The snake is green with yellow spots. Other poisonous snakes. Jameson Mamba or Green Mamba

23.06.2020

How, during a hike from Subbotikha to Sidorovka, we met a small snake on a recently graded road, which Anton almost stepped on. It's time to show these photos, it's not for nothing that I gave the snake a whole photo shoot.

Snakes differ from other snakes in their "yellow ears" - pronounced markings on the head, often yellow, but sometimes white and orange.

An external distinctive, visible from afar sign of an ordinary grass snake is two light spots symmetrically located in the back of the head. Sometimes these spots are blurred or even absent. The general coloration of the dorsal side of the body can vary from completely black to light gray and olive with or without dark spots and stripes. The ventral side is painted in whitish, gray and blackish tones.

On the gray-olive or brown-black back there are dark staggered spots, a mesh pattern and light (white, lemon or orange-yellow) neck spots.

Already - one of the most common snakes of the Palearctic: the range extends from England, southern Fennoscandia to northwestern Africa, Asia Minor, Transbaikalia and northern China. The territory of the Volga-Kama region is almost completely covered by the boundaries of the distribution of the species. The exception is the Perm region, within which the common snake is currently not found north of Perm.

The common snake is usually found in rather humid places (along the banks of rivers, lakes, ponds, in coastal reeds, in floodplain meadows, in ravines, vegetable gardens and gardens, in swamps and in damp places near springs). Swims and dives well. Under water is able to swim considerable distances. Often it can be seen near human habitation: in sheds and heaps of garbage, crevices of wooden buildings, haystacks, in basements and under the porches of country houses. Such conditions are similar to natural ones, where he settles, using voids under stones, tree roots, rodent burrows as shelters. Sometimes it also comes across in gardens and orchards, forested areas of large cities.

Already well tamed and endures captivity. In Ukraine and Belarus, there are frequent cases of domestication of snakes (for the destruction of mice).

Already non-aggressive. Fleeing from enemies or taking a defensive posture, folding the body in a zigzag, hissing and “flattening” the cervical region, rhythmically twitches the tip of the tail. The caught one already actively defends itself at first: hisses and throws its head forward, which has a frightening effect on many enemies. If this does not help, seized by a predator or taken into hands, it usually secretes a thick, unpleasantly smelling liquid from the cloacal glands and pretends to be dead, completely relaxing the muscles. Disgusting and pungent, but unstable, the smell of this liquid discourages the appetite of four-legged predators. It rarely bites. For humans, the bite does not pose any danger.

In the video below, you can see how the snake uses this method of protection. And he tries to scare, Blowing and inflating his body.

The smell protection also worked - for a long time my hands smelled not very pleasant, after I dragged the snake by the tail a little. The smell is somewhat reminiscent of the smell of slightly rotten jerky. There is such a note in the smell of dried fish or, for example, formalized biological products.

By the way, you might have noticed how small this particular snake is; against its background, a hand in a household glove seems simply gigantic.

Already active in the daytime, usually hunts in the morning and evening hours. It feeds mainly on lake frogs (in a number of places, a high number of snake populations is associated with their abundance), as well as toads, tadpoles and fish fry, lizards, songbird chicks, small mammals and fish, swallowing them alive, without prior killing. As a result of this, the swallowed prey remains alive for some time in the stomach of the snake. The process of swallowing prey can take several hours. Swallowing the prey begins with the orientation of its head to the mouth, even if at first he grabs the prey by the limb, then he gradually tries to intercept it by the side, and then by the head. For a long time (up to 420 days) it is already able to do without food. When stressed, it regurgitates swallowed prey.

Caught near the water, when the path to land shelters is closed, the common one already swims away or dives. If it is impossible to hide, he freezes and, if not frightened, can remain motionless for up to several minutes.

In April - May, the mating season begins. In July - August, female snakes are looking for where to lay their eggs: in humid and warm places. Heaps of humus, old straw, fallen leaves are ideal for this, damp moss, rotten stumps and mouse holes are also suitable. In October - November they crawl into various holes and cracks in the ground, where they hibernate.

