilized at this level so far. In addition, not so long ago, new populations of the patterned snake were discovered - in the area of \u200b\u200bmountain Lbishche (4-5 snakes per kilometer) and near the village of Mordovo (an average of about 7 individuals per kilometer).
A number of legends and superstitions are associated with copperhead; the most common of them, perhaps, is the belief that it is supposedly poisonous. In fact, a bite of a copperhead can cause redness and inflammation of the skin around the affected area only because there is almost always cadaveric poison on its teeth - a consequence of a predatory lifestyle. After all, even its prey - mice, frogs, lizards and other small living creatures - the copperfish does not kill with a bite, as, for example, a viper does, but strangles it with the rings of its body, like a boa constrictor and snake.
When meeting with this snake, you need to know that in a moment of danger, the copperhead curls up into a tight ball, and reacts to touch only with even greater contraction of the body and can only make short throws from the ball with a hiss; taken in hand, she begins to bite fiercely.
Copperhead is a purely European species; in the east, its range reaches only the Urals, in the south - to the Caucasus and in the north - to Leningrad. This snake lives in deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests, where it adheres to edges well warmed by the sun. Quite numerous in the south of the range, in the middle zone of the USSR, the copperhead becomes very rare. So, V.G. Barinov, in eight years of observing the reptiles of the Samara Luka, met only 12 copperheads, mainly on the outskirts of the forests, as well as on the gentle slopes of the Zhiguli. There is also copperhead here and there in other places of the region, but there it is found in literally single specimens.
This snake got its name for its characteristic coloration - most of the males of the copperhead are reddish, and the females are brownish, sometimes both of them have a real copper-red color. However, this species also has a solid black color. Interestingly, according to Academician A.G. Bannikov (this follows from the “Key to the Amphibians and Reptiles of the USSR Fauna”, 1977 edition), completely black individuals of this species are never found in our country; meanwhile, V.G. Barinov twice on Samarskaya Luka (near the village of Gavrilova Polyana and near the village of Vinnovka) met copper women, so to speak, in "full mourning." Another mystery of the Samarskaya Luka?
Uninformed people often confuse copperhead and spindle; meanwhile, the latter differs from the copperhead in its small size - no more than 25 centimeters in length. In addition, the spindle is not a snake - it is classified as a suborder of lizards, although it does not have limbs; it is precisely because of the duality of the appearance and internal structure of the animal that zoologists distinguish it into a special family. Like all lizards, it sheds its tail in a moment of danger, which is why it was given the scientific name "brittle spindle". For the same reason, a belief was born among the people that she, supposedly even cut in half, can live in peace and be healthy. But look at the body of the spindle when it is in a calm state - right in the middle, a legless lizard is divided by a clearly visible constriction - the border between the body and the tail, along the line of which it is thrown (Fig. 20).
The spindle on the dorsal side is colored brownish-brown or dark gray with a characteristic bronze tint. This makes it very similar in color to copperhead; Maybe that's why they are often confused? The sides and belly of the spindle are much lighter - they are white or yellow; there are, however, monochromatic males with two rows of large blue or, more rarely, black-brown spots on the back.
The spindle lives mainly in the middle zone of the European part of the USSR; to the east, it reaches only the Sverdlovsk region. Although there are always quite a lot of them in deciduous and mixed forests with well-developed litter, due to their secretive lifestyle, the spindle comes across to people very rarely. It feeds on slugs, centipedes, insects, earthworms; the last spindle usually “twists” out of the minks, holding the prey with sharp teeth, stretching out with its whole body and quickly rotating around its axis. Apparently, because of this, the animal got its name.
True lizards are known to have limbs; there are two species of such in our area - nimble and viviparous. Both of them are usually not more than 6-7 centimeters long. At the same time, the color of the body of a quick lizard varies from yellowish-brown to bright green. But the viviparous lizard most often has a brown, gray-green or brown color. In addition, on the back of the latter there is always a pattern that does not exist in the quick: a dark, often intermittent stripe along the ridge, on the sides of it there are two light lines, and on the sides of the body there are dark wide stripes. In a quick one, there is only one or two dark lines running along the back (Fig. 21, 22).
The swift lizard is the more southerly species of the two; east of Lake Baikal and north of the latitude of Leningrad, it does not enter. On the contrary, the viviparous lizard clearly gravitates towards colder areas; its range stretched from the Baltic to Sakhalin; in the north it reaches the coast of the Barents Sea, but it is not found anywhere south of the latitude of Saratov. In connection with such an area, this species has the ability to live birth; it’s just that during the short summer of the polar tundra and in the taiga, the young would not have had time to develop in the eggs of this animal.
If the agile lizard is the most numerous and common reptile in the region, preferring dry, well-warmed places in the steppes, along river valleys, on the slopes of ravines and gullies, then the viviparous, on the contrary, is extremely rare in our country. For example, V.G. Barinov met only seven specimens of this species during eight years of observations. The viviparous lizard loves deciduous and coniferous forests, where it keeps near swamps, peat bogs, clearings, burnt areas, along the edges and banks of rivers. V.M. Shaposhnikov reports that it also exists in similar places in the Zhigulevsky Reserve, mainly near the former village of Gudronny, as well as in Racheysky and Muransky forests.
Very close to the mentioned species is the multi-colored foot-and-mouth disease, a reptile in the south of the country - Kazakhstan, Central Asia, the northern Caucasus and the Black Sea region (Fig. 23).
