Efa animal. Sand efa (lat. Echis carinatus). Lifestyle of the sand epha

A snake with a rather beautiful name efa is very common in the foothills and valleys of Central Asia. There is so much talk about this snake here that the efa is already becoming almost legendary. Especially much is said about its danger to humans. A small drop of her poison is enough to kill a whole company of soldiers. If an efa bites, then the person is doomed, even if he survives, he will forever remain a cripple.

Actually, it's not just stories. Of course, much of all the talk about this snake is exaggerated, but the truth is that its venom is indeed very toxic. Every year, many die from efa bites. The sandy efa ranks seventh in the twenty most dangerous snakes for humans. In Africa, more people die from its venom than from all African snakes combined.

Efa - the snake is not very large, half the size of a cobra or gyurza, its length is about 70-80 cm. Males are on average slightly larger than females. But, despite the small, by snake standards, size, efu is very difficult not to notice. It is golden sandy in color. Large white spots appear all over the body, a light zigzag is drawn on the side. The underside is light yellow, sometimes with brown dots arranged in the form of stripes, and a kind of cross can be seen on the head.

Efa lives throughout northern Africa to Algeria, and in the south it is distributed to Abyssinia. In addition, it is found in Palestine, Arabia, Persia and in the west of the Hindustan peninsula. Lives in hilly sands overgrown with saxaul, in clay deserts, thickets of bushes, on river cliffs and in ruins. In favorable conditions, efa can be very numerous. For example, in the valley of the Murgab River, on an area of ​​​​about 1.5 km2, over 5 years, snake catchers mined more than 2 thousand ef.

Efa is an amazing snake. In many ways, it differs from its cold-blooded counterparts. For example, ephs may not hibernate if the winter is not cold. They may mate in January. And by March, small serpents appear, while in other snakes they appear not earlier than June. Surprisingly, the efa does not lay eggs either, it gives birth to live snakes. The female brings from 3 to 16 young reptiles 10-16 cm long.

Despite the fact that the efa is one of the most poisonous snakes, it rarely attacks living creatures that are larger than a vole. Most often, centipedes, spiders, grasshoppers, midges become its prey. Maybe this is due to the fact that the efa is quite nimble, cannot, like many snakes, just lie in the sun. But in order to digest large prey, you need to be at rest for a long time.

Efa is characterized by movement sideways. She throws her head to the side, then brings the back of the body forward and pulls the front of the body. This method creates a better body support on a loose substrate. Because of this method of movement, a characteristic trace remains on the sand - separate oblique strips with hooked endings.

Efa very rarely crawls into people's houses, but still this sometimes happens. Similar cases have been recorded in Egypt. You have to be especially careful with ruins or abandoned houses. In 1987, three children died in Cairo after finding a nest in an abandoned house where no one had lived for many years. The children went into this house out of curiosity and accidentally disturbed the ef family hiding there. The snake, protecting its newly born offspring, attacked the children. They could not be saved, as the poison acted very quickly.

In India, the sand efa is very common. Settles in the area where there is sandy soil. Here most of the deaths caused by snake bites are attributed to her; workers in the fields are especially affected by it.

Although the efa is considered one of the most dangerous snakes, more than half of all its attacks occurred due to the negligence of the person himself. If the snake thinks that she or her offspring are in danger, she will defend herself fiercely. The energy, mobility and speed with which the efa defends and attacks make a great impression. As soon as the snake feels danger, it begins to wriggle in a special way, forming two semi-lunar bends from its body and holding its head ready to attack in the middle of one of these bends. At the same time, she does not remain calm for a minute, but constantly turns right and left. The snake remains in the offensive position as long as the person or animal is close and sinks its teeth into every object that it can reach. She is said to be able to jump as high as half her body. Therefore, it is better not to approach the snake at a distance of less than three meters. During the defensive position, this snake still makes a characteristic sound. Its sand efa is produced by friction of the side scales.

