Poisonous snakes from the viper family have perfectly adapted to existence in any climatic conditions and landscapes. Vipers live in Europe, Russia, Asia, Africa, North and South America. Vipers do not live only in Australia, New Zealand and other islands of Oceania.

Basically, vipers lead a sedentary lifestyle, occasionally making forced migrations to winter habitats, which make up several kilometers on the way. Vipers spend most of the summer basking in the sun or hiding in the heat under stones, uprooted tree roots and in rock crevices.

Where and how do viper snakes hibernate?

Wintering of vipers begins in October-November. For winter “apartments”, various burrows are selected that go into the ground to a depth of 2 m, where the positive air temperature is maintained. With a high population density, several hundred individuals often accumulate in one hole. The duration of wintering depends on the range: northern species of vipers hibernate up to 9 months a year, inhabitants of temperate latitudes crawl out to the surface in March-April and immediately begin to breed.

Viper venom - snake bite consequences and symptoms

Viper venom is considered potentially dangerous to humans, and the bite of some representatives of the viper family can be fatal and lead to death.

However, viper venom has found its use, because it is a valuable raw material for the manufacture of medicines and even cosmetics. The poison is a cocktail of proteins, lipids, peptides, amino acids, sugar and salt of inorganic origin. Preparations derived from viper venom are used as an analgesic for neuralgia and rheumatism, for hypertension and skin diseases, to relieve asthma attacks, for inflammatory processes and bleeding.

Viper venom enters the human or animal body through the lymph nodes and instantly enters the bloodstream. The consequences of a viper bite are manifested by burning pain, redness and swelling form around the wound, which disappear after 2-3 days without any serious consequences. In case of severe intoxication of the body, 15-20 minutes after the bite of a viper, the following symptoms appear: the bitten one feels dizzy, nausea, chills, heart palpitations. With an increased concentration of toxic substances, fainting, convulsions and coma occur.

Viper bite - first aid

What to do if bitten by a viper:

• First of all, immediately after the bite of the viper, be sure to provide the bitten organ (usually the limbs) with peace by fixing it with a kind of splint or, for example, simply tying your hand in a bent position with a handkerchief. Limit any active movement to avoid the rapid spread of viper venom throughout the body.
• A viper's bite is dangerous and can be fatal to humans, so in any case, regardless of the severity of the victim's condition, you should call an ambulance!
• Pressing with your fingers at the bite site, try to slightly open the wound and suck out the poison. You can do this with your mouth, periodically spitting saliva, but the method is valid only if there are no damages on the oral mucosa in the form of cracks, scratches or sores. You can try to reduce the concentration of poison in the wound with an ordinary glass cup, using it according to the principle of setting medical jars. Suction of the poison is carried out continuously, for 15-20 minutes.
• Then the viper bite site should be disinfected with any improvised means: cologne, vodka, alcohol, iodine, and apply a clean, slightly pressure bandage.
• If possible, it is advisable to take an antihistamine tablet to reduce the allergic reaction to viper venom.
• Take as much liquid as possible - weak tea, water, but give up coffee: this drink increases blood pressure and increases excitability.
• In case of a serious lesion, artificial respiration and prolonged heart massage are performed as first aid after a viper bite.

Sometimes vipers are confused with representatives of the already-shaped family - snakes and copperheads, which often leads to the killing of innocent animals. A poisonous snake can be distinguished from a harmless one by a number of signs.

How is it different from a viper? Similarities and differences between snakes

Already - this is a non-venomous snake, the viper is poisonous and deadly to humans. The similarity between the snake and the viper is obvious: both snakes can have a similar color and meet a person in a forest, in a meadow, or near a pond. And yet these reptiles have certain signs by which they can be distinguished:

• The appearance of the snake and the black viper is different, despite the same skin color. The common snake has 2 yellow or orange spots on its head, similar to miniature ears, while the viper does not have such marks.

• It is not worth focusing solely on the color of snakes, since both snakes and vipers can be similar in color. For example, the color of a water snake can be olive, brown or black, with various spots. In addition, the black water snake does not have yellow markings on its head, which can easily be confused with a viper. The color of the viper can also be olive, black or brown, with a variety of spots scattered over the body.

• And yet, if you look closely at the spots, you can see the following difference between snakes: snakes have spots on their bodies in a checkerboard pattern, many types of vipers have a zigzag strip on their backs that runs along the entire body, and there are also spots on the sides of the body.

• Another difference between the snake and the viper is that the pupil of the viper is vertical, in snakes it is round.

• The viper's mouth contains sharp teeth that are clearly visible when the snake opens its mouth. The snakes have no teeth.

• Longer than a viper. The body length of the snake is usually 1-1.3 meters. The length of the viper usually varies between 60-75 cm, although there are species that reach 3-4 meters (bushmaster). In addition, vipers look much more well-fed.
• The tail of the viper is shortened and thick, while that of snakes is thinner and longer. In addition, in vipers, the transition from the body to the tail is clearly pronounced.
• Vipers differ from snakes in the triangular shape of the skull with clearly marked superciliary ridges, in snakes the skull is oval-ovoid.

• The anal shield of the viper is one-piece, while that of the snake consists of 2 scales.
• When meeting people, the snakes try to retreat and hide, the viper is likely to show complete indifference or aggression if you step on this poisonous snake or just touch it.
• Snakes love damp habitats, so they can often be found near bodies of water where they swim and catch frogs. Vipers feed mainly, so they choose other habitats: forests, steppes, thick grass.

• The viper is a venomous snake, the copperhead is not poisonous.
• Many vipers have a dark-colored zigzag stripe running along their backs, while copperheads have a "scattered" pattern of specks or dark spots on their backs. But there are also black vipers that do not have stripes.