Mating takes place in April-May. During this period, they form clusters of several dozen individuals (“nuptial balls”), consisting of one female and about 20 males. Eggs measuring 12 - 20 x 20 - 30 mm are laid in July - August in rotten stumps, heaps of leaves, peat, manure. The volume of clutches varies from 4 to 50 (rarely up to 105) eggs. One female up to 70 cm long normally lays 6-16 eggs, individuals from 0.7 to 1.0 m long - 12-21 eggs, and more than 1 m - usually up to 35 eggs. Sometimes there are so-called collective clutches, when several females lay up to 3000 eggs in the most favorable parts of the biotope. The eggs laid in them are covered with a sticky protein, as a result of which they stick to each other and surrounding objects. "Glued" dense masonry is better preserved due to the reduction of moisture loss in it. Young individuals reach a length of 11 - 26 cm and a weight of 7 - 8 g. Sexual maturity occurs in the third - fourth year of life.

Common snake is found in the food of at least 13 species of mammals, 25 species of birds, 3 species of reptiles, 3 species of amphibians and 2 species of fish in the Volga-Kama region. So, ants and ground beetles attack supper eggs; hedgehogs and a gray rat eat juveniles and eggs of an ordinary grass snake; fox, raccoon dog, weasel, mink, polecat, pine marten, badger, wild boar also eat adults; White and black storks, gray herons, kestrel, harriers, kites, white-tailed eagles, greater and lesser spotted eagles, buzzard, short-toed eagle, osprey, eagle owl, tawny owl, some species of thrushes, magpies prey on snakes; steppe viper, copperhead, spindle, green frogs, gray toad eat snakes; there are finds of snakes in the digestive tract of the pike.

Of the factors of anthropogenic origin, large-scale transformations of landscapes have the strongest negative impact on populations of the species: in rural areas - the reduction of natural vegetation, reclamation measures leading to a decrease in the humidity of biocenoses, in urban areas - continuous building. Also, a significant death of snakes is observed during the period of migration on roads.

There is a wonderful article about the snake in the magazine "Around the World" No. 6 for June 2009: "The kindest snake" with photographs by Nikolai Shpilenok. Highly recommend.

Few can boast that they favorably refer to "creeping bastards." Although, in the European part of Russia, meeting a poisonous snake is a rarity. Much more often, mushroom pickers, fishermen and hunters meet an ordinary snake, which is mistaken for a poisonous viper. Of course, these snakes have similarities, but at the moment of danger it is better to know exactly who is in front of you - a harmless snake or its dangerous brother.

Appearance

snakes fairly large snakes. Some individuals reach a length of one and a half meters, although the more usual sizes are about 75 cm. The predominant colors are gray and black, sometimes olive with spots that are arranged in a checkerboard pattern. On the snake's body, you can see the transition of colors: the closer to the head, the lighter the color. A distinctive feature of all snakes is yellow, white or orange spots on the head, in the area of the ears. They are called “yellow ears”. The head of the snake is slightly oval in shape, the tail is long and thin. And, finally, poisonous teeth are absent in already-shaped ones.

Snake head (note the yellow spots)

- small snake The largest individuals reach 50 cm. But you should not focus on colors, since in vipers it is too diverse: from gray and black to purple. There is another distinguishing feature, but it may be absent in some individuals, this is a dark zigzag on the back, which is stretched throughout the body. The tail of the viper is short, rounded, and the body is thick. The muzzle is shaped like a triangle.

Habitat

Snakes love dampness and swim well, so they can often be found near water bodies. But the main reason for choosing a habitat is that the favorite delicacy of snakes is frogs. Sometimes, in order to feast on frogs, snakes penetrate vegetable gardens, summer cottages, where they sow panic among summer residents. Snakes hide under the roots of trees, stones, in the holes of mice. In captivity, the snake can be tamed, it easily adapts to new living conditions.