As already noted, efa poison is very toxic. It sharply reduces the level of fibrinogen in the blood, which causes heavy bleeding, both in the area of ​​​​the bite and in other "weak" places, especially from the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and mouth. The remaining symptoms of poisoning are typical for most poisonous snakes. Every fifth person bitten by an efa dies. To stop the action of the poison that has entered the body, before the arrival of doctors or until the moment when the victim is taken to the nearest hospital, a number of actions must be taken. The first aid measure for a bite is the immediate suction of the poison from the wounds, so that a significant part of the poison can be removed from the body. Squeezing out the poison with your fingers and suction should be done within 7-10 minutes after the bite. Suction is perfectly safe for the people who perform it. A tourniquet should not be applied. It practically does not delay the process of absorption of poisons.

In order not to have to apply these actions in life, care must be taken, especially if you know that there may be a sand efa nearby. Because of their light spots, the efu is easy to spot on the sand. The snakes themselves try to avoid people, bypass the houses in which a person lives. And then - the efa never attacks without warning, it will certainly warn an uninvited traveler with its rustling, and it can bite only when a person goes at it or tries to grab it.

Length: 70–80 cm.
Habitat: found in foothills and valleys of Central Asia, throughout northern Africa up to Algeria.

Danger!
Included in the top ten most poisonous snakes. Aggressive and very fast.

Sand ephs are venomous snakes that are among the most dangerous reptiles on the planet. Efa's bite is fatal to humans. Also, one of the features of this type of snake is that they are not at all afraid to use their sharp and poisonous teeth against opponents that are many times larger.

The sandy efa belongs to the order of scaly snakes (viper family). The optimal conditions for this reptile to live is a rather arid climate, which is confirmed by its distribution area (African deserts and wastelands, southern regions of Asia).

Appearance

The climate features in the area in which the sandy efa lives influenced not only its behavior, but also its appearance. The main body colors of this very dangerous reptile are light, often with a characteristic golden hue. An intricate zigzag dark pattern stretches along the entire length of the snake, contrasting quite strongly with the light coloring of the snake. It should also be noted that the entire surface of the snake skin is covered with scales, with a characteristic ribbed structure that helps this poisonous snake to regulate temperature, which is important in living conditions in arid climates.

Although the efa is a dangerous sandy predator, this snake has a rather modest size, for example, the length indicators of even the largest individuals do not exceed 800 mm. Nevertheless, such small sizes are quite justified, which is explained by the fact that representatives of this species exist in conditions with rather limited natural resources.

Habitat

Efas are quite active snakes, rarely staying in one place for a long time, therefore these reptiles are often found both in the open desert and in areas characterized by a predominance of a stone or steppe landscape. However, the favorite habitat of this snake species is dense vegetation and shrubs, which allows the reptile to quickly hide from prying eyes. In addition, an area characterized by an abundance of vegetation is more attractive for the efa as a feeding area.

Who is the snake preying on?

Like most species of the viper family, the sand efa, in fact, is a born hunter, deftly extracting the prey necessary for food. The main diet of this reptile is insects, which are easiest to catch. The larger inhabitants of the animal world are not so attractive to the efa as prey, the main reason for this is the too modest size of the snake. However, this does not mean that the efa is not capable of killing them - the poison of this creeping predator can almost instantly kill an adult horse. Therefore, if the efa hunts animals, then in this case various small rodents become its prey.

Behavioral Features

Efa, as mentioned above, is a rather active snake that can hunt both day and night, which, in fact, distinguishes this reptile from related species that prefer to divide the daily cycle into periods that involve rest and hunting. At the same time, efa does not lose its activity even after a hearty meal.

Another feature of the efa is that this reptile does not hibernate, this is mainly due to the climatic conditions of the area in which this reptile lives and which do not actually affect the metabolism of the creeping reptile. However, if a severe enough drop in temperature occurs, the snake will usually stop traveling and take refuge in some small crevice among the rocks.

reproduction

One of the notable features of such a reptile as the sand efa is that this type of snake produces live offspring. The start of the mating season is from mid-winter to early spring. The duration of gestation of future offspring is about 30 days, so young efa individuals are born by mid-spring. More than a dozen serpents are born at a time, which immediately after birth can not only move independently, but also look for food necessary for nutrition.

Human danger

Efa is one of the most dangerous snakes on earth and, accordingly, its bite poses a huge threat to human life. Professional medical care not provided in a timely manner, as a rule, leads to death. At the same time, the victim often experiences quite severe pain and anguish after being bitten by a reptile, which is explained by the presence of toxins in the venom that destroy blood cells.