• The head of the viper has a triangular shape with pronounced arcs above the eyes. Copperheads have a narrow, elongated head.
• In the mouth of the viper there are teeth with which the snake bites its prey. Copperheads have no teeth.
• The pupil of the copperfish is round, while that of the viper is vertically slit-like.

• The anal shield of the copperfish consists of a pair of scales, but in the viper it is solid.
• Noticing a person, the copperhead will hasten to hide in a shelter, the viper will either not pay attention to the person, or will start an offensive.

• There are teeth in the mouth of the viper and the snake, but the bite of a poisonous viper is dangerous and can be fatal, and the bite of the snake, although it causes pain, does not carry a mortal danger, since the snake does not have poisonous glands.
• In the viper, the head and body are separated by a shortened bridge imitating the neck; in the snake, there is no cervical interception.
• The back of most vipers is either monophonic, black, or has a dark stripe that runs in a zigzag along the entire back. The color of the snake can be monophonic, with transverse dark spots on the back or in a mesh.

• The snake has a distinctive pattern on the top of the skull - a dark stripe between the eyes, the viper does not have such decoration.
• The viper is much shorter and looks fatter than the snake. The snakes can grow up to 1.5 meters in length, and the standard size of vipers is 60-70 cm. Only the largest vipers have a body length of up to 2 meters.

Types of vipers - photo and description

The modern classification distinguishes 4 subfamilies of vipers:

• pit viper, they are also rattlesnakes or rattlesnakes (Crotalinae): they are distinguished by the presence of 2 infrared pits, which are located in the depression between the eyes and nostrils;
• toad vipers(Causinae): belong to the oviparous type of snakes, which is rare among all members of the family;
• vipers(Viperinae) - the most numerous subfamily, whose representatives live even in the conditions of the Arctic (common viper);
• azemiopinae- a subfamily represented by a single genus and species - the Burmese fairy viper.

To date, 292 species of vipers are known to science. Below are several varieties of these snakes:

• common viper ( Vipera berus)

a relatively small representative of the family: the body length is usually in the range of 60-70 cm, however, in the northern part of the range there are individuals over 90 cm long. The weight of the viper varies from 50 to 180 grams, with females slightly larger than males. The head is large, slightly flattened, the muzzle is rounded. The color is quite variable and multifaceted: the color of the main background of the back is black, light gray, yellow-brown, reddish-brown, bright copper. Most specimens have a pronounced pattern in the form of a zigzag strip along the back. The belly of the viper is gray, brown-gray or black, sometimes supplemented with whitish spots. The tip of the tail is often colored bright yellow, reddish or orange. This type of viper has a fairly wide habitat. The common viper lives in the forest belt of Eurasia - it is found from the territories of Great Britain and France to the western regions of Italy and the east of Korea. Feels cozy in hot Greece, Turkey and Albania, while penetrating the Arctic Circle - found in Lapland and in countries on the coast of the Barents Sea. On the territory of Russia, the common viper lives in Siberia, Transbaikalia and the Far East.

• nosed viper(Vipera ammodytes)

differs from other species by a soft, sharp, scaly outgrowth at the tip of the muzzle, resembling a snub nose. The length of the viper is 60-70 cm (sometimes 90 cm). The color of the body is gray, sand or red-brown (depending on the species), a zigzag dark stripe or a series of diamond-shaped stripes runs along the back. The nosed viper lives on rocky landscapes from Italy, Serbia and Croatia to Turkey, Syria and Georgia.

• Steppe viper (western steppe viper) ( Vipera ursinii )

a poisonous snake that lives in the plains and mountain steppes, in alpine meadows, in ravines and semi-deserts. Steppe vipers are found in the countries of southern and southeastern Europe (in France, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Albania), in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Russia (in the Caucasus, in the southern part of Siberia, the Rostov region, Altai). The length of the viper with a tail reaches 64 cm, females are larger than males. The color of the snake is brown-gray, a dark brown or black zigzag stripe runs along the ridge. Dark spots are scattered on the sides of the body.

• Horned keffiyeh(Trimeresurus cornutus, Protobothrops cornutus)

stands out among relatives with small horns located above the eyes. The body of a viper up to 60-80 cm long is painted in a cream-green color and dotted with dark brown spots. The snake spends almost all its life on trees and shrubs, descending to the ground only for mating. The horned keffiyeh is a typical inhabitant of the south and southeast of Asia, lives in China, India and Indonesia.

• Burmese Fairy Viper, or Chinese viper(Azemiops feae)

an oviparous species, a rarity among vipers. It got its name not thanks to a fairy-tale character, but in honor of the zoologist Leonardo Fea. The length of the viper is about 80 cm. On the head of the snake grow large shields, like those of snakes. The top of the body is greenish-brown, the bottom is cream, the head is most often yellow, yellow stripes run along the sides. It is found in Central Asia in the southeast of Tibet, in Burma, China and Vietnam.

• Noisy viper(Bitis arietans)

one of the most beautiful and most dangerous species of African vipers. The bite of a noisy viper in 4 out of 5 cases is fatal. The snake got its name from the indignant hissing emitted in case of danger. The body of the viper is disproportionately thick with a girth of up to 40 cm and a length of about 2 m. The color of the viper can be golden yellow, dark beige or red-brown. Along the body there is a pattern consisting of 2 dozen brown marks in the shape of the Latin letter U. The noisy viper lives throughout Africa (with the exception of the equator), as well as in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula.