Vole mice predominate in the viper's diet, respectively, and the habitat of these poisonous snakes is limited to forests, where there are dense thickets and the ability to hide from prying eyes. But in captivity, vipers do not live long, as they refuse any food and soon die of exhaustion.

Character

Already non-aggressive. They will never be the first to attack a person. If you catch a snake, then after a short resistance and imitation of a viper (hissing, an attempt to bite the offender), it will pretend to be dead. Another protection option is an unpleasant odor that exudes in danger. It scares away many animals.

The viper also tries to stay away from a person, but if it is hurt or provoked, it will attack. This snake is ready to take revenge on any offender, even if it is an inanimate object. She does this for a long time and frantically, not paying attention to the dimensions of the offender and his attitude to the attacks on her part. There are cases when the viper fought with a stick, a stone, and even its own shadow, which seemed dangerous to it.

Findings site

Snakes are longer than vipers and have a thinner and elongated body.
The snakes have a distinctive feature in color - "yellow ears", many vipers have a zigzag stripe along the back.
The head of snakes is oval, while that of vipers is triangular.
The absence of poisonous teeth is the main characteristic of snakes.
More often you will meet snakes near water bodies, vipers prefer forests.
Snakes feed on frogs, vipers mainly on mice.
Already-shaped easily endure captivity, vipers survive exclusively in the natural environment.

If you are interested to know which snakes on the territory of the Russian Federation represent the greatest danger or, on the contrary, are relatively harmless, then all the information is here!

First of all, it should be said that about 90 species of snakes live on the territory of Russia! Many of them are poisonous, while others are undeservedly considered as such. But the question is actually a serious one, and in order to increase your chances of survival, this issue is worth understanding! And so, let's start our TOP, starting with harmless (or rather low-dangerous) snakes and ending with the most poisonous, most dangerous snake in Russia!

The video version of the article can be viewed here (continuation of the text below):

However, we agree that we recommend looking for even more information about snakes on the Internet, reference books or other sources (in particular, detailed details about the varieties of color of one species, how to distinguish one snake from another, whether one or another is found specifically in the area of interest to you). snake, etc.). This will be useful and you will increase your survival index even more! We wanted to present you with a more complete picture of those venomous and non-venomous snakes that live in Russia! This describes the snakes that live specifically in our country, but remember that there is always a chance of an unexpected encounter with the most exotic representatives in any geographic area as a result of, for example, escaping from a terrarium or smuggling ...

ALREADY ORDINARY

In our country, there are three varieties of real snakes (out of 9 known in the world), the most common of which is ordinary! In appearance, ordinary snakes are often confused with a viper, although it is very easy to distinguish an ordinary snake! Already has two bright spots (orange or yellow) located near the head.

In size, the snake is quite large and can reach as much as 1.2 meters in size (some sources indicate 2.05 meters), although specimens of 0.8 - 0.9 meters are more common. Naturally NOT poisonous and even NOT aggressive! In case of danger, he prefers to "run away", for defense he uses a special secret secreted - a rather smelly liquid. Also, can play dead, quite skillfully by the way. It may try to scare, hissing and lunging towards the offender. But, even this good-natured man can be provoked to bite, and if you managed to bring the snake to such such a desperate attempt at self-defense and he bit you, then there is already something to worry about!

Since it is no longer poisonous, its growth cavity, unlike poisonous relatives, is, to put it mildly, not sterile. The oral cavity of snakes is a real garbage dump. Some unpleasant infection is very likely to get into the bite wound, which is fraught with blood poisoning or gangrene if the bite wound is not treated with disinfectants. This should not be neglected! Below is a photo with the habitat of the common grass snake.

WATER NOW.

As the name implies, the whole life of a water snake is connected with water (yes, in general, all snakes love water and, most often, they are found near water bodies or in wet places), this snake feeds mainly on fish, and even frogs. In Russia, it is found mainly in the Crimea, Ciscaucasia and the Southern Volga region, the entire habitat is also shown below.