Video: sand efa (Echis carinatus)

Subfamily: Vipers Genus: efa View: sand efa Latin name Echis carinatus (Schneider, 1801)

The only representative of the genus, common in the territory of the former USSR - in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, the Central Asian efa subspecies is represented ( ), which is sometimes treated as a separate species.

Description

Medium-sized snake, about 50-60 cm long (up to 75 cm). A zigzag light stripe runs along the lateral side of the body. There are white spots on the back and head, the brightness of the spots is different in different subspecies.

The scales are small, ribbed, the dorsal scales have protruding ribs. On the sides of the body there are several (4-5) rows of small scales obliquely directed downwards, equipped with serrated ribs. Undertail shields are located in one longitudinal row.

On highly loose sands, it can move with the so-called lateral move, in which the snake first throws its head to the side, then the back of the body takes it to the side and forward, and then pulls the front of the body. With this method of movement, a trace remains, consisting of separate oblique strips with hooked ends.

Spreading

Inhabits loess and clay deserts, thickets of shrubs, on river cliffs.

Behavior

Synonyms

Subspecies

• Echis carinatus astolae (Mertens , )
• Echis carinatus carinatus (Schneider, )
• Echis carinatus multisquamatus (Cherlin, )
• Echis carinatus sinhaleyus (Deraniyagala, )
• Echis carinatus sochureki (Stemmler, )

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Notes

1. Ananyeva N. B., Borkin L. Ya., Darevsky I. S., Orlov N. L. Five-language dictionary of animal names. Amphibians and reptiles. Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / under the general editorship of acad. V. E. Sokolova. - M .: Rus. yaz., 1988. - S. 362. - 10,500 copies. - ISBN 5-200-00232-X.
3. Daniels, J. C. (2002) The Book of Indian Reptiles and Amphibians, BNHS & Oxford University Press, Mumbai, pp 151-153. ISBN 0-19-566099-4
4. at the. (English) (Retrieved August 15, 2007)
5. on ZOOCLUB
6. Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers. Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar, Florida. 359 pp. ISBN 0-89464-877-2. (English)
7. at Munich Antivenom Index. (English) (Retrieved September 3, 2006)
8. McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists "League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (vol.). (English)

Literature

• A. G. Bannikov, I. S. Darevsky, A. K. Rustamov, "Amphibians and reptiles of the USSR", Publishing house "Thought", Moscow, 1971
• Bannikov A.G., Darevsky I.S., Ishchenko V.G., Rustamov A.K., Shcherbak N.N. Key to amphibians and reptiles of the fauna of the USSR. - M .: Education, 1977. - S. 329-330. - 415 p.

• Pavlovsky E. N. Poisonous animals of Central Asia and Iran. - Tashkent: State Publishing House of the Uzbek SSR, 1942. - S. 27-29. - 117 p. - 3000 copies.

Links

• The Reptile Database:

An excerpt characterizing the Sand Efa

Tushin now only, at the sight of the formidable authorities, in all horror imagined his guilt and shame in the fact that he, having remained alive, had lost two guns. He was so excited that until now he had no time to think about it. The laughter of the officers confused him even more. He stood in front of Bagration with a trembling lower jaw and barely said:
“I don’t know… Your Excellency… There were no people, Your Excellency.”
- You could take it from cover!
That there was no cover, Tushin did not say this, although it was the absolute truth. He was afraid to let the other boss down by this and silently, with fixed eyes, looked straight into Bagration's face, just as a student who has gone astray looks into the examiner's eyes.
The silence was quite long. Prince Bagration, apparently not wanting to be strict, did not have anything to say; the rest did not dare to intervene in the conversation. Prince Andrei looked at Tushin from under his brows, and his fingers moved nervously.
“Your Excellency,” Prince Andrei interrupted the silence with his harsh voice, “you deigned to send me to Captain Tushin’s battery. I was there and found two-thirds of the men and horses killed, two guns mangled, and no cover.
Prince Bagration and Tushin were now equally stubbornly looking at Bolkonsky, who spoke with restraint and excitement.
“And if, Your Excellency, let me express my opinion,” he continued, “the success of the day we owe most of all to the action of this battery and the heroic stamina of Captain Tushin with his company,” said Prince Andrei and, without waiting for an answer, immediately got up and walked away from the table.
Prince Bagration looked at Tushin and, apparently not wanting to show distrust of Bolkonsky's sharp judgment and, at the same time, feeling unable to fully believe him, bowed his head and told Tushin that he could go. Prince Andrew followed him.
“Thank you, you helped me out, my dear,” Tushin told him.
Prince Andrei glanced at Tushin and, without saying anything, walked away from him. Prince Andrei was sad and hard. It was all so strange, so unlike what he had hoped.