• (Bitis nasicornis)

it is distinguished by a special decoration on the muzzle, consisting of 2-3 vertically protruding scales. The body is thick, can reach a length of 1.2 m, and is covered with a beautiful pattern. Blue trapezoid patterns with a yellow border, connected by black diamonds, run along the back. The sides are covered with black triangles, alternating with olive-colored rhombuses with a red border. The head of a viper with bright blue “cheeks” is covered with black arrows with a yellow border. Prefers to settle in the wet, swampy forests of Equatorial Africa.

• Kaisaka, or labaria (Bothrops atrox)

the largest viper of the spearhead genus, growing up to 2.5 m in length. A distinctive feature of the kaisaki is the lemon-yellow color of the chin, which is why the snake was nicknamed the “yellow beard”. The slender body is covered with gray or brown skin with a diamond-shaped pattern on the back. Kaisaka lives throughout Central America, in Argentina and the coastal islands of South America.

• Rhombic rattlesnake(Crotalus adamanteus)

record holder among rattlesnakes in terms of the number of "milks" of poison (660 mg from one snake). A large viper can grow over 2 m in length and weigh over 15 kg. Along the back, painted in brown tones, runs a series of 24-35 black diamonds with a brilliant sheen with a light yellow border. This viper lives only in the USA: from Florida to New Orleans.

• Gyurza, or levant viper(Macrovipera lebetina)

the most dangerous and poisonous viper, whose poison is second only to poison in toxicity. Belongs to the egg-laying type of snakes. The length of the body of an adult gyurza can reach 2 meters, the weight of the viper is 3 kg. The body coloration is gray-brown, with dark spots, subject to variability within the range. Some individuals are distinguished by a black body with a purple tint. The viper is widespread in dry foothill areas, as well as on the outskirts of large cities in North-West Africa, Asia, Transcaucasia, Dagestan and Kazakhstan.

• African pygmy viper ( Bitis peringueyi)

the smallest viper in the world, the body length of an adult does not exceed 20-25 cm. Due to its modest body size, it is a relatively safe viper species that lives in the deserts of Namibia and Angola.

• bushmaster or surukuku ( Lachesis muta)

the largest viper in the world, a rare species, reaching a length of 3-4 meters with a body weight of 3 to 5 kg. Inhabits tropical rainforests of South and Central America.

Vipers are the second largest family (after aspid) of poisonous snakes with a perfect venomous apparatus. Representatives of this family are common in the Old and New Worlds - they inhabit Europe, Asia, South and North America, Africa (except Madagascar). However, vipers are absent in the Australian zoogeographical subregion, where serpentine snakes dominate, including the most dangerous species for humans. Currently, the Viperidae family includes 35-40 genera and about 270 species, and 4 subfamilies are distinguished. The two largest of them are pit vipers (Crotalinae - 19 genera and 158 species) and true vipers (Viperinae - about 10 genera and more than 60 species). Pit snakes have often been treated as a separate family of Crotalidae.

Among viper snakes, there are both small and medium-sized, as well as large species - the body length varies from 25 cm to 3.65 m. Many of them have a thick and short body (more slender in the pitheads), the tail is relatively short. The head, as a rule, is broad and clearly demarcated from the neck; the eyes are small, with a vertical pupil. The temporal parts of the head protrude noticeably to the side due to the poisonous glands located there. From above, the head of the vipers is covered with small uniform scales or irregularly shaped scutes, or among the small ones (as in the shield-headed vipers of the genus Pelias), large scutes of the correct form can stand out. The body scales usually have sharp longitudinal ribs. The relatively small number of rows of ventral scutes is a consequence of the shortened and thickened body of viper snakes.

The color of viper snakes is changeable - among the inhabitants of the desert it is sandy-brown with a blurry pattern; many terrestrial forms are characterized by bright contrasting coloration, often with a geometric pattern. Wood vipers are painted green or some other color that helps them to remain inconspicuous among woody vegetation.

On the maxillary bone there are only 1-2 large poisonous teeth with closed channels (tubular, in contrast to the furrowed ones in asps) and, in addition, 3-4 smaller substitute teeth. Small non-poisonous teeth are located on the palatine, pterygoid and dentary bones. These teeth help the snake move its prey deeper into its mouth when swallowing. The length of poisonous teeth in an ordinary viper is 0.5 cm, in some species of rattlesnakes - 2.5 cm, and in a Gaboon one and a half meter viper - 3-4 cm. All vipers are poisonous. Their poisons have a hemolytic effect (affect the blood and blood-forming organs). Bitten animals die from blood incoagulability and numerous hemorrhages in the internal organs. For humans, these snakes also pose a great danger, especially such large species as viper and chain viper (in Asia), as well as Asian and American pit vipers. The most effective method of treating viper snake poisoning should be the introduction of special sera, which are produced in many countries of the world. The venoms of these snakes are used not only for the manufacture of serums, but also for special preparations that are widely used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Most viper snakes are ovoviviparous, but there are also viviparous (a primitive placenta is formed in an ordinary
vipers - Vipera berus) and oviparous species.

Pit snakes (Crotalinae) are very similar to vipers, but they are more slender. The name of the subfamily Pit-headed snakes is due to the presence of a fossa located between the nostrils and the eye, with the most sensitive thermoreceptor.

Vipers, especially Asian cottonmouths, are widely used in oriental medicine along with aspid and snakes for the preparation of a wide variety of elixirs and tinctures with a wide spectrum of action. In addition, a wide variety of dishes are prepared from the meat of pit vipers (dried or fresh). In the fauna of the former USSR, there are 17 species from this family belonging to two subfamilies and four genera, and on the territory of Russia - 13 species from three genera.

Genus muzzle (Gloydius)

Until recently, Asian cottonmouths were combined into one Asian-American Agkistrodon, which is currently divided into 5 independent genera and the former name remained with the large American species.