Unlike the common water snake, it does NOT have the characteristic bright spots near its head, and therefore, even more people think that it is a poisonous snake (people think there are no spots - it means a viper! It's not!). And although it is NOT poisonous, it is quite difficult to distinguish it for a particularly unprepared person! Pay attention to the snake's eyes, remember all the snakes are diurnal snakes, so their eyes have a round pupil, unlike vipers (night snakes) for example, which have a vertical pupil, like cats. The water one is much longer than usual and its usual length is 1.3 meters, and the maximum is about 1.6.

It is good that in case of danger this one also seeks to hide, after which it hides at the bottom of the reservoir! Defensively, he is also able to bite (in cases where the situation is hopeless, for example, you stepped on a snake without noticing (this generally applies to all snakes, it’s better to make a lot of noise so that the snake has the opportunity to hide). The bite is quite painful. The wound also requires careful antiseptic treatment.

COLCHIS UZH.

The Colchis snake is a medium-sized snake (up to 1 meter), non-poisonous and very common, rarely found. In Russia, such a snake can be found in the Krasnodar Territory, where it is listed in the Red Book. The color of the Colchidonian is coal-black above, white under the head, black spots are replaced by white below. In terms of behavior, the Colchis is already similar to other snakes, and of course you should not be afraid of it, offend and provoke it to bite.

ORDINARY COPPER.

A non-poisonous snake from the snake family (although some sources claim that copperheads still have poisonous teeth, but they are located deep in the mouth and serve as an aid for swallowing food. It also says that the poison itself does not pose a serious danger to humans, to In addition, in order for a poisonous bite to still occur, you need to push your finger quite deeply into the mouth of the copperfish. red book (for example, in the Bryansk region.) Has a short length, usually less than 0.6 measure, but in some cases grows up to 0.9.

From the bite of this snake, only small wounds with droplets of blood will remain, however, of course, they should also be treated with an antiseptic to prevent infection (this is a general rule for all bites from non-venomous snakes). A lot of snakes of this species die due to the extermination of their people, because of the myth about the poisonousness of this snake, as well as the inability of a person to distinguish between species.

LEOPARD SNAKE

It occurs in the Crimea from the mountains of Karadag to the city of Sevastopol inclusive. It is a rare species that is on the verge of extinction. In its diet, it is similar to other snakes. It has the reputation of a good pet because of the ability to effectively deal with mice and rats. It is NOT a venomous snake.

FOUR-STRIP CLIMBING SKID.

Rather large non-poisonous (usually 1.5 meters, in rare cases 2.6) In Russia, it is found in the Crimea, the Caucasus, the Rostov and Astrakhan regions, the Krasnodar Territory. He uses choking techniques, preys mainly on rodents, ground squirrels, is able to swallow a hare whole) loves to destroy bird nests (even in birdhouses), thanks to his excellent ability and love for climbing trees. In case of danger, it imitates the behavior of a rattlesnake: hisses, shakes the tip of its tail and makes attacks, but if it manages to notice danger from afar, it prefers to retire.

PALLAS POLOZ (SARMAT POLOZ)

Pallas snake (or according to the scientific Sarmatian), is also quite large (1.3 - 1.8 meters). In Russia, it lives in the Volgograd Region (where it is listed in the Red Book), the Astrakhan Region, the North Caucasus, the Rostov Region, the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories. If you catch him or step on him, he will certainly try to bite you, and the bite of the Sarmatian snake will be quite deep. Not poisonous. It behaves like a four-striped climbing snake.

YELLOW-BELLIED SPIDER (CASPIAN SPIDER)

Large (2.0 in rare cases 2.5 meters) NON-poisonous, but very aggressive, when a person approaches, it will attack rather (rather than run away), if the latter comes close enough, it curls up, and then jumps out one and a half to two meters, with aiming it straight at the face. The bite is quite painful when hit, but does not cause much harm to health. The yellow-bellied snake (or, in other words, the Caspian snake) in the Russian Federation is distributed throughout the steppe territory of the European part, is found in the Crimea, and is listed in the Red Book in the Krasnodar Territory.