Academician A.G. Bannikov does not indicate foot-and-mouth disease for areas north of the Greater Irgiz basin. However, Samara herpetologists have repeatedly found it on the Samarskaya Luka and in the Buzuluk forest: in general, the multi-colored foot-and-mouth disease prefers sandy beaches, sea dunes and river valleys with sparse vegetation for permanent residence.
The foot-and-mouth disease received its name for its extremely variegated color; most often, white and black spots and stripes with a light or dark border are scattered along its back on an olive, brown or greenish background.
Finally, in conclusion of this chapter, it should be said about our most original (based on the shape of the body) reptile - about the marsh turtle, the only species of this detachment in our region. Now it is perhaps the rarest of all reptiles in the Samara region. In general, the range of the marsh turtle in the USSR is limited only to southern Europe; east of Ufa and north of the line Samara - Voronezh - Minsk - Kaliningrad, it does not enter (Fig. 24).
This turtle usually lives in swamps, ponds, lakes of the coastal part of the Volga and Samara, small rivers and even canals. Far from the reservoir, she almost never departs; in case of danger, the turtle is able to stay under water for a very long time and even burrow at the bottom. The turtle's food is aquatic mollusks and insects, tadpoles, but it also loves plants.
The number of turtles in our region is catastrophically rapidly falling every year; this is mainly due to the destruction of convenient habitats for her, as well as for laying eggs; in addition, in places convenient for turtles, the disturbance factor increases every year. This happens for many reasons: due to the continuous development of river banks by departmental recreational institutions, due to the flooding of sandy beaches where turtles lay their eggs by the waters of reservoirs, the destruction of beaches during the extraction of sand, and, of course, due to direct trapping and destruction of the animal by humans.
According to V.M. Shaposhnikov, separate specimens of the marsh turtle have been recorded in the floodplains of the Sok, Kondurcha, Samara, Bolshoy Irgiz rivers, on the Volga islands of Vasilyevsky and on the Proran, and also in the Chapaevsky mouth. In past years, these animals were also noted on the Volga near the village of Vinnovka.
... Well, well, let a frog, a snake or a lizard not be very cute, but, in the end, it's not their fault. This is how they were born, and it is this appearance that makes them best adapted to specific habitats. After all, any form of life created by the great master - nature, is worthy of existence in itself, regardless of our like or dislike for it. And this fully applies to the green frog, and to the snake, and to the agile lizard.
Valery EROFEEV.
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Key to amphibians and reptiles of the fauna of the USSR. M., Education, 1977. 415 p.
Feoktistov V.F., Rozenberg G.S. 1994. The state of the animal world. - On Sat. "Ecological situation in the Samara region: state and forecast". Ed. G.S. Rozenberg and V.G. Fingerless. Togliatti, IEVB RAS, pp. 150-158.
Shaposhnikov V.M. 1978. Animals of the Kuibyshev region in need of special protection. - On Sat. "Issues of forest biogeocenology, ecology and nature protection in the steppe zone". Interuniversity collection. Issue. 3. Ed. N.M. Matveev. Kuibyshev, publishing house Kuib. state un-ta, pp. 120-130.
Shaposhnikov V.M. 2000. On the formation of the modern herpetofauna of the Samara region. - Sat. "Regional Notes". Issue IX dedicated to the 55th anniversary of the Great Victory and the 150th anniversary of the Samara province. Samara, publishing house of JSC "SamVen", Samara Regional Museum of History and Local Lore. P.V. Alabina, pp. 229-235.
Shikleev S.M. 1951. Amphibians (amphibians). - In the book. "Nature of the Kuibyshev region". Kuibyshev Regional State Publishing House, p. 288-289.
You are going to nature. Do you want to have a fun and carefree holiday? Go ahead, but do not forget that you are a guest there. And, for example, in the forest, not at all hospitable hosts may be waiting for you. First of all, remember that you don’t go to a foreign monastery with your charter. Zoologist Alexander Kuzovenko told about who to be afraid of and how to behave in the open spaces of the Samara region.
Do not lose vigilance
First of all, all five types of ixodid ticks that live in the region represent a danger to campers. They are carriers of diseases such as tick-borne encephalitis and borreliosis, or Lyme disease.
Being in an area “rich” in ticks, you need to carefully monitor your appearance - clothes and the bottom of your pants must be tucked in, and a headdress must be on your head.
- In such places, no means of ticks will help. This is advice from someone who is constantly in “tick-borne” places,” the zoologist noted.
Another disease that awaits tourists and vacationers is mouse fever. The carrier of this disease are various rodents. 
Symptoms of the onset of mouse fever are an increase in body temperature up to 40 degrees, chills, nausea, lowering blood pressure, a rare pulse, without catarrhal signs, a change in urination. Wash your hands as often as possible to avoid getting sick.
- Take special hand sanitizers with you to nature (antibacterial wipes, special hand gels). In no case do not eat anything from the ground, and if you already had a chance to eat in an inappropriate place for this, then it is better to take dishes for this, or, if one is not at hand, the same napkin, says Alexander Kuzovenko.
Represent a certain danger to humans and various representatives of the fauna that are found in our region.
If we talk about spiders, then poisonous members of the family can be found in our area, but most of them are not able to bite through human skin, and their poison is not fatal. Mostly poisonous representatives of arachnids live near water bodies, these are, for example, hunter spiders - dolomedes of the kale and dolomedes of the vegetable. 
But the well-known tarantula is found everywhere. In addition, once in our region it was possible to meet karakurt, but now they are not. 