Muzzles are snakes of small and medium sizes, reaching a length of 80 cm. The head is large and wide, clearly separated from the body by the neck, covered with 9 large shields on top, forming a kind of shield (their Russian name is associated with this). The tip of the muzzle is slightly upturned, the pupil of the eye is vertical. Between the nostrils and the eye is a thermosensitive pit, characteristic of snakes of the subfamily Crotalinae. Body scales with ribs and two apical pores. Undertail shields are arranged in two rows.

Cottonmouths have paired tubular poisonous teeth located on a very mobile maxillary bone. The bones of the skull are thin and lightweight, which contributes to a high degree of its kinetism.

Enzymes characteristic of viper snakes, hemotoxins, which act on the hematopoietic system, causing hemorrhages, thrombosis, and extensive tissue necrosis, predominate in the composition of the muzzle venom. However, the venom of cottonmouths and American rattlesnakes also contains a proportion of neurotoxins that act on the nervous system, causing paralysis of the respiratory center and other nerve nodes.

Cotton muzzles live on the plains and in the mountains, in the steppe and forest areas. Females give birth to live young (ovoviviparous).

The genus Gloydius includes 10 species and 16 subspecies inhabiting a vast territory from Western Asia to East Asia.

In Russia, there are three species of muzzle, distributed from southern Siberia to the Khabarovsk Territory and Southern Primorye in the east. Until now, there is no consensus among specialists on the taxonomic status of individual forms.

Genus giant vipers (Macrovipera)

Representatives of the genus are large poisonous snakes of massive build, sometimes reaching a length of more than 2 m. The large head, well delimited from the body by the neck, is covered with small ribbed scales. There are no enlarged scutes on the head, including large supraorbital ones, which are characteristic of other genera of viper snakes. The massive body is slightly flattened in the dorsal-ventral direction and covered with keeled scales. The tail is short, the undercaudal shields are paired (31-66 pairs), the anal shield is solid. Abdominal shields - 123-187.

Giant vipers live in North Africa, on the eastern islands of the Mediterranean Sea, on the Arabian Peninsula, in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northwest India, the countries of Central Asia, South Kazakhstan and the Caucasus.

Gyurza and three other species of large vipers belong to this genus: M. deserti from Algeria, Tunisia and Libya; M. mauritanica from Morocco and neighboring regions of Algeria and M. schweizeri from the islands of the Cyclades in the Aegean. In Russia, one species is found - Macrovipera lebetina, which until recently included the above-mentioned species of this genus as subspecies. Together with other vipers of the fauna of Russia and the former Soviet Union, they united in the genus Vipera.

They live mainly in arid areas - desert, semi-desert and steppe habitats, often near human dwellings, feed on large rodents and birds. oviparous forms. Giant vipers pose a serious danger to humans, since their poisonous glands produce a lot of poison that has a hemolytic effect.

Genus shield-headed vipers (Pelias)

Vipers of small and medium sizes, the total length of which does not exceed 90 cm. On the surface of the head of shield-headed vipers, along with small scales, large scutes of the correct form stand out: frontal, paired parietal and supraorbital. The nasal shield is separated from the intermaxillary by the nasal shields. The body of vipers is covered with strongly ribbed scales. The trunk and tail are relatively short - there are 128-157 abdominal shields, 21-46 pairs of undercaudal shields (they are arranged in two rows). Color varies from light gray to bright red. All vipers of the genus are characterized by a dark or black pattern in the form of a zigzag strip along the ridge. In some species (common viper) in different populations, completely black individuals (melanists) are found in greater or lesser numbers, in other species - single individuals.

All species of this genus are terrestrial forms living on the plains and in the mountains, while the common viper is found even beyond the Arctic Circle. Females give birth to live young (ovoviviparous). Shield-headed vipers feed mainly on small mammals - rodents and insectivores, as well as birds and lizards. The diet of newborn individuals includes small lizards and orthoptera
insects.

The poison of shield-headed vipers has a hemolytic effect. Shield-headed vipers are common in Europe and North Asia, the Mediterranean and boreal regions of Asia.

The central genus - Vipera, which unites more than 30 species, constantly causes controversy and discussion. In the genus Vipera, three subgenera are distinguished: Asia Minor vipers (Montivipera), shield-headed vipers (Pelias) and Vipera sensu stricto (in the narrow sense).

In Russia, only shield-headed vipers are found, which are more often given the status of a subgenus of Pelias in the genus Vipera, less often they are considered an independent genus. Of the 19 species, 9 are found in Russia. Three groups of species are distinguished within the genus: the Pelias berus species complex (common viper), Pelias haznakovi () and Pelias ursinii (steppe viper). There is still no consensus on the taxonomic status of the black forest-steppe and Sakhalin viper (the former is sometimes not even recognized as a subspecies of the common viper, the latter is at best assigned a subspecies status).

Many species of this genus need protection due to the reduction in their numbers.

• Class: Reptilia = Reptiles (Reptiles)
• Subclass: Lepidosauria = Lepidosaurs, scaled lizards
• Order: Squamata Oppel = Scaled
• Suborder: Serpentes (Ophidia) Linnaeus, 1758 = Serpents
• Family: Viperidae Bonaparte = Viper snakes, vipers
• Genus: Cerastes Laurenti = Horned vipers
• Genus: Bitis Gray, 1842 = African vipers

Family: Viperidae = Viper snakes, vipers

The viper family (Viperidae) includes 58 species of snakes distributed throughout Africa, Europe and Asia.