"Who are they? Why are they? What do they need? And when will it all end?" thought Rostov, looking at the changing shadows before him. The pain in my arm was getting worse and worse. Sleep became irresistible, red circles jumped in my eyes, and the impression of these voices and these faces and the feeling of loneliness merged with the feeling of pain. It was they, these soldiers, wounded and unwounded, it was they who pressed, and weighed, and twisted the veins, and burned the meat in his broken arm and shoulder. To get rid of them, he closed his eyes.
He forgot himself for one minute, but in this short interval of oblivion he saw countless objects in a dream: he saw his mother and her big white hand, saw Sonya's thin shoulders, Natasha's eyes and laughter, and Denisov with his voice and mustache, and Telyanin , and all his history with Telyanin and Bogdanych. This whole story was one and the same, that this soldier with a sharp voice, and this and that whole story, and this and that soldier so painfully, relentlessly held, crushed, and all in one direction pulled his hand. He tried to move away from them, but they did not let go of his hair, not even for a second on his shoulder. It wouldn't hurt, it would be great if they didn't pull it; but it was impossible to get rid of them.
He opened his eyes and looked up. The black canopy of night hung a yard above the light of the coals. Powders of falling snow flew in this light. Tushin did not return, the doctor did not come. He was alone, only some kind of soldier was now sitting naked on the other side of the fire and warming his thin yellow body.
"No one wants me! thought Rostov. - No one to help or pity. And I was once at home, strong, cheerful, beloved. He sighed and groaned involuntarily.
- What hurts? - asked the soldier, shaking his shirt over the fire, and without waiting for an answer, grunting, added: - You never know they spoiled the people in a day - passion!
Rostov did not listen to the soldier. He looked at the snowflakes fluttering over the fire and recalled the Russian winter with a warm, bright house, a fluffy fur coat, a fast sleigh, a healthy body, and with all the love and care of the family. "And why did I come here!" he thought.
The next day, the French did not resume their attacks, and the remnant of the Bagration detachment joined Kutuzov's army.

Prince Vasily did not consider his plans. He even less thought to do evil to people in order to gain an advantage. He was only a man of the world who had succeeded in the world and made a habit out of this success. Depending on the circumstances, according to his rapprochement with people, he constantly drew up various plans and considerations, in which he himself did not fully realize, but which constituted the whole interest of his life. Not one or two such plans and considerations happened to him in use, but dozens, of which some were just beginning to appear to him, others were achieved, and still others were destroyed. He did not say to himself, for example: “This man is now in power, I must gain his trust and friendship and through him arrange for a lump-sum allowance,” or he did not say to himself: “Here, Pierre is rich, I must lure him to marry his daughter and borrow the 40,000 I need”; but a man in strength met him, and at that very moment instinct told him that this man could be useful, and Prince Vasily approached him and at the first opportunity, without preparation, instinctively, flattered, became familiar, talked about that, about what was needed.

We present you the top 10 the most venomous snakes on the planet. Snakes can be found anywhere, from the forests and steppes of Russia to the Australian deserts and the African tropics. According to statistics, snake bites cause about 125,000 deaths per year worldwide.

The good news is that the chances of dying from a snakebite are minuscule compared to the risk of dying from cancer, heart disease, or a car accident. The bad news is that being bitten by a snake is a very painful way to die. Those who were lucky enough to survive described various eerie symptoms, such as the inability to breathe normally, numbness of the limbs, and failure of various organs. And although doctors have developed many antidotes, the cure still needs to be obtained. However, even the most poisonous snake in the world does not sleep at all and sees how to bite a person. Usually these creatures want to be left alone. And it is better to fulfill this desire if you value your life.