A more dangerous representative of the animal world, which can be encountered while relaxing in nature, is a viper. There are three types of them on the territory of the Samara region - ordinary, steppe and Nikolsky's viper.
Common Viper Steppe Viper 
Nikolsky's viper, or forest-steppe viper 
It should be noted that vipers can also be found on the territory of Samara, for example, in Dubki or on Krasnaya Glinka. Also in the city and the region there are snakes that are not poisonous. However, in case of danger, they can present an unpleasant surprise - they secrete a foul-smelling liquid, from which it will then be difficult to wash off.
“By smell, it looks like rotten canned fish, which in fact is - these are overcooked fish or frogs, which I have already eaten,” the zoologist explains.
Vipers are easily distinguished from ordinary snakes by their so-called "ears" of yellow or orange color. But the water one doesn’t have such spots on its head, and for a non-specialist, it looks very much like a viper. It can even hiss as loudly as a venomous viper.
Another significant difference between these two snakes is their length - snakes reach more than a meter in length, while vipers grow no more than 70 cm. 
When going out into nature, one should not forget about the surrounding vegetation, which theoretically can pose a danger to humans. Note that in our region there are a lot of poisonous plants. These are, for example, lily of the valley, the berries of which, when eaten, can be fatal, adonis, the so-called "snowdrops" - sleep-grass, which got its name for a reason. And of course, it is worth remembering about the well-known milestones, henbane and dope, which also grow in our region. 
We take precautions
In order to avoid force majeure situations during outdoor recreation, Alexander Kuzovenko strongly recommends that you follow simple rules. For example, if you meet a snake, you need to bypass it.
- You should not take it, catch it, even if it seemed that it was, for example, already. The vipers and I are in different weight categories. The viper feeds on insects, mouse-like rodents, and from the side of the viper we look like a multi-storey building. Of course, she will not perceive us as prey, but if we show aggression towards her - we touch her with a stick or kick her with a boot, then she will simply instinctively defend herself, and then you can be bitten by her. That is, you just need to bypass it, that's all, ”he says.
If the snake is still bitten, you should immediately contact the specialists. This also applies in the case of a tick bite - you need to contact the same sanitary and epidemiological station, which will check what kind of tick it is and find out if it is a carrier of the disease.
- In the case of a viper bite, as far as I know, you need to go to the Seredavina hospital, where they provide the necessary assistance in case of a bite of poisonous snakes. Deadly viper bites lately. as far as I know, there wasn’t,” the zoologist notes.
If, nevertheless, the viper has bitten you immediately, you must immediately take an antihistamine, and then lie down (so that the poison spreads more slowly through the body), drink more liquid so that the poison is removed from the body faster (but not tonic), and then dial the ambulance phone ” or find a way to get to a hospital where they can provide qualified assistance. There is a common saying that you can just suck the poison out of the wound, but this method will work in two cases. The first is if this is done immediately after the bite. The second is if there is no caries, sores or wounds in the oral cavity, which can even form from brushing your teeth. In this case, the poison can enter the brain, and here the consequences can be much worse.
When leaving for nature, you need to pay attention to concomitant diseases. For example, if a person is allergic, then it may be dangerous for him to encounter any stinging hymenoptera.
Let's say a bee stung you. It would seem such a harmless small creature, but many people have a strong allergy to bees. Whoever the bee stings will have at least a slight redness or swelling at the site of the sting. If a bee stings an allergic person, then the edema can spread to the entire body. That is, from a bee sting, a fatal outcome is also possible if measures are not taken in time. Hornet bites are also very painful. Therefore, if you go to nature, then you should definitely take an antihistamine with you. And in general, when going out into nature, you need to take essential medical supplies with you, especially for a city dweller. They can save a life, says Alexander Kuzovenko.
“In human nature, there are dangers at every turn. In general, you need to come into nature as a guest who, let's say, knows the laws of the owner. You need to know the simplest types of potentially dangerous plants, animals, and teach children not to touch what you do not know and not to harm nature. Being outside the city, you need to constantly look around. All dangers lie in wait for a person mainly from ignorance, from the fact that he is very negligent about the place where he is, - emphasizes Alexander Kuzovenko.
vertebrate animals. They are characterized by: mixed; breathe easy, inconsistent, the skin of most is covered with horny scales or scutes ( from drying out). Modern reptiles include: , crocodiles, beakheads () and ( , and ).11 species of reptiles live in the Samara region: agile and viviparous lizards, multi-colored foot-and-mouth disease, brittle spindle, copperhead, common snake and water snake, patterned snake, common and steppe viper, marsh turtle).
Reptiles of the Samara region are found in three main groups of biotopes - open, forest and water. In a number of cases, species association with one or another group of biotopes (areas of the earth's surface) is noted. For example, the agile lizard, the multicolored foot-and-mouth disease, and the steppe viper gravitate towards open biotopes; to the forest - viviparous lizard, spindle, copperhead, common viper; to drive - snakes are ordinary and water, a marsh turtle, as well as a viviparous lizard. Often, the greatest species diversity of herpetofauna is noted in ecotones - transitional bands of these groups of biotopes: on the edges and banks.
Until recently, the best favorable conditions for our reptiles were preserved in the southern part of Samarskaya Luka (the area between the villages of Shelekhmet and Vinnovka). There are several lakes here, one of which is not accidentally called Serpentine. This is the only place on the entire Samarskaya Luka, where, until recently, a relatively high number of water snake, a rare species of the Samara region, was noted. So, in May 1972, 18 snakes were caught by zoologists of Samara University in the area of Visly Kamen on a 6-kilometer section of the route. Eleven of them were ordinary, seven - water.