VIPER CAUCASIAN

Let's get acquainted with poisonous snakes! The Caucasian viper is a very beautiful snake, poisonous, but it is still believed that the bite of such a snake is not fatal for a person, but it is quite capable of causing serious health problems (complications), so of course medical care is required! This snake is found in the Caucasus.

Common muzzle

Cottonmouth is able to capture the thermal radiation of its prey. Size reaches 0.69 - 1.1 meters. The venom of the muzzle, like the venom of vipers, has its effect on the blood, but it also contains neurotoxins that can cause paralysis of the respiratory tract (respectively, the venom of the muzzle affects the nervous and circulatory system). The bite itself is very painful and is accompanied by heavy bleeding. To avoid a fatal outcome (a few cases are known), seek medical help in a timely manner, usually after 5-7 days a complete recovery occurs. In the vastness of Russia, it is found from the Salskaya steppe in the lower reaches of the Don and Volga in the west, to the Primorsky Territory in the east.

STONE MOUTH

The poison of the stone muzzle is similar in its action to the poison of the common muzzle. The size of the snake can reach about 0.8 meters, sometimes more. In our country, it is found in Primorye, the south of the Khabarovsk Territory and the Amur Region.

USSURIAN SHITOMORDINIK

The smallest representative of poisonous muzzles (usually no more than 0.68 meters), found in Primorye, Khabarovsk Territory and Amur Region, was also seen in Kunashir. Despite the soreness of the bite for humans, there are practically no fatal outcomes, like in other muzzles.

TIGER ALREADY.

You can meet this snake in Russia only in the Far East. The tiger snake can be classified as a poisonous and rather dangerous snake, however, this snake can be either completely non-venomous or have poisonous properties (cases of fatal outcomes are known). It's all about the food that the snake eats. Namely, special toads whose skin contains steranes (bufodienolides), being saturated with similar food, the salivary glands are already filled with the same substances. Interestingly, if he has already accumulated a sufficient amount of these poisons, then he will behave much more boldly and aggressively (he will defend himself) than he who has not used such toads (he will prefer to crawl away quickly). It grows up to 1.1 meters long!

STEPPE VIPER

The steppe viper usually does not exceed 0.7 meters in length, like its counterparts from the genus of real vipers, it also poses a danger. However, in recent years, the populations of these predators have been declining due to the destruction of its habitats by humans (they are literally on the verge of extinction), by plowing land for crops. For a person, the bite of this poisonous snake is dangerous, but it is believed that it is not as serious as the bite of an ordinary viper (however, we did not find more detailed information about the difference between poisons, so we also do not recommend joking with this snake, it is also known that there have been be few, lethal outcomes from bites). In Russia, this poisonous beauty is found in the Crimea, in almost the entire steppe and forest-steppe zone of the European part of Russia, as well as in the steppe regions of the Caucasus.

VIPER ORDINARY

Well, here is another dangerous snake, called the common viper! Her bite can kill a person, but in the end there are not so many deaths and they can rather be called rare cases, but they do happen. According to Internet sources, in 70% of cases there are no symptoms at all, or the victim feels a burning pain in the bite area, with more serious intoxication, symptoms such as increased sweating, chills, dizziness, diarrhea, tachycardia, blanching of the skin, nausea, vomiting appear . With increased sensitivity, the symptoms are much more serious, so you can lose consciousness, a convulsive and coma will appear, blood pressure will drop significantly and profuse bleeding will occur, kidney failure will develop! From all this, a person can die. It is believed that 166 mg of viper venom is enough for a lethal outcome (less may be enough for children and the elderly), while larger individuals of these snakes can inject 6 times more, namely about 1000 mg!

With treatment, usually negative effects disappear in two to four days, but with improper treatment, they can last up to a year! It is also worth noting that in size, this is a relatively small snake (usually its length does not exceed 0.65 meters, but individuals of 0.90 meters have been observed throughout history). The viper lives for 15 (and according to some sources, all 30) years. And the main enemy of the viper, besides the person, can also be called hedgehogs, which very skillfully hunt snakes.