10. Kaisaka, she is a labarium (Bothrops atrox) - a lethal dose of poison 50 mg

For the yellow color of the chin, this representative of the pit-headed snakes from the viper family is also called the “yellow beard”. Kaisaka is an aggressive creature that often crawls into human habitation. Found in Central America and tropical South America. The poison of this snake acts very quickly, a fatal outcome occurs within a few minutes. Often the victims of labaria are coffee and banana plantation workers.

9. Black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) - 10-15 mg

The snake, which is sometimes called the "black mouth", it is also a black mamba inhabits the savannas and woodlands of tropical Africa and can often be found near termite mounds. The body color varies from gray to dark brown, and the name of the reptile comes from the black cavity of the mouth, this can be seen in the photo with the attacking mamba. The black mamba is a fast snake that has an extremely potent venom containing a toxic mixture of neurotoxin and cardiotoxin. It kills most victims, including a human, in 20 minutes. Despite its aggressive reputation, the mamba does not attack a person first and only attacks when it is cornered or taken by surprise. The mamba is the longest venomous snake in Africa and the second longest in the world.

8. Boomslang (Dispholidus typus) - lethal dose 10-12 mg

The most beautiful snake from the already-shaped family lives in Sub-Saharan Africa and hunts by expanding the front of its body. Usually it hangs motionless on a tree or bush, imitating a branch with its shape. For this, the Dutch settlers called it the "tree snake" (boom - tree, slang - snake). The boomslang injects poison while chewing its prey, because its teeth are located almost in the middle of the mouth, and not at its beginning, like other representatives of the rating of the most poisonous snakes in the world. Its venom is dominated not by a neurotoxin, but by a hemotoxin, which causes the destruction of red blood cells. Boomslang is a very shy snake and, thanks to its good eyesight, is able to avoid meeting a person in a timely manner. However, if you grab her, a bite is inevitable. So from the boomslang in 1957, the famous herpentologist and zoologist Carl Paterson Schmidt died.

7. King Cobra (Ophiophagus Hannah) - 7mg

It is the longest venomous snake on earth. Most individuals reach a length of 3-4 meters, and there are also 5.6-meter giants. The poison of the queen snake is so dangerous that it can kill an elephant in just a few hours. 15 minutes is enough for a person. Fortunately for humans, the cobra prefers not to waste its main weapon and does not bite without warning. She can bite and “idle”, without injecting poison or releasing a minimal amount of it.

The king cobra lives in the tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia, and prefers to hunt rat snakes. She does not disdain poisonous "colleagues".

6. Taipan (Oxyuranus) - 5 mg

In sixth place on the snake hit parade is the most dangerous snake in Australia and one of the most poisonous creatures on Earth. If you've ever heard the expression "careful, you're dealing with a sensitive, excitable bastard," then it fits perfectly to characterize the taipan. Any movement near this nervous reptile is likely to provoke an attack. Taipan venom contains a neurotoxin that works by paralyzing the victim's muscles, which in turn leads to respiratory arrest. Without an antidote, a taipan bite always ends in death. The bitten person has approximately 30 minutes to get to the hospital.

5. Sand efa (Echis carinatus) - 5 mg

About 5 mg of poison is enough to kill a person. This is arguably the most dangerous and deadly snake on our list, as scientists believe the sand epha has killed more people in its range than other snake species combined. The poisonous reptile is so mobile and aggressive that it bites several times. Efs are not afraid of people, they often crawl into dwellings, basements and utility rooms in search of food. Those who survived an efa attack may develop kidney problems due to defects in blood coagulation.

4. Harlequin Asp (Micrurus fulvius) - 4 mg

The brightly colored Mother Nature snake is found in the southeastern United States and northeastern Mexico. This is the only snake in North America that lays eggs and does not give birth to young. This poisonous handsome man prefers not to attack people, but if he really had to, he attacks with lightning speed and without help the death of the victim occurs within 20 hours. Therefore, it is better to admire them on video and never meet in life.