The negative impact of man on the nature of the named area now raises the question of the existence of a water snake as a species here. 
An adverse effect on reptiles is alsocreation of reservoirs, accompanycaused by the disappearance of the floodplain and the formation of an extremely unstable coastal zonethey.
How can we save reptiles?
Undoubtedly, the organization of the first national natural park in Russia "Samarskaya Luka" should contribute to an increase in the number and species diversity of many groups of animals, including rare amphibians and reptiles. But all people should show respect for the environment, use the gifts of nature wisely. No need to treat many reptiles likea group of animals that until relatively recently were called "reptiles".
It should not be forgotten that reptiles are a food base for many, including game animals. The reduction in the number of snakes, birds of prey and foxes violates the natural population of mouse-like rodents and forces a person to use chemical measures to combat the latter. And chemicals are harmful to nature.
“The viper has a lot of enemies, it turns out. From the moment a small snake is born, one should already be afraid of magpies, crows, cranes, storks, capercaillie, black grouse, raccoons, martens, ferrets, wild boars and, most importantly, a person who, seeing a snake, almost always takes a stick. Is the loss great, you say, the snakes have disappeared - you should rejoice! There is nothing to rejoice. In the complex mechanism of nature, snakes have their rightful place, ”writes the well-known journalist V. M. Peskov.
Remember, the emblem of modern medicine is a snake pouring poison into a bowl. It is now valued more than gold, since it is successfully used in the treatment of rheumatism, bronchial asthma, arthritis and other serious diseases.
It is easy to understand why a person is now forced to breed poisonous snakes in captivity, organizing zoo-combines, nurseries, etc. But this is not enough.Judge for yourself: to get one gram of dry poison, you need to "milk" 250 vipers. A snake that enters a nursery does not participate in reproduction and eventually dies. Therefore, methods are currently being developed for obtaining snake venom without removing them from their natural environment.So, let's take care of reptiles! Remember that in nature there are "invisible threads"! Everything is interconnected in it. People are just part of nature.
Samarskaya Luka is a unique region. The area is formed by the gulf (Usinsky) of the Kuibyshev reservoir and the bend of the majestic Volga River. There is a very special microclimate, amazingly beautiful mountains, blue-blue expanses of the Volga, unique flora and fauna. All the beauties have earned Samara Luka world fame.
History of the Samarskaya Luka National Park
Not so long ago, at the end of the eighteenth century, on the territory of Samarskaya Luka grew from centuries-old trees. These were predominantly pine-oak and oak-linden forests. However, later the trees were subjected to mass felling, which led to a significant reduction in arrays.
The Samarskaya Luka National Park was founded in 1984. The purpose of its creation was to preserve natural complexes, promote the development of national culture, and also create all the necessary conditions for the development of tourism in the region. Many rest houses and tourist bases have been built on the territory of the park, winter and summer routes have been laid. Next to it is the city of Zhigulevsk, or rather, it directly adjoins it from the south. So we can say that the inhabitants of this city are very lucky. For them, getting out for a walk in the park is not difficult.
Historical objects in the park
It should be noted that the Samarskaya Luka National Park is interesting not only for its flora and fauna, there are many archaeological sites on its territory. One of them is the Murom town. Once it was one of the largest settlements of Volga Bulgaria (from the ninth to the thirteenth century). Also here are the settlements of the Bronze and Iron Ages. All of them need further study, because they can tell a lot more new things.
Back in 2011, a wonderful exposition of archaeological finds called “Antiquities of the Samara Bend” was opened on the territory of the park. Just imagine that there are exhibits here belonging to different eras: the Stone, Bronze, Iron Ages and the Middle Ages. How interesting to see objects of the time of the Golden Horde live!
Since the city of Zhigulevsk is located very close, this exposition was opened with the support of its local history museum. Local residents do not always have the opportunity and time to visit museums. But those who come to the park on vacation just may have the very convenient case when it is quite possible to combine entertainment with educational excursions.
In general, the whole history of this region is closely intertwined with the names of such historical figures as Stepan Razin, Yermak, Emelyan Pugachev, Alexander Menshikov and the Orlov brothers.
Nature of the national park
The nature of the Samarskaya Luka is rich in various plants that cover the steppes with all sorts of flowers from spring to autumn. The vegetation of this area is of deep scientific importance. Six species of plants were once discovered here for the first time, three of which are not found anywhere else. This sunflower is monetifolia, Euphorbia Zhiguli, Kachim Zhiguli. Many plants of the Samarskaya Luka are quite rare and are found only in these places.
Very interesting for research are relic trees that have survived to the present from ancient eras (pre-glacial, glacial, post-glacial periods). Oddly enough, but the glacier could not reach the Zhiguli Mountains, and therefore practically did not affect the nature of the Samarskaya Luka. The largest number of relics can be found in the rocky mountain steppe.
Fauna
The fauna of the Samarskaya Luka is rather peculiar. This is reflected in the fact that at least thirty percent of vertebrates live here on the border of their ranges. These include: a viviparous lizard, an ordinary viper, a boreal owl, a hazel grouse and a capercaillie. All of them are representatives of Siberian and taiga species. And at the same time, typical representatives of the southern steppe species live next to them: a marsh turtle, a patterned snake, a golden bee-eater, and a water snake.
