The fastest submarine 5 "Alpha" - Russia

For the first time, biologists have accurately measured the speed at which a viper or rattlesnake ejects its head and bites the victim, finding out that the snake accelerates to 100 kilometers per hour in just 79 milliseconds, according to an article published in the journal Scientific Reports.

"In nature, all encounters between predators and prey are unique - they are much more diverse than what we can see when they interact in the laboratory. Modern technologies allowed us to understand what exactly determines the successful hunt or escape from a predator, and come closer to uncovering the evolutionary factors that drive predators and their prey," said Timothy Higham of the University of California at Riverside (USA).

Ever since the Middle Ages and even earlier eras of human existence, vipers, rattlesnakes and other members of the viper family (Viperidae) have been considered a symbol of lightning-fast reaction, ultra-high speed and almost guaranteed accuracy of hitting the victim.

All these snakes prey on small mammals and reptiles from an ambush, jumping out at them with great speed, opening their mouths to 180 degrees and literally "driving" their fangs into the victim's flesh. Highham and his colleagues decided to study this process in detail by traveling to the Mojave Desert in the southwestern United States, where the famous rattlesnakes live.

Having placed camera traps across the desert, the scientists connected them to a computer and centrally monitored the movements and hunting of snakes, the favorite prey of which are American kangaroo jumpers (Dipodomys merriami) - large rodents, similar to jerboas, moving across the sands of the desert in a similar "jumping" manner.

To capture the snakes, scientists used high-speed infrared cameras capable of receiving 500 frames per second in three-dimensional format, as well as special thermal "illumination" systems. When the snake began to hunt, the computer alerted Higham and his team, and the scientists began to “manually” monitor how the vipers tried to catch the jumpers. Scientists have made it easier for the snakes by scattering plant seeds around them that feed on their prey.

These observations dispelled one of the myths associated with vipers - it turned out that they often miss, flying over or short of a rodent, especially if he managed to notice a predator at the last moment before a rattlesnake jump. On the other hand, it turned out that vipers really move very quickly and bite with great force.

On average, a snake strikes a rodent within 60-70 milliseconds after the jumper enters the impact radius. During this time, the snake's head flies about 12-16 centimeters, moving at a speed of 3.5 meters per second and accelerating its movement by 170-506 meters per second squared. This equates to a 50g g-force - the maximum a person can survive - and is about the speed at which airbags deploy in a car.

Despite such impressive speeds and acceleration, the snake's hunt for rodents ended in success only in half of the cases - in 50% of cases, the jumpers managed to react to the snake's jump and escape using a kind of "spring" in their legs. In some cases, this was not even necessary, since the snake made a mistake with the calculation of the "ballistics" of the jump and did not reach the jumper.

As Highham explains, an evolutionary "arms race" forced jumpers to learn how to store potential energy in their tendons and release it in critical situations. When a snake jumps on a rodent, the jumper suddenly jumps up to a great height, and the viper flies over the place where it was standing 30 milliseconds ago.

In the near future, the authors of the article plan to conduct similar experiments involving other vipers and rodents, which will show whether the rattlesnake holds the record for speed and acceleration, or whether it has worthy competitors among its relatives.

Approaching year of the snake on eastern horoscope, and why not dedicate today's post to him? Let's sit and talk about what species of these mysterious animals exist on our planet, in what conditions they live, what they eat, how they reproduce. There are many varieties of them, some live underground, others underwater. Some are poisonous, others are not. various colors and sizes, viviparous and those that lay eggs.

But let's remember today record-breaking snakes: the most-most.

The longest snake- This is an anaconda boa constrictor. It lives in the swampy shores of the Amazon and feeds on fish, small animals and birds. The maximum length of the boa constrictor that was recorded reached 11.43 m, it was this “snake” that got into Guinness book record holders.

And in Egypt, during excavations, the remains of an ancient snake, the Giant African Python, were found, its estimated length was 11.8 m.

And only recently, in 2002, a reticulated python was found on the island of Sumatra, the length of which was 14.85 m and a weight of 447 kg. Now he lives in a menagerie on about. Java is proudly called Guihua.

The largest snake that lives in captivity in this moment located in the terrarium of the New York Zoological Society , this is a Giant (green) anaconda, 9 m long and weighing 130 kg.

The largest venomous snake- King cobra, it lives in India and Indochina. The length of these reptiles can reach up to 5.5 meters. They very often live next to a person, the reason for which was cutting down rainforest. Cobra feeds, oddly enough, on other types of snakes. There are times when she can attack them when they are already hunting prey.