The head of viper snakes is round-triangular in shape with a blunt nasal end and temporal corners protruding to the side, where the poisonous glands are located. The scutes covering the head are small and almost indistinguishable from those on the body. The eyes are small with a vertical pupil. A small ridge usually protrudes above the eyes.

The head of vipers is separated from the body by a sharp neck interception. The body is very short and thick. Towards the posterior end, it sharply narrows and passes into a short, blunt tail.

The coloration of vipers is varied. Many steppe and desert species are painted in soft sandy-brown tones, forest tropical species have variegated contrasting colors. All of these colors, including the green color of tree vipers, are different variants of protective coloration, which makes the snakes invisible against the surrounding background.

Most vipers do not warn the enemy of their presence, taking demonstrative poses, like many asps, but crawl away or hide, trying to remain unnoticed. If the enemy approaches closely, the viper can immediately bite. In the warm season, vipers are most active at dusk. During the day, most of the time they hide in shelters or bask in the sun. The venom of most vipers, compared to the venom of asps, is much less dangerous to humans. Its toxic effect on the body is manifested mainly by a significant local reaction. Danger to life is usually only the bites of large vipers. With proper and timely treatment, even in these cases, deaths are rare.

The following types of vipers are the most dangerous.

The common viper (Vipera berus) is distributed throughout the forest zone of Europe and Asia from the British Isles to Sakhalin and the Shantar Islands inclusive. Its length does not exceed 75 cm. The color of the upper body varies from gray-blue to almost black. On the dorsal side there is a dark zigzag stripe, not always clearly visible.

To the south, in the forest-steppe and steppe zones, including on the shores of the Black and Caspian Seas, a smaller and light-colored steppe viper (V. ursini) is found. Aspis (V. aspis) and sand (V. atmodytes) vipers live on the northern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

The bites of all these vipers are of little danger to humans. Lethal outcomes are no more than 0.5%, and with timely and correctly provided first aid, they are generally absent.

The Armenian viper (Vipera xantina), found in the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean, is somewhat more dangerous. Its distinctive feature is a clear pattern of round orange or brown spots with a dark rim, often merging into a wide winding strip along the ridge.

Gyurza (Vipera lebetina) is a large snake, some of its specimens reach a length of 1.6 m. The color of the gyurza can be different. The general brownish background of the upper part of the body prevails with darker spots appearing on it. The underside is light gray with small dark spots.

The distribution area of ​​\u200b\u200bgyurza is very extensive. It is found in many areas of the Mediterranean coast of Africa and on a number of Mediterranean islands, in the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean, in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Northwest India. On the territory of the USSR, it is distributed in the Caucasus and in the southern regions of Central Asia. He;) more often lives in dry foothills, among reeds and sparse shrubs, along cliffs and in river valleys. Willingly settles near irrigation canals, on cultivated lands, often penetrates to the outskirts of villages. In the summer, it is nocturnal, in spring and autumn it is active during the day. It often climbs trees to watch for birds. When a person approaches, it often hides, which increases the risk of a collision with it.

The bite of a gyurza causes severe poisoning. Without proper medical care, 10% of those affected die.

Among the desert vipers, the sand efa (Echis carinatus, Fig. 85) is the most widespread, living in the vast territory of deserts and semi-deserts of North Africa and South Asia, ranging from Tunisia to India and Sri Lanka inclusive. In our country, it is found in the southern regions of Central Asia, including the southern coast of the Aral Sea and the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea to the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay. This small snake, on average 50-60 cm long, differs from most vipers in its special speed and mobility. In the most typical cases, the upper part of its body is painted in a gray-sand color, on the border of the back and sides there are two light zigzag stripes, trimmed from below with a blurred dark line. There are a number of light transverse spots along the back. On the head there is a light cruciform pattern.

Efa is perfectly adapted to life in the desert. It quickly moves along the sand with a special, “lateral” course and can burrow into it, pushing the grains of sand apart with subtle transverse movements of the body. At the same time, it seems that she is literally “drowning” in the sand before our eyes. Like many desert snakes, ephs are active at night during the hot season. With the onset of cooling, they switch to a daytime lifestyle. Efa venom is highly toxic to humans. In the absence of medical care, about 6% of those bitten die.

The most dangerous for humans is the chain viper, or daboia (Vipera russeli, Fig. 86), distributed throughout South and Southeast Asia from India to South China, as well as in Taiwan, Ceylon, East Java and some other islands. This large thick snake up to 1.5 m long has a very beautiful coloring. On the back, on a brownish or gray background, there are three rows of well-defined reddish-brown spots surrounded by dark rings with white outer rims. Neighboring spots can merge with each other, forming a chain. There is an arrow-shaped pattern on the head. White stripes run from the eyes to the corners of the mouth.

Chain vipers live both on the coasts and in mountainous areas, settling on cultivated lands. They lead a twilight lifestyle, and during the day they hide in rodent burrows and other shelters or bask in the sun. They crawl out onto roads and paths, penetrate into houses.

When meeting with a person, they are not aggressive, but when provoked, they can make throws for almost the entire length of the body, breaking away from the ground.

The danger of collision with the daboya is reduced by the fact that the very loud hissing of the snake can be heard at a distance of several meters. Despite this, the chain viper appears to account for the majority of all reported snakebites in India and Indochina.

Daboia venom is highly toxic to humans, and the dose administered during a bite is large, so poisoning is difficult. Without treatment, more than 15% of those affected die.

On the African continent, except for the northern coast, African vipers (genus Bitis) are common. Of the ten species, the noisy viper (Bitis arietans) is the most dangerous, large specimens of which reach 1.5 m in length. Its color is brown or grayish-yellow. Along the back there is a row of light yellow sickle-shaped stripes, directed forward with sharp ends and bordered in front by wide dark brown stripes. Two wide light stripes run from the eyes to the temples, connected by a light transverse line.