There are also relic species. It is interesting that they are separated from the main habitat by a fairly large distance. This is a patterned snake, beetle
Modern animals of the Samarskaya Luka are also diverse: roe deer, elk, wolf, wild boar, lynx, marten, hare, fox, muskrat and many others. All of them live here in comfortable natural conditions.
Mountains of Samarskaya Luka
On the northwestern part of the Samarskaya Luka is the Molodetsky barrow. From it begin which stretched 75-kilometer ridge. The mound is shrouded in many traditions and legends. Its height is slightly more than two hundred meters. It hangs over the waters of the Volga reservoir next to the Usinsky Bay.
One of the fairy-tale legends tells that once upon a time a young man fell in love with a beautiful girl Volga. But the beauty did not like him. Her heart was occupied by the Caspian. And so the young man decided to block her way, not to let her in to her opponent. Then the Volga deceived him. She put to sleep with her sweet speeches both the young man and his squad. And she ran away to her beloved. Much time has passed since then, the young man and his warriors have turned to stone, turning into the Molodetsky barrow. And ever since then, the Volga has been lulling them with the murmur of its waters. Here is such a beautiful story of the emergence of the Samara Luka and the Zhiguli Mountains. However, this is just a legend.
In fact, once the path of the river was blocked by a fold formed due to the movement of earth layers. The Volga had no choice but to rush its waters around the obstacle. This is how the legendary and bizarre bend of the river was formed.
Molodetsky mound has long been of interest to many scientists. This is a truly unique place. It seems very severe, it is given such a view by completely sheer cliffs. And only one of the slopes is covered with dense forest, and relic pines grow at the very top of the mound. The beauty of this place cannot be expressed in words. On the Molodetsky mound you can meet quite rare representatives of the fauna: the white-tailed eagle and the Apollo.
From the top of the mound, a beautiful view of the reservoir, mountains and Usinsky Bay opens up. Even before the flooding, Kalmyk Island was located opposite the Kurgan, and behind it, on the opposite bank of the river, was the one-story wooden city of Stavropol. But after the territories were flooded, naturally, the water level rose by almost thirty meters, and the lower part of the shallow Us River turned into the Usinsky Bay.
Molodetsky mound is especially popular among tourists. And on the shores of the bay, environmental events, sports competitions, and all sorts of rallies are often held. The mound is included in the tour route of the national park.
Maiden Mountain
Maiden Mountain is located next to the Molodetsky mound. She is also known as little sister. After flooding, the Kuibyshev reservoir hid more than half of the mountain under its waters. Maiden Mountain is also shrouded in legends, like the entire Samara Luka.
Mount Camel
This bizarre mountain is located near Krestovaya Polyana (the village of Shiryaevo). It got its name because of the bizarre shape of the peak, which seems to hang over the Volga and really resembles this animal. From the top of the mountain, a beautiful view of the surroundings and the banks of the Volga, Tsarev Kurgan and the Zhiguli Gate opens. The Tsarev Kurgan was once one with the mountain range.
As for the Zhiguli Gates, this is the narrowest place in the Volka valley, here the flow of the river is the strongest.
The bowels of Mount Camel are permeated with a network of adits, they are cool even in hot summers. Here, even the rails, along which the trolleys went at the beginning of the century, are still preserved. At present, the adits have become a haven for the largest colony of bats in all the Volga lands.
The village of Shiryaevo is located near the mountain. Repin once worked here. It has long been chosen not only by tourists, but also by climbers who have equipped a climbing wall on it.
The Zhiguli Mountains end near the village of Podgory, turning into a plateau. It rises above the river for about forty meters. Its surface is cut by ravines, hollows, alternating with rocks and forests.
Rock Visly stone
The rock is another local attraction. It consists of limestone rocks. And on its slopes grow lindens, oaks, maples, as well as violets, lilies of the valley, bean. The top of the cliff looks like a small platform. It offers a wonderful view of the Serpent's backwater, the Shelekhmetsky mountains.
snake backwater
At the foot of the cliff is Lake Vislokamenka (Snake). Although now it is more correct to call it a bay (after the construction of a cascade of reservoirs). People say that the lake got its name because there were always a lot of snakes here. And to this day, these places are considered the most serpentine in the entire Samara Luka. Do not think that it is directly teeming with them. More often you can meet snakes and snakes, but poisonous snakes are rare.
The white-tailed eagle, which is listed in the Red Book, lives in these places. Wild boars, roe deer, kites are also found on the adjacent lands of the backwater. Stony steppes and meadows, coniferous and deciduous forests prevail here. All this together perfectly combines and creates an indescribable beauty that attracts many tourists.
On the lands of Samarskaya Luka there is not only the Samarskaya Luka National Park, but also the Zhiguli National Reserve named after. I. I. Saprygin, which is one of the oldest in Russia.
edge birds
Many birds of the Samara Luka are listed in the Red Book. In general, there are more than two hundred species of birds here. Unfortunately, species diversity has declined over the last century. The black stork can be attributed to the disappeared. This situation is associated primarily with human influence. After all, roads were built here, oil was extracted, and the banks of the Volga were built up. All this to some extent affected nature.
Most of the bird species living on the Samarskaya Luka either nest here regularly or live sedentary. But there are also species that fly into the territory during migrations.
Capercaillie, black grouse and hazel grouse are especially interesting. There used to be a lot of them here. Now everything has changed. But, on the other hand, the white-tailed eagle became a settled permanent resident of these places.