The smallest snake- Brahmin blind or blind snake, (more like a fattened earthworm), lives on the island of Nosy Be, near Madagascar.

The length of this baby is only 10 cm. This snake shares the championship with a two-lined narrow-mouthed snake. It can only be found on the islands of Martinique, Santa Lucia and Barbados in the Caribbean. The "shortest" snake of this species had a length of 108 millimeters.

The shortest venomous snake- African viper. It lives on the coast of Namibia in the sand dunes. Its average length is 20-23 cm. It has a very unusual way of hunting, the snake digs into the sand, while only the eyes and the tip of the tail stick out, which serves as bait. These reptiles get the necessary moisture from their victims. They also lick condensation off themselves, which allows them to survive in such harsh conditions without water.

The thinnest snake- this is an ordinary belt-like. Its length is 2 meters, while its thickness is 1-2 cm. The snake looks rather unusual - the head is much larger than the body. They live exclusively on trees and feed on snails and slugs. Their weapon for hunting - pointed fangs are safe for humans.

The fastest snake on the planet - black mamba, it lives in Africa. It is almost impossible to run away from this snake, its average speed is 11 kilometers per hour, and on flat terrain, with short throws, the speed can reach 16-19 km / h.

In addition, the black mamba deserved the title the most poisonous land snake on the planet, sharing it with Taipan, from the bites of which 80% of the victims die (moreover, one dose of its poison can kill 100 people).

Most a large number of poison, 6 ml, the king cobra secretes at a time.

The most poisonous sea ​​snake - Belcher's sea serpent. With one bite, the venom released can cause death in 250,000 mice.

The most accurate snake on the planet - ringal. She lives in South Africa and India. She can spit poison at her victim from a distance of 5 meters, and she aims at the victim's eyes. Another snake that "shoots" poison over long distances is the African spitting cobra, its spit flies 2-3 meters.

The most common snake- an ordinary viper, which, moreover, is not afraid of cold weather.

This snake is the only one that can be found in the north (even beyond the Arctic Circle).

The oldest snake considered a common boa constrictor named Popeye (Popeye), he died at the Philadelphia Zoo on April 15, 1977. and lived 40 years and 3.5 months.

The longest-starving snake - viper snake habu lived without food for 3 years and 3 months (almost like in a fairy tale, only in a very sad one).

There are other types of snakes that can be called "flying"- this is tree snakes. They live in the tropics and are amazingly able to maneuver between trees and can even go around them. This opportunity gives them an S-shape, and they seem to glide through the air.

Exists on our planet snake with the highest thermoregulatory capacity- This is a hieroglyphic python, it lives throughout Africa. The female spirals around the eggs with her body, and the female's body temperature becomes 7 degrees higher than the environment.

And absolute record, which applies to all snakes, is the number of vertebrae. It is snakes that are those vertebrates in which the number of vertebrae is maximum - up to 435.

In conclusion, I would like to say that no matter what the snake is, small or large, poisonous or not, it must be treated with respect and caution.

P.S. The frightening ability of some snakes to absorb prey that is much larger than their own size. See photo.

Reading 3 min. Views 4.1k. Posted on October 14, 2014

The world's largest snake
Reticulated python. 12.2 m
Probably the longest snake in the world. The largest individuals of the nominative subspecies can reach a length of 10 m or more. However, individuals 4-8 m long are more common. A record instance of a reticulated python that lived in one of the zoos, according to unconfirmed reports, reached a length of 12.2 m

The smallest snake in the world.
Barbados narrow-mouthed snake.
To date, the largest specimen of this species barely reaches 10.4 cm. These snakes feed exclusively on termites and ant larvae. They live only one season - from spring to autumn. One female snake lays, as a rule, one large egg, from which offspring appear next spring. Interestingly, the newborn snake reaches almost half the length of the mother, in contrast to large snakes, in which the size of children is approximately one tenth of the body length of the parents. The size of the baby Barbados narrowmouth snake is determined by the boundary conditions of survival.

The most venomous snake.
Tasmanian tiger snake.
There may be a lot of controversy, but in terms of aggressiveness, toxicity of poison and the speed of death, the tiger snake is the leader among poisonous snakes. Lives on the island of Tasmania.