TRANSCAUCASIAN GYURZA

Gyurza is rightfully considered the most dangerous snake in Russia! It weighs about 3 kg and is about 2 meters long (it can also jump 2 meters when attacking the victim)! It is this snake that has the most powerful poison, inferior in strength only to the cobra. The venom of the viper is much stronger than the poison of the viper, which occupies the second place (although the first one could be given, it is very common), because to a large extent the death from viper venom is more caused by allergic reactions to this poison of a particular person than by the strength of its effect (although of course, it also plays a big role, plus the poison of the viper needs to be injected more than the gyurza), unlike the venom of the gyurza, which takes lives precisely by its force. In one bite, approximately 50 mg of poison is injected and this is enough. If you do not provide timely assistance to the victim, the person will die in 2-3 hours. On the territory of the Russian Federation, you can find it in the North Caucasus. Nevertheless, this snake is rare and is included in the Red Book of Russia.

Dear readers, if you find any inaccuracies in our article, please let us know so we can fix them! We also welcome additions from your side and stories of encounters with snakes in the wild. We will talk about what to do when a snake bites, or how to minimize the possibility of bites in one of our next articles. Thank you for your attention!

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Each season has its positive and, unfortunately, negative sides. The onset of the summer season brings with it vivid emotions from the hot sun, rich harvest and fresh air, adjacent to fears of getting bitten by any insect or even a snake. Snakes live almost everywhere, so if you are a summer resident, a resident of a country house, or just a caring parent, you will probably be interested in the question "how to distinguish a viper from a snake."

Why these particular snakes? The viper and snake are the most common snakes in our forest belt, and if snakes are completely safe for humans, a meeting with a viper can turn into trouble.

Differences between a snake and a viper

Before you go to the forest for berries or mushrooms, go on a picnic with your child outside the city, just relax or work in the garden, you should be aware that in these places you can meet a snake. So that such a meeting does not bring trouble, you need to know how it differs from a viper, how to behave when meeting a snake and how to provide first aid if a snake bite does occur.

Main differences

As noted, already, unlike the viper, it is not dangerous to humans. Viper is poisonous legless reptile, its number is quite large in our country. To distinguish a viper from a snake, we list the main distinguishing features of both reptiles. Let's start with already:

Viper can be recognized according to the following features:

the average length of an adult viper is 70 - 75 cm, there are individuals longer, but, as a rule, they do not exceed one meter;
the viper, unlike the snake, does not have round spots near the head, but it has a strip running along the entire length of the back;
they come in different colors, most often they are gray, blue, brown and black shades, and closer to the tail the color changes to yellow;
on the skin of reptiles, a pattern in the form of zigzags;
A venomous snake can be recognized by its triangular head and vertical pupils;
the reptile has two teeth in front that contain poison;
especially active at night;
lives in the forest belt, likes to hide in the stones.

It is important to know these differences, because when bitten by a poisonous reptile, correctly rendered first aid to the victim is very important. With timely response and the first aid provided, the meeting with the viper will not result in unpleasant consequences. How to provide first aid for a venomous snake bite?

First aid for viper bite

Viper bite is fast the appearance of edema in the place where the poison fell. Ingestion of poison into the body causes nausea, headache, shortness of breath, weakness, dizziness. Primary signs are replaced by anemia, shock, increased intravascular coagulability of the blood. Severe cases are characterized by changes in the kidneys and liver.

The bite site looks like two small wounds. At the time of poisoning, a person will experience a sharp and severe pain, and the affected area will turn red and swell within a few minutes. Puffiness will spread at the site of the lesion and above it. The farther the bite is from the head, the less dangerous it is considered. In the spring season, viper venom is more toxic than in summer.

If you or someone you know has been bitten by a viper, you should immediately free the wound from poison. If there are no wounds or other lesions in the mouth, the venom can be removed by suction. To do this, open the wound by pressing on the skin folds around it until blood appears. Start sucking the poison and spit out the poisonous substance. This must be done within 10 minutes, but if swelling appears, stop the procedure. Rinse your mouth with potassium permanganate solution or plain water.