The combination of floodplain and mountain landscapes creates unique conditions for numerous representatives of the animal world, many varieties of bats that have chosen local adits. So that no one disturbs the bats in winter, the entrances to the caves are blocked with gratings.
Instead of an afterword
Samarskaya Luka is the rarest natural phenomenon. The Ministry of Natural Resources created a national park for a reason. The local places are unique in terms of the composition of flora and fauna. Not so long ago, biosphere reserves were opened on the basis of the Zhiguli Reserve. Their goal was to ensure the protection of the lands of the Volga region and the landscapes of the Zhiguli. Most of the lands of the reserves are located on the territory of Samarskaya Luka. This is primarily due to the fact that these lands have not been affected so much by human influence. So, there is still a chance to somehow save everything that is currently. There are completely unique ecosystems on the territory of the bioreserve: the Samarskaya Luka plateau, stone steppes, mixed forests, etc. The Ministry of Natural Resources should carry out environmental protection measures aimed at protecting human impact on nature. Because not all human deeds are for her good.
The Samarskaya Luka National Park is a unique place that amaze with its beauties. Visit it and plunge into the wonderful world of nature.
A unique area formed by the bend (bend) of the largest European river Volga in its middle reaches and the Usinsky Bay of the Kuibyshev reservoir.
The Volga in this place makes a large arc facing east, and then turns to the southwest. Its length is more than 200 km. Highly elevated ancient carbonate rocks here form a semblance of an island. ZHIGULI, whose average height is about 300 meters, are the only mountains of tectonic origin, not only on the Volga, but throughout the vast territory of the Russian Plain.
Unique landforms, a peculiar microclimate, amazing beauty of the mountains, the blue necklace of the Volga framing them, unique flora and fauna have earned the Zhiguli and Samarskaya Luka as a whole world fame.
Even at the end of the 18th century, age-old and dense forests grew on Samarskaya Luka. These were oak-linden and complex pine-oak forests, pine forests along the slopes, and centuries-old birch forests along the wide bottoms of ancient valleys. But these forests were subsequently traversed by repeated felling, giving people their strength and beauty.
Due to the wide variety of plants from early spring to late autumn, the stony steppes are covered with one or another color, and almost every week they change this color outfit. The scientific significance of the Zhiguli vegetation is exceptional. It was here that 6 plant species were first discovered for science. Three of them turned out to be narrow endemics of the Zhiguli, that is, they are not found anywhere else in the world. This is Euphorbia Zhiguli, Monet-leaved Sunflower, Kachim Zhiguli. There are many less narrow endemics here, the distribution areas of which cover not only the Zhiguli - for example, thyme (thyme) Zhiguli, which is found only on the Volga Upland.
Of particular interest are relict species that have survived to this day from the most ancient geological eras (pre-glacial, glacial and post-glacial periods). The glacier did not reach the Zhiguli mountains and had little effect on the natural complex of the Samarskaya Luka. Most of the relics grow in the mountainous stony steppe.
The peculiarity of the fauna of the Samarskaya Luka lies in the fact that at least 30% of vertebrates live here on the border of their ranges. For example, Siberian and taiga species - common viper, viviparous lizard, owl, long-tailed owl, capercaillie, hazel grouse and others. And in the immediate vicinity of them live typically southern and steppe species - patterned snake, marsh turtle, water snake, golden bee-eater, etc.
Of great interest are relict species, separated by a considerable distance from their main habitat - the common mole rat, patterned snake. Relics are the alpine barbel beetle and the steppe grasshopper.
The modern fauna of mammals is also diverse - elk, wild boar, roe deer, wolf, lynx, badger, fox, hare and hare, marten, muskrat and others.
The concentration of monuments of almost all cultures of the European forest-steppe known to science from the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age to the present is unusually high on Samarskaya Luka.
There are about 200 natural and historical monuments on the territory of Samarskaya Luka. It is also rich in archaeological finds. Of these, the most interesting are the Murom town - one of the largest settlements in Volga Bulgaria of the 9th - 13th centuries, as well as the settlement of the 4th -5th centuries. on Mount Belaya, burial mounds of the 7th - 8th centuries. AD near the village of Novinki.
The history of Samarskaya Luka is closely connected with the names of famous historical figures - Alexander Menshikov, the Orlov brothers, the Cossack freemen Yermak, Stepan Razin, Emelyan Pugachev.
The first information about these lands is in Russian chronicles, as well as in the notes of travelers and scientists Olearius, Tatishchev, Pallas and others. .Shiryaevts, I.I. Dmitriev and many others.
It is located in the north-west of Samarskaya Luka, from it begins the 75-kilometer picturesque ridge of the Zhiguli Mountains. This peak, covered with many legends and traditions, rises like a silent guardian of the Zhiguli from the waters of the Volga reservoir not far from the entrance to Usinsky Bay. The height of the mound is just over 200 meters (242.8).
One of the legends says that a strong and mighty fellow was in love with the beautiful Volga, but he was not loved by her, the gray-haired Caspian captivated the heart of the girl. Well done did not want to let his beloved go to the rival, blocked her path with his squad, but the beauty deceived her, put her to sleep with sweet speeches, and herself, rounding the giant, ran away to the distant Caspian. Many centuries have passed since then, Molodets turned to stone, turning into the Molodetsky mound, his enchanted squad has grown into a forest, the Volga forever lulls them with its incessant murmur. So the Samara Luka and the Zhiguli Mountains were born.