The most aggressive snake.
Yellow-bellied snake.
The yellow-bellied snake is a rather large snake, it reaches a length of two meters, and is considered the most aggressive not only in Europe, but throughout the world. When meeting with a person, she does not even try to hide, but on the contrary, she herself rushes into the attack. Quite large specimens can make jumps up to 1 meter, while taking a threatening pose, and loudly hissing, throwing themselves directly into the face of the enemy. The good news is that it is not poisonous!

The most common snake.
Common viper.
And here is the snake that probably everyone had a chance to meet. And she is also in our top as the most common on the planet!

The largest poisonous snake.
King Cobra.
She lives in India and Indochina. The length of these reptiles can reach up to 5.5 meters. They very often live next to humans, the reason for which was the deforestation of tropical forests. Cobra feeds, oddly enough, on other types of snakes. There are times when she can attack them when they are already hunting prey.

The smallest venomous snake.
Puff adder.
It lives on the coast of Namibia in the sand dunes. Its average length is 20-23 cm. It has a very unusual way of hunting, the snake digs into the sand, while only the eyes and the tip of the tail stick out, which serves as bait. These reptiles get the necessary moisture from their victims. They also lick off condensation, which allows them to survive in such harsh conditions without water.

The thinnest snake.
Ordinary belt.
Its length is 2 meters, while its thickness is 1-2 cm. The snake looks rather unusual - the head is much larger than the body. They live exclusively on trees and feed on snails and slugs. Their weapon for hunting - pointed fangs are safe for humans.

The fastest snake.
Black mamba. It is almost impossible to escape from this snake, its average speed is 11 kilometers per hour, and on flat terrain, with short throws, the speed can reach 16-19 km / h.

The most venomous sea snake.
Belcher's sea serpent. With one bite, the venom released can cause death in 250,000 mice.

We welcome all readers of our site "I and the World". Which of you knows the fastest animal in the world? Well, of course, you say: cheetah. And you will be right! He is the fastest living on land. Today you will read about the top 10 fastest running land animals and touch a little on those who from the representatives of the fauna quickly swim and fly.

Opens our top ten Leopard - 58 km / h

Yes, he definitely won’t catch up with the cheetah if they compete. When the Leopard is chasing prey, it does not waste energy, but gently ambush. It hunts antelopes, rodents, warthogs. Leopards live in Africa and Asia for 10-15 years, if earlier poachers do not kill them because of their beautiful fur. In the 20th century these big cats were included in the Red Book.

The sizes of forest leopards are smaller than those that live on open places, apparently it’s more difficult to get through the thickets and big size only hinders. The mass of the largest males reaches 75 kg. It is very similar in coloration to the cheetah and jaguar, and varies in color from pale straw or gray to rusty brown. In Southeast Asia, there are absolutely black leopards, called Panthers.

In 9th place - Coyote - 65 km / h

They are not only sprinters, but also excellent swimmers - fish hunters. They move interestingly, bouncing in length from 2 to 4 meters. In mass, they are significantly inferior to real wolves and weigh up to 21 kg, when wolves weigh up to 60 kg. The fur is more brown, and the elongated muzzle resembles a fox. Maybe the Coyotes are the children of wolves and foxes, and for some reason, related in ancient times?

Coyotes are inhabitants of the plains and try not to appear in the forests. But on the outskirts major cities they are periodically noticed where they like to rummage through the garbage. They hunt mainly at dusk for hares, marmots, ground squirrels and other small animals. In autumn they like to eat berries and nuts.

The Hyena Dog ran up to 8th place - 70 km / h

Its name translates as "painted wolf". But there are also black dogs. They were once very common in the African steppes and savannas, but now they are found mainly in national parks. And although it is a relative of the wolf, it is very similar to the hyena.

Low, lean, weighing up to 36 kg. They hunt during the day and always in packs of up to 15 individuals for ungulates: antelopes, old zebras, wildebeest, reed rats. They don't eat carrion. Everyone in the flock lives together, feeds and takes care of the old and sick.

7th place - Elk - 75 km / h

It is hard to believe that this stately and rather heavy (up to 600 kg) handsome forest man is capable of developing such a high speed. But it is so! On the plain, Moose run fast, which may be why predators are not always “too tough”. They defend themselves with blows of their front legs, and even bears are afraid to attack Elks in open areas - only among trees or bushes, where Elks are limited in movement.