You should not worry that the sucked poison is harmful, because in this case an extremely small dose of poison enters the body, which is safe for humans. If you react in time and start sucking the poison out of the wound instantly, you can remove up to half of the poisonous substance. Treat the affected area using an antiseptic, and around the bite site should be anointed with iodine, brilliant green or alcohol. Tighten the affected area with a tight sterile bandage.

Fix the affected limb to keep it stationary. Eliminate any movement, because in this case, the toxic substance will rapidly penetrate into the blood. The victim needs to drink plenty of water, in addition, it is necessary to take one of the antihistamines: tavegil, suprastin, diphenhydramine and others.

What not to do when bitten by a viper:

take alcohol;
cauterize the affected area;
cut the wound or inject potassium permanganate into it;
apply a tourniquet to the bite site.

Having provided first aid to the victim, you should deliver him to the doctor as soon as possible. In the hospital, the victim will be injected with a special serum that neutralizes the toxic substance.

Despite the fact that deaths as a result of the bite of a viper have not been recorded for quite some time, its venom can cause health problems. That is why it is necessary to react quickly enough and be sure to go to the doctor.

With the onset of spring, a person tired of the winter cold is drawn to nature - to walk along the forest paths, breathe in the invigorating fresh air, fry a barbecue with friends at the vending edge of a birch grove. But no matter how positive emotions overwhelm you, be careful - a snake can hide in the grass.

In our forests, mainly snakes and vipers are found - the first are harmless, the second are poisonous, it is better to stay away from them, so before the spring-summer season, it’s a good idea to learn how to distinguish these reptiles from each other.

How to distinguish a snake from a viper by the shape of the head

While walking through the forest, did you encounter an unknown snake? Stop and take a look:

bright orange or white markings are visible on the oval head, the eyes are round, the pupil is bordered by a light iris - that's it;

the head is triangular, similar to the tip of a spear, in the upper part of which one can see dark brow ridges. Fiery red eyes with a vertical pupil - in front of you is a viper.

How to distinguish snake from viper by color

The color of the skin will also tell you which animal you have met.

In a poisonous snake, a zigzag pattern runs along the body of triangles, which turns into stripes on the back, and the skin has a gray, blue, brown or black tint.

It is already covered with a longitudinal pattern with spots and specks, and the main color of the reptile is black-brown.

How to distinguish snake from viper in body shape

It happens that the snake has disguised itself between the stones, and it is completely difficult to see it, but also from certain parts of the body, you can understand which individual has taken refuge nearby.

A long elongated body, smoothly turning into a sharp tail, suggests that this is already.

The snake is small, no more than 75 cm in length, the transition from the body to the blunt tail is obvious - a viper.

Even if you have determined that you have already hidden, do not pull it with a twig and do not pick it up - the snake, defending itself, can bite painfully or shoot you with a fetid liquid, which will take a long time to wash off.

How to distinguish a water snake from a viper

The water snake is confused with the viper because of the checkerboard pattern of the skin, similar to the triangular ornament of a poisonous reptile and the absence of bright ears. But it’s easy to distinguish a snake - it has an abdomen with yellowish rectangular spots, and marks in the form of a Latin letter V clearly appear on its head.

The viper does not try to attack a person, and its hiss is not a battle cry, but a warning. If the bite could not be avoided, use our recommendations for first aid:

lay the bitten head below the level of the body to avoid disruption of the brain;
suck the poison out of the wound (it looks like two bleeding points) for a quarter of an hour, periodically spitting out saliva. At the end of the procedure, rinse your mouth with water;
treat the sore spot with an antiseptic and apply a sterile bandage. Give the victim sweet tea to drink, give an allergy pill and take him to the nearest first-aid post for an antidote.

Instead of an afterword: during outdoor recreation, be careful not to step on or sit on a dozing viper. If you notice a snake from afar, do not approach it - go your own way and your health will not suffer.