The noisy viper lives in all landscapes, except for tropical forests and deserts; occurs in agricultural lands, penetrates into buildings. Due to its variegated coloration, it is very difficult to notice it against the surrounding background, which increases the danger of contact with it. Leads a nocturnal lifestyle. During the day, sluggish and phlegmatic. Only in case of strong irritation does it begin to hiss loudly, inflate? torso, which gave rise to the name “noisy”.

The venom of the noisy viper is highly toxic to humans.

The largest of the African vipers is the Gaboon viper, reaching a length of 2 m. It is one of the most beautiful snakes in color. The upper lateral surfaces of the body are covered with a pattern of regular triangular geometric shapes, painted in bright pink, purple, black, white and brown tones. Along the ridge there is a row of white or light yellow rectangular spots; the head is light gray with a narrow dark stripe in the middle and two triangular spots on the sides. On the front edge of the muzzle there are two large styloid scales, slightly curved backwards. Dissecting coloration makes the snake completely invisible against the colorful background of tropical vegetation. The Gaboon viper is found on both the western and eastern coasts of Africa.

Prefers wooded and damp habitats. The Gaboon viper has a very peaceful disposition and rarely bites. However, the poisoning caused by her bites is very difficult and often leads to the death of the victims. Tree vipers are common in the tropical forests of Central Africa. These are small, agile, agile snakes about 50-60 cm long, adapted to life in trees. They are painted in various shades of green with yellow spots, thanks to which they are well camouflaged among the foliage. Their bites, applied to the upper body, can cause serious poisoning in victims.

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Modern snakes are usually divided into 10 families. Three of them are very small and include mostly Asian species. The remaining seven are described below.

Colubridae (already-shaped).

This family includes at least 70% of modern snakes, including two-thirds of European species and 80% living in the United States. The area of ​​distribution of already-shaped ones covers all warm regions of the continents, except for Australia, where they are found only in the north and east. They are also abundant on many large islands of the Old World. The largest number of species lives in the tropics and subtropics. Already-shaped have mastered all the main types of habitats: among them there are terrestrial, aquatic, and arboreal species. Many are excellent swimmers and climbers. Their sizes are from small to medium, and the shape is quite diverse. Some resemble a thin liana, others are thick, like large poisonous snakes. Almost all already-shaped are harmless, although several of their poisonous African species pose a serious, if not deadly danger to humans.

In the USA, this family is represented by snakes (Natrix), garter snakes (Thamnophis), pig-nosed snakes (Heterodon), collared snakes (Diadophis), grass snakes (Opheodrys), snake snakes (Coluber), American whip snakes (Masticophis), indigo snakes (Drymarchon ), climbing snakes (Elaphe), pine snakes (Pituophis), and king snakes (Lampropeltis). The first four genera are of no significant economic importance. Grass snakes eat some harmful invertebrates. The rest can be considered useful animals, as they destroy rodents and other mammals that cause economic damage.

Boidae (false legs).

Approximately only 2.5% of the species of modern snakes belong to this family, but among the non-poisonous representatives of the suborder, they are the most famous after the already shaped ones. Boas are usually considered giant inhabitants of tropical forests, but many of them are medium and even small in size, and the habitats are very diverse - up to the Central Asian deserts. A small rubber snake (Charina bottae) from this group is widespread in the western United States and is found even in Canada.

All pseudo-legs kill prey by squeezing it with their body, so they are usually called boas. However, strictly speaking, boas are only one of two subfamilies, with the vast majority of its representatives living in America. The second subfamily of pseudo-legs - pythons - unites exclusively snakes of the Old World. Almost all pseudopods have more or less noticeable rudiments of the hind limbs - in the form of two small claws at the base of the tail.

This family includes 6 species of the largest snakes in the world; they all live in tropical forests. Only the largest specimens pose a threat to humans.

In addition to the anaconda and the common boa constrictor (the only giants of this subfamily), we are talking about 4 species of pythons. In Africa, hieroglyphic (Python sebae) lives up to 9.7 m long, in South and Southeast Asia - reticulated (P. reticulatus) up to 10 m long, approximately in the same place - Indian tiger (P. molurus) up to 6 m long, and from the north of Australia to the south of the Philippines and the Solomon Islands there is an amethyst python (P. amethystinus) up to 7 m long.

Typhlopidae (blind snakes, or blind snakes) and Leptotyphlopidae (narrow short snakes).

These families include approx. 11% of living snakes. They are blind and harmless. They are even often confused with earthworms, but they do not die in dry places. Smooth shiny scales cover their entire body, including reduced eyes. Outwardly, representatives of both families are very similar to each other. Both of them are quite widely distributed mainly in the tropics and subtropics, although the range of narrow-mouthed snakes in the Old World is limited to Africa and Southwest Asia, and in the New World they reach the southwest of the United States. Slepoons live on a much larger part of the Asian continent and are found even in Australia. There are 4–5 times more species in this family than in the previous one. The length of both of them is usually 15–20 cm, and only a few are noticeably longer, for example, one African species reaches 80 cm.

Viperidae (vipers).

This family includes approx. 5% of modern snakes. They are poisonous and widely distributed on all continents except Australia, where they are unknown.

Of all snakes, vipers have the most efficient way of injecting venom into their prey. Their hollow poisonous teeth are longer than those of other poisonous species, in the "non-working" position they are laid under the sky, and at the moment of attack they are pulled out of the mouth like the blades of a folding knife. In addition, they are regularly replaced, so removing them does not permanently neutralize the snake. A viper can strike an animal at a distance slightly less than the length of its own body with a single throw.