They live in the forests of the Northern Hemisphere, less often in the forest-tundra and forest-steppe. In total, about one and a half million individuals live on earth, in Russia alone there are 730,000. Moose are quite tall, and their strongly elongated legs do not make it easy to drink water. They have to go deeper into the reservoir or kneel to get drunk. Males grow large horns, with a span of up to 180 cm and a weight of up to 30 kg. In summer, due to the heat, they are nocturnal. They feed on plant foods, lichens and mushrooms, and in winter they bite tree branches.

In 6th place - Thomson's Gazelle - up to 80 km / h

The gazelle is the tastiest prey of the fast cheetahs, but they can rarely catch up with it due to high jumps while running. Although after 4-6 km of constant running, the Gazelle gets very tired and at this time the cheetahs still easily attack. Gazelles live in the steppes of Kenya and Tanzania.

They live in herds of several hundreds or thousands of individuals, consisting either only of females, or only of males. But there are also single males. They feed mainly on grasses, but can also eat tree shoots. The mass of large males reaches only 35 kg.

5th place goes to Leo - 80 km / h

These strong kings of nature are very mobile animals and at a distance of 20 meters they develop the highest speed. The mass of some males reaches 250 kg. In captivity, Lions reach large sizes, because there is no need to run after prey in a cage. In nature, they live up to 14 years, and next to a person up to 20.

White lions are found in national parks. These are not albinos, just such a subspecies of Lions. Differing from other cats, they live not alone, but in families - prides. They eat, of course, animal food. They hunt at night, sneaking up to prey at a distance of up to 30 meters, surround and attack. Sometimes they attack a person and then become cannibals, trying to kill a person more often.

4th place - Gazelle Grant - 85 km / h

Can run at a constant speed for a long time without getting tired, weighing up to 65 kg. Live in open plains East Africa, avoiding high vegetation, where they will not be able to see predators in time.

They easily survive where there is almost no water, only on one, even sparse vegetation. They move in herds, but some males prefer a permanent territory. In some areas, the Gazelle is completely destroyed, but in others it is quite common.

Third place goes to Pronghorn - 89 km/h

Although the normal speed of this Pronghorn Antelope ranges from 60 to 70 km/h, but the maximum speed has been fixed at 89. Therefore, it can easily run away from any predator, because it does not need to rest. A beautiful, slender animal reaches a mass of 60 kg. They live in the steppes North America from Canada to Mexico.

In autumn and winter they gather in herds with a leader, and in summer they are divided into pairs until the next winter. Old males usually live alone. They feed on grassy food: ordinary and poisonous plants, cacti. They drink little, therefore, if there is little water, they survive on herbs.

2nd place belongs to the Jaguar - 93 km / h

A beautiful, spotted cat cannot boast of endurance, and it can develop such a high speed only at short distances. If the victim notices the Jaguar at a great distance and runs away, then the predator does not even try to catch it, because it will run out of steam in a few minutes.

It attacks only if it manages to get very close. Lives in North and South America. In mass, the Jaguar reaches 113 kg. They live alone on their territory up to 50 square meters. km. They hunt small animals at dusk, they can eat a snake, a turtle, they catch fish. They prefer not to attack ungulates.

And we rightfully give the first place to the Cheetah - 120 km / h

The fastest land animal, the Cheetah, usually reaches speeds of up to 98 km/h and can run up to 400 m on level ground. But catching up with prey can develop in 3 seconds. top speed up to 120 km / h, which is almost 2 times the speed of its victims. But he can't run long distances.

The mass of an adult male reaches 65 kg. During the day they hunt medium-sized ungulates: gazelles, wildebeest calves, as well as hares or ostriches. They catch up with prey by jumping 6-8 meters. They do not attack from ambush, because where they live there are simply no places where you can hide. Lives in Africa and the Middle East.

I would like to dwell on the fastest animals in the water and in the air. What place do they occupy among their own? Of course the first!

The fastest marine animal -, speeds up to 130 km / h

Research has shown that fish have oil in their jaws that they release into the water. Spreading around the head, the oil reduces friction against the water.

There is another fast marine animal with the same speed - Black marlin.

Who is the fastest bird? The handsome Peregrine Falcon, accelerating for prey and diving, is able to accelerate to 390 km / h

When struck with claws at such a speed, it can tear off the head of prey.

We showed photos and descriptions of the fastest animals on the planet. There are others, but we will not dwell on them today. Liked the article? Share information with friends. In the meantime, we say goodbye to the next entertaining articles.