3. Indian krait (Bungarus caeruleus) - 2.5 mg

These small reptiles and their relative the banded krait (Bungarus multicinctus) are responsible for thousands of deaths each year throughout South Asia. In their range, from Pakistan to India to Sri Lanka, kraits often crawl into houses to prey on rodents and often bite people while they sleep. The bite of this snake causes paralysis of the facial muscles, and sometimes the entire body. Death from respiratory failure can occur after 1-6 hours if antivenom is not given.

2. Tiger snake (Notechis scutatus) - fatal dose of 1.5 mg

It lives on the southern outskirts of Australia and the nearby islands of the region. When this fierce venomous predator prepares to strike, it arches its head and neck in the manner of Asian and African cobras. Tiger snakes are very aggressive and kill more people in Australia than any other snake on this continent.

1. Nasal enhydrin (Enhydrina schistosa) - 1.5 mg

Although the question of which snake is the most venomous is controversial, enhydrina is often regarded as the deadliest of all.

This reptile is known not only as extremely poisonous, but also as very aggressive. This species of sea snake is responsible for more than 50% of all sea snake attacks on humans and is responsible for about 90% of all deaths caused by sea snake bites.

Most sea snakes are venomous, so if you see one in the water, swim away!

Fortunately, none of the top 10 most venomous snakes are found in the Russian Federation. The most poisonous snake in Russia is the Viper, which is also one of the most common. Guaranteed poisonous dose - 40-50 mg. The number of fatal cases is so small that scientists have not yet been able to determine a more accurate dosage.

In India it is called "wound", in Afghanistan and Pakistan - "Pashto", in Uzbekistan - "boiling snake". But, regardless of the name, sand efa (lat. Echis carinatus) causes fear wherever it appears. Its bite is fatal for every fifth, and those who managed to survive cannot be called “lucky”: efa poison leads to kidney problems that bother the victim for the rest of his life.

This poisonous snake is found in Central Asia and North Africa. On the territory of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan lives the Central Asian efa (lat. Echis carinatus multisquamatus) is a subspecies of sand efa, which is sometimes considered as a separate species. Prefers hilly sands with thickets of saxaul, river cliffs and abandoned dwellings.

But he doesn’t like to get close to human habitation. Attacks only when the person himself disturbs her. Protecting himself and his offspring, he acts with lightning speed, putting all his strength and rage into the throw. By the way, she can jump to a height of up to half of her body, so it is not recommended to approach her closer than 2-3 meters.

The sand efa warns the enemy about its attack not with a hiss, but with a loud rustling sound that it makes when the jagged side scales are rubbed. The sound itself resembles the crackling of hot oil in a frying pan, for which it was nicknamed the "boiling" or "noisy" snake.

The method of movement of the sand efa is also interesting. It moves sideways, first throwing its head to the side, then moving the back of the body to the side and slightly forward, and finally pulling the rest of the body up. So it is much easier for her to find support on unstable sandy soil. After such a movement, separate oblique strips with hooked ends remain on the sand.

The sand efa moves quite quickly. In general, this is a nimble and agile reptile that does not like to lie on a stone for a long time, like its other relatives. It is because of this that her diet includes mobile and small inhabitants of the desert: small rodents, frogs, lizards, toads and small snakes of other species. Young people are content with scolopaedras, scorpions, locusts and very small lizards.

The sand efa hunts both during the day and at night. In the heat, it hides, crawling out of shelters only at sunset. During the rest of the year, it prefers to search for prey during daylight hours. It may not hibernate if the winters are warm enough. In this case, mating begins in January, and in March, young snakes are born. If the winters are cold, then the breeding season shifts by a couple of months.

It is curious that this snake does not lay eggs, but immediately gives birth to from 3 to 16 snakes, 10-16 cm long. The sandy efa shows itself to be a caring mother, therefore it will bite anyone who dares to approach her brood.

Young snakes grow rapidly, reaching a length of 50-60 cm (maximum 75 cm) by adulthood. At the same time, males are slightly larger than females. The body of adult snakes of both sexes is golden-sandy in color with large white spots along the entire length. A zigzag pattern is clearly visible on the side of the body. The bottom is light yellow, and the head is decorated with a kind of cross. Probably to remind: stay away from me!