All New World vipers and many Old World species have a deep fossa on each side of the head, which is highly thermally sensitive, which helps when hunting warm-blooded prey. Snakes with such thermoreceptors are called pitheads and are sometimes assigned to a separate family. They are widely distributed, although absent in Africa.

The pitheads are divided into 5 genera, one of which includes a single species - the bushmaster, or surukuku (Lachesis muta), from the tropics of America. Approximately two-thirds of the remaining species belong to the genus Trimeresurus, which includes mainly tropical snakes (kuffi and botrops), widespread in the New and Old Worlds. Other pitheads are represented by rattlesnakes (Crotalus), dwarf rattlesnakes (Sistrurus) and muzzles (Agkistrodon).

In addition to rattlesnakes, the water (A. piscivorus) and copperhead (A. contortrix) muzzles live in the USA from this group. The range of the first is limited to inland waters of the southeastern plains of the country, and the second is somewhat wider. Rattlesnakes live in both North and South America. In the USA, they are now found in all states except Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii and Maine, although they used to live in the west of the latter.

Elapidae (aspid).

About 7.5% of modern snake species belong to this family. Their relatively short poisonous teeth are fixed on the front of the upper jaw. Bites of large species are dangerous to humans.

Almost all terrestrial snakes of Australia belong to aspids, more than half of the genera of the family are represented on this mainland and the percentage of poisonous snakes there is higher than on any other continent. However, the bites of many small Australian species do not threaten human death. The most extensive genus of this family - coral asps (Micrurus) - unites approx. 50 kinds. Of its representatives, the harlequin coral asp (M. fulvius) lives in the southeastern United States. The most famous among the aspids are cobras (Naja and several other genera) living in Asia and Africa. Particularly spectacular is the Indian cobra, or spectacled snake (Naja naja), which, in case of danger, raises the front of the body and flattens the neck, spreading the neck ribs to the sides, so that a wide hood with a pattern resembling pince-nez is formed. In other cobras, this ability is less developed. African mambas (Dendroaspis) have a reputation for being very aggressive snakes. Although some of them are not at all ferocious, all mambas are dangerous, as they produce strong poison. Not so well known are the much less aggressive Asian kraits (Bungarus).

Hydrophiidae (sea snakes).

This family includes approx. 2.8% of modern snakes. They live in warm coastal waters from South Asia east to Samoa. One species, the two-colored bonito (Pelamis platurus), swims as far as Africa and the western coast of North America. Sea snakes are closely related to asps and produce a potent venom, but they are quite slow, so they are not so scary. Most of them are morphologically adapted to the aquatic lifestyle: the nostrils are closed with valves, and the tail is flattened in a vertical plane. Few large individuals reach a length of 0.9–1.5 m, and the maximum length of sea snakes is 2.7 m.

The image of a character in scary tales and nightmares has firmly entrenched in an ordinary viper; meeting with it can have unsafe consequences for a person. Meanwhile, in the lifestyle and behavior of this snake there are many noteworthy, interesting and even dramatic moments.

Description of the viper

The common viper (Vipera berus) is a representative of the Viperidae family of relatively small dimensions: the body length of the snake is usually 60-70 cm, the weight ranges from 50-180 g, while males are slightly smaller than females.

Appearance

• Head, covered with small scales or irregularly shaped shields, has a rounded triangular shape, the nasal end with a hole cut in the middle is blunt, the temporal corners stand out noticeably to the sides - the zones of localization of paired poisonous glands.
• small eyes with a strictly vertical pupil in combination with overhanging supraorbital ridges-scales give the viper an evil look, although this has nothing to do with the manifestation of emotions associated with aggression.
• The maxillary bones are short, movable, equipped with 1-2 large tubular poisonous fangs and 3-4 small substitute teeth. The same small teeth are located on the palatine, pterygoid bones.
• The head and torso are separated by a sharp cervical interception.
• Very short and thick in the middle body viper sharply narrows towards the posterior section, turning into a short (usually 6-8 times less than the length of the body) blunt tail, which has the outlines of a comma.

Nature did not stint on colors, painting the viper. In addition to the main common gray color in males and brown in females, the following morphs are found:

• black;
• beige-yellow;
• whitish silver;
• olive brown;
• copper red.

Most often, the coloring is non-uniform, the body of the snake is “decorated” with stripes, spots and patterns:

• a zigzag strip running down the back;
• dark Ʌ- or X-shaped ornament on the upper part of the head;
• black stripes running along the sides of the head from the eyes to the corners of the mouth;
• dark spots covering the sides of the body.

Black and red-brown vipers have no pattern on the head and body. Regardless of the main color, the underside of the body is dark gray or black with blurry spots, the lower part of the tail is whitish-sand or yellow-orange.

It is interesting! Albino vipers are never found, unlike other snake species, in which a similar color variation, or rather, the absence of one, is observed regularly.

Any kind of coloration of the viper, regardless of the main tone, is patronizing, as it makes the snakes almost invisible against the background of the natural landscape.

Lifestyle, behavior

The active phase of the life cycle of the common viper usually begins in March-April. Males are the first to emerge from winter shelters on sunny days. The greatest number of them can be found when the air masses warm up to 19-24 ° C. Females, for which the optimum environmental temperature should be higher, about 28 ° C, wait for the onset of warmer weather.

The structure of the body, devoid of limbs and appendages, does not allow the common viper to somehow diversify its behavior: sedentary, slow and phlegmatic, the snake spends most of the daylight hours in secluded places or “taking” sunbaths on well-heated stones, stumps, fallen trees. However, an attentive observer will notice that even a viper can lie in different ways.. Relaxingly basking in the rays of the sun, she spreads her ribs to the sides, due to which the body becomes flat, forming a wide undulating surface. But if at this time something alerted the snake, its body immediately, without changing its position, becomes tense and tight, like a compressed spring.