But this is a legend, in fact, once upon a time, on the path of the river (which flowed straight to the south and there was no bend), a fold almost 100 kilometers long arose due to the displacement of earth layers, and a trough formed to the north, where the waters rushed rivers, so the bizarre and legendary bend of the Volga gradually formed.
Molodetsky mound has long attracted the attention of many famous scientists and travelers. Jan Streis, Peter Pallas, Ivan Lepekhin and others have been here. The people composed songs, legends and ballads about him. Molodetsky mound is closely connected in legends with the names and deeds of Stepan Razin, his chieftains and freemen.
Indeed, this mound is unique in its essence. Sheer cliffs and ledges give the mound a severe look. In places, on a thin layer of rubble soil, a stony steppe peeps through. But one of its slopes is covered with dense deciduous forest, and relic pines grow on the top of the mound, rapidly rising up against the sky.
The steppes consist mainly of endemic flora, many species are listed in the Red Book. There are also relics here, species preserved from the pre-glacial period. In these places, the largest population of Shiverekia Podolsk, an endangered plant, grows in Europe. In the vicinity of the Molodetsky mound, you can meet very rare representatives of the fauna: white-tailed eagle, steppe horse, Apollo and swallowtail butterflies, etc.
From the side of the Usinsky Bay, a tourist trail rises through the forest area to the top of the mound. From here you can see a wide majestic panorama of the reservoir, Usinsky Bay, the surrounding mountains (Devya Gora, Mount Lepeshka, etc.) and the city of Tolyatti. Previously, before the flooding, opposite the Molodetsky Kurgan there was a large Kalmyk Island, behind it, on the other side of the river, there was a wooden one-story city of Stavropol. After flooding, the water level rose by 29 meters, the lower half of the shallow, narrow river Usy (its name comes from the word "must") turned into a large Usinsky Bay.
Molodetsky mound is very popular among tourists (including foreign ones) visiting Samarskaya Luka. Various events are often held on the shores of the Usinsky Bay: sports competitions, environmental events, various gatherings, among which the gathering named after Yuri Zakharov is the most popular and attracts numerous lovers of bard songs.
The object is included in the excursion routes of the national park.
Devya, or Maiden's Mountain is located at the mouth of the ravine Zhigulevskaya pipe, next to the Molodetsky mound, the younger sister of which she is called. The height above the Volga is only 50 meters, and due to the Kuibyshev reservoir, more than half of the mountain was flooded in the 50s. But even now Devya Mountain looks majestic, abruptly breaking off into waves foaming at its foot.
Many legends are associated with this rock. They say that a certain dashing chieftain captured a beautiful girl. She decided to run away from the unloved one and, pretending to be affectionate and gentle, persuaded the chieftain to sit on the edge of a cliff by the river. And when he fell asleep in her arms, she pushed him down from the cliff.
Another legend connects the Devya Gora with the Molodetsky mound. Lived in the time of Stepan Razin, a poor young man Ivan Molodtsov and a handsome beauty, the daughter of a wealthy Usolsky, Grunya. They fell in love with each other, but the girl's father did not want to pass off his daughter as a poor, rootless man, threatened him with a fierce death if he did not back down from Grunya. Ivan left for the freemen of Stepan Razin, hoping to get riches and then woo his beloved.
But the tsar's troops defeated the ataman's army, and Ivan's small gang was hiding in the Zhiguli. He sent a message to Gruna, wanted to see her goodbye. The girl's father found out about their date and led the tsar's shooters in the footsteps of his daughter. The fight was unequal and long. Ivan was mortally wounded, having overtaken him and Grunya on the top of a rocky cliff. And Ivan Molodtsov rushed down the cliff with words of farewell on his lips.
Grunya screamed like a wounded bird and ran down the slope, trying to catch up with her beloved, followed by her father with archers. She ran up the hill that hung over the Volga, and rushed from the steep after her darling. Since then, they called the mound Molodetsky, and the mountain that closely pressed against it - Devya.
It is not known how true the legends are, but the fact that Stepan Razin's sentinel camp was located at the foot of the Devya Mountain is a historical fact.
The surroundings of Devya Gora and Molodetsky Kurgan are a favorite place for tourists to visit and relax; various festivals and rallies are held here every year. The most popular is the tourist gathering named after Yuri Zakharov, which attracts numerous lovers of art songs.
The object is included in the excursion routes of the Samarskaya Luka National Park.
- a bizarre rocky peak near Krestovaya Polyana, not far from the village of Shiryaevo, in the tract "Goat Horns", so called because from a certain place the shape of the rock hanging over the Volga resembled the head of this animal. Unfortunately, due to erosion, the rock is constantly being destroyed and its appearance is changing. Here, outcrops of ancient rocks, the wide expanse of the Volga and dense forest thickets are combined in an amazing way. From the top of the mountain, a magnificent panorama of the surroundings and the opposite bank of the Volga, the famous Zhiguli Gates and the cut top of Tsarev Kurgan opens up. Tsarev Kurgan is a remnant of the once unified Zhiguli mountain range. And the Zhiguli Gate is the narrowest place (700 m) in the Volga valley in its middle course, the speed of the river in this place is greater than in any other.
The bowels of Mount Camel are cut by underground galleries (adits), which are cool even on the hottest days. There are still preserved railroad tracks, along which wheelbarrows with limestone were pushed at the beginning of the century. Bats have chosen the galleries today. One of the largest colonies of bats in the Volga region currently winters in these artificial caves. Often in the area of Mount Camel you can meet a wide variety of fauna, as well as find rare endemic and relict plant species.