It is interesting! At any moment, the snake is ready to either slip away from potential danger, or pounce on possible prey.

If a meeting with the enemy could not be avoided, the viper instantly twists into a tight spiral, now its body is a dense lump, from the center of which a head is visible on the S-shaped bend of the neck. Sharply throwing forward the upper third of the body, bloating and hissing intimidatingly, the snake moves with all this tangle towards the source of the threat.

The viper starts active hunting at dusk or at night. At the same time, its usual daytime behavior dramatically changes: now it is a swift and agile animal, tirelessly examining any holes, manholes, areas under tree trunks lying on the ground, dense thickets in search of prey. It helps her to find food in the dark with an excellent sense of smell and good overall vision. Penetrating into the dwellings of rodents, the viper is able to eat not only helpless cubs, but also sleeping adults.

The viper also uses a wait-and-see tactic of hunting, carefully observing potential prey that has appeared in its field of vision. Sometimes a careless vole mouse can even climb onto a lying snake, which remains completely motionless until the rodent is within reach of the poisonous fangs. If the snake misses its throw, it usually does not pursue the lost prey, patiently waiting for a new opportunity to attack. It usually takes two to four days to digest food. All this time, the snake may not crawl out to the surface at all, remaining in its shelter.

Not hunting, the viper does not show aggression first. Therefore, when meeting with a person, if he does not take provocative actions, the snake uses its camouflage coloration, visually merging with the environment, or tends to slip away to a safe place.

Long before the onset of frost, vipers settle down in winter "apartments". A cold snap never takes these snakes by surprise, and until the onset of spring (unlike many other cold-blooded snakes that massively freeze out in cold winters), almost all individuals of the population survive. There are several rational (and not entirely) explanations for this.

• As shelters, they choose burrows of rodents, moles, located below the freezing layer, at a depth of 0.4 to 2 m.
• For wintering in one place, vipers quite often gather several dozen, when, having huddled in a huge ball, they additionally heat each other.
• Vipers are somehow very good at predicting the onset of even temporary cold weather.

Approximately 180 days pass in hibernation, and in early spring, when snow still lies in some places in the forest, vipers again crawl out onto the sun-warmed earth.

Lifespan

The maximum lifespan of the common viper in the wild is 12-15 years. This is a lot for existence in conditions where there are a large number of factors that reduce. In specialized nurseries, serpentaria, when kept in home terrariums, vipers live much longer, reaching 20-, and in some cases even 30-year-olds. This is explained by the fact that slave snakes, unlike free relatives, are provided with timely feeding, constant maintenance of a favorable microclimate, the complete absence of enemies, and even veterinary care.

It is interesting! Herpetologists believe that the lifespan of Vipera berus is inversely proportional to the frequency of mating, thus reaching 30 years in individuals belonging to northern populations.

Common viper venom

Viper venom is a mixture of high-molecular protein compounds that have a hemolytic and necrotizing effect on blood components. In addition, the composition of the poison includes a neurotoxin that negatively affects the cardiovascular system. However, the bite of an ordinary viper is extremely rarely fatal: the damaging components are too low in concentration to pose a danger to the life of an adult. More serious are the consequences of a viper bite for children and pets that accidentally disturb a snake that is forced to defend itself. The forecast may include:

• progressive shock;
• intravascular coagulation;
• acute anemia.

In any case, the victim, even after providing him with first aid, should contact a medical facility.

On the other hand, the toxic properties of the poison are widely used for medical purposes, in the production of a number of analgesic, absorbable, anti-inflammatory drugs, and cosmetics, which makes it possible to consider the common viper as an object of economic and scientific importance.

Range, habitats

The species Vipera berus has a fairly wide distribution. Its representatives are found throughout the northern part of Eurasia, from Sakhalin, northern Korea, northeast China to Spain and northern Portugal. In Russia, the prevalence of the common viper covers the entire Middle zone from the Arctic to the steppe zone in the south. But the distribution of populations over these territories is uneven:

• the average population density is no more than 0.15 individuals / 1 km of the route in areas with unfavorable conditions;
• where the habitat conditions for snakes are most suitable, "foci" are formed with a density of 3.5 individuals / 1 km of the route.

In such regions, vipers choose the outskirts of moss swamps, forest clearings, overgrown burnt areas, glades of mixed and coniferous massifs, banks of rivers and reservoirs as places of localization. Above sea level, the common viper is distributed up to 3000 m.

Vipera berus usually has a sedentary lifestyle, representatives of the species rarely move further than 100 m, and only during migrations in spring and autumn are they able to cover distances of up to 5 km, sometimes crossing quite wide water spaces. Vipers can also be found in anthropogenic landscapes: forest parks, basements of country and rural houses, abandoned buildings, vegetable gardens and farmland.

The diet of the common viper

The traditional "menu" of the common viper consists mainly of warm-blooded animals: moles, shrews, mice, small birds. But she does not neglect frogs, lizards, even manifestations of cannibalism occur when the snake eats its own brood. Vipera berus is rather gluttonous: at one time it is able to swallow 3-4 frogs or mice. At the same time, without any harm to themselves, representatives of the species go without food for 6-9 months. This ability is biologically determined:

• in winter, snakes fall into a stupor, and during this period, fat deposited over the summer helps them maintain the necessary life processes;
• snakes are forced to starve when, with a long consumption of the same type of food, the food supply is depleted.

Snakes mainly get water with food, but sometimes they drink dew or raindrops.