Not far from the mountain lies the village of Shiryaevo. It was listed in the census as early as 1647. Most likely, the village got its name from its location - it is located at the wide mouth of the largest and widest ancient Zhiguli valley. For a long time, the village of Shiryaevo was a place of short rest for barge haulers. Here, in Shiryaevo, Repin worked on his famous painting Barge haulers on the Volga. In the house in which he lived and worked for some time, a museum of I.E. Repin was created. In addition, the villagers honor the memory of their fellow countryman, the poet Alexander Vasilievich Abramov, who, after the name of his native Volga village, took the pseudonym Shiryaevets.
The unique nature of the Shiryaevsky ravine, the historical past of the village of the same name, the magnificence of the open spaces that open from the top of Mount Camel, attract tourists from different cities and countries to these places. At present, in accordance with the regional planning project of the Samarskaya Luka National Park, the village of Shiryaevo is one of the basic centers of tourism on Samarskaya Luka. Here, on Mount Camel, climbers and mountain tourists have equipped a climbing wall. All of the above objects are included in the excursion routes of the national park.
In the area of the village of Podgory, the Zhiguli Mountains proper end and pass into a plateau that rises 40-50 m above the Volga. The plateau, dissected by ravines and hollows, which alternate with protruding rocks and steep foreheads, looks like a mountain range covered with a shady forest. At the foot of this mountain range there are villages, according to the names of which certain sections of the ridge, located in the vicinity of these villages, are called Novinsky, Shelekhmetsky and Vinnovsky mountains, respectively.
The beginning of the Shelekhmet Mountains is considered to be the Visly Kamen cliff, located near the Mordovian village of Shelekhmet, in the area of the Snake Bay.
Visly Stone- a rock that hangs in bulk over the water at a height of 70-80 meters. It is composed of thick layers of limestone. Around the rock, on steep slopes, oaks, lindens, maples grow. Of the herbaceous vegetation, there are lilies of the valley, violets, kupena, bean, etc.
The top of the Hanging Stone is a small platform (cornice) and hangs over the abyss. In profile, the rock resembles a bearded old man, so it has another name - "Stone Grandfather". The top of the rock is overgrown with sparse steppe and edge vegetation: feather grass, oregano, wormwood of various types, etc. Here, at the top, a beautiful observation deck. It offers magnificent views of the Serpentine Backwater and the Shelekhmet Mountains, but it is not safe to be on it, as the rock is gradually being destroyed.
At the foot of the Stone, Lake Vislokamenka, or Snake Lake, divided into many branches (area 47 hectares), spilled over. Old-timers still call it a lake, because before the construction of a cascade of reservoirs on the Volga, it was connected to the river only during high water. After raising the water level in the Volga, Serpent Lake merged with it, forming a long and narrow gulf-erik. They say that the lake (and now the backwater) got its name because there were always a lot of snakes in these places. To this day, these places are considered the most serpentine on the Samarskaya Luka. However, encounters with a poisonous viper are quite rare. The most common are snakes, as well as a rare snake - a patterned snake (Samarskaya Luka is the northernmost border of its range).
About 120 species of plants were found in the vicinity of Visly Kamen, including those listed in the Red Book, for example, marsh napkin. In the vicinity you can often meet elk, roe deer. Not so long ago, this area was chosen by several pairs of swans and a family of beavers.
The Shelekhmetsky mountains experience a large anthropogenic load from large industrial centers located nearby (Samara, Novokuibyshevsk) and their recreation areas.
Here, especially in summer, there is a large influx of tourists and vacationers. In addition to the Vistula Stone, caves attract tourists, since the Shelekhmet Mountains are composed of limestone and dolomite of the Permian system and are replete with dips, depressions and caves. One of the most famous is the cave of Stepan Razin. In the ridge of the Shelekhmet Mountains, two highest points stand out - Lvova Mountain and Mount Osh-Pando-Ner. On the top of the Osh-Pando-Ner mountain, the remains of the settlement, an ancient fortification of the 11th-12th centuries, have been preserved.
The objects are included in the excursion routes of the national park.
At the very foot of the Shelekhmet Mountains, in the southeast of the Samarskaya Luka, the Volga Bay spreads through the valley, it is called (area 47 hectares). Old-timers still call it a lake, because before the construction of a cascade of reservoirs on the Volga, it was connected to the river only during high water. After raising the water level in the Volga, Serpent Lake merged with it, forming a long and narrow gulf-erik.
They say that the lake (and now the backwater) got its name because there were always a lot of snakes in these places. In other years, it was impossible to step in order not to stumble upon a crawling snake. To this day, these places are considered the most serpentine on the Samarskaya Luka. However, encounters with a poisonous viper are quite rare. The most common are snakes, which in springtime form tangles of moving "in love" individuals. A rare snake is also found here - a patterned snake (Samarskaya Luka is the northernmost border of its range).
You can, if you're lucky, see the white-tailed eagle - a bird of prey listed in the Red Book. There are kites, roe deer, wild boars and many other animals in the area of the Serpent's Backwater.
The vegetation of this small area with unique natural communities: meadows, stony steppes, forests - coniferous and deciduous, is also rich and diverse. All this taken together creates the unique beauty of these places and attracts a large number of tourists.
On the territory of Samarskaya Luka, in addition to the national park, there is another specially protected natural area - the Zhigulevsky State Nature Reserve named after V.I. I.I. Sprygina, one of the oldest natural reserves in Russia.