Already ordinary. The age-old question: how is a viper different from a snake Which snake has orange spots on its head

Snakes, snakes and vipers belong to the class of reptiles, have many similarities and differences in appearance, habits, habitat, and these two species are the most common throughout Eurasia, with the exception of Great Britain, Ireland and some northern regions of Russia.

Meeting with them is unlikely to cause pleasant emotions, sensations, rather a feeling of disgust, fear, so panic and a sense of fear is the first thing a person experiences when he sees a snake. Some will try to leave to avoid trouble, others will poke a stick, throw stones, and the most fearless unique ones who believe that there are no poisonous snakes in their region will try to pick it up, hang it around their necks, often there are people who want to be photographed, and the most courageous stick their finger in the snake's mouth. You should not do madness, being unsure that it is a snake that is not poisonous before your eyes, and you should not kill a snake simply out of dislike for it, these both species are certainly necessary for a person.

Environment and habitats

Birch, coniferous forests, shrubs, fields, swamps, mountains and hilly areas, near water bodies are the halo of their habitat. Choose places convenient for settlement, hunting, breeding and wintering. You can meet these snakes anywhere, not only far beyond locality, but also in summer cottages, in search of warmth, they climb into summer cottages, village houses, outbuildings. Both vipers and snakes move perfectly both on land and in water.

Consider the differences between a viper and a snake.

The most important difference is whether the snake is dangerous?

No longer poisonous, this peaceful animal helps mankind to cope with rodents, sometimes snakes are bred at home for these purposes. He is not whimsical, easily adapts to the conditions of captivity, is not demanding in food. In case of danger, he will try to escape, and if he fails to escape, he will take a defensive, threatening position, begin to hiss with attacks in the direction of the threat, and only when futile attempt, will launch an enzyme with a pungent odor, often this smell becomes a salvation from other animals.

Viper snake venomous, in case of danger, she will try to leave, the first one will not start throwing herself if you are not the object of her hunt, she will not be able to hide, she will curl up into a ball, stretching out her neck, will hiss intimidatingly at the object of the threat, while opening her mouth wide, showing her pair of poisonous teeth with channels, through which poison enters. The bite of a viper is fatal for animals, and very dangerous for people, with timely assistance, the introduction of serum is not fatal.

Appearance

The snakes are nimble, fast, skillful swimmers from 1 meter to 2 in length in adults, more than 20% of the whole body is the tail, which helps to move faster with its span, the body is elongated, thin. The lower color of the snakes is light gray, sometimes with dark longitudinal stripes. The upper color differs in different subspecies - dark green, gray, brown, black, but the main thing is the presence of an exact pattern resembling a checkerboard, sometimes subtle, in equal color scheme with slight nuances in shades.

The shape of the head is oval, with yellow or bright orange spots, on both sides in the area of ​​the auricles. The eyes are round, which is typical only for non-venomous snakes.

Vipers are less mobile, but also swim well, like snakes, can be found in a pond. Up to 80 cm in size, the body is dense with a sharp transition to the tail, the length of which is about 6 - 10 cm. Vipers, like snakes, are black, gray, green, brown, but their pattern is different. The zigzag pattern passing through the entire snake body is pronounced, but there are types of dark gray color or black without special patterns. The belly is the same color as the individual itself.

The viper's head is pointed, triangular, crossed dark stripes stretch from the eyes to the corners of the mouth, the eyes are slit-like, vertical, reminiscent of a cat's.

Food

The favorite treats of these reptiles are similar. Frogs, rodents, lizards, small birds or bird eggs, But the way to get what you want is different.

With the help of their quickness and activity, snakes attack the victim suddenly. And swallow it completely, the absorption process takes several hours. It can go more than two weeks without food, which will not affect activity in any way. It is gaining weight very quickly, which favorably affects the deposition of subcutaneous fat necessary for a long winter hibernation.

Vipers are waiting for the moment of attack, they sting the victim, the poison enters the bloodstream, the victim runs away after the bite, and the viper pursues it in anticipation, the poison begins to act gradually spreading throughout the body, the forces leave and when the prey falls, the viper is taken for absorption, the poisoned food inside the snake does not harm it , the gastric juice that is produced, breaks down the poison.

Despite their intimidating appearance, they themselves are the object of hunting for animals such as foxes, hedgehogs, martens, badgers, kites, storks, herons destroy either snake eggs, or adults or snakes. Apart from changes in nature, human development of natural spaces leads to a decrease in the population of snakes, and they bring benefits to both nature and humans. Viper venom is used for medical purposes, added to medicines, ointments.

In the spring after hibernation begins mating season in June, laying eggs, places are carefully selected, and disguised so that hunters do not damage the snake's nest and feast on easy prey. The female viper brings from 8 to 20 cubs. The female snake is from 8 to 28 snakes.

Among the distinguishing features, the most significant are eyes, only round eyes are characteristic of snakes that are not poisonous, which means for snakes, but vipers with vertical eyes. The snakes are distinguished by their bright spots on their heads, but the vipers have two snake teeth, the zigzag pattern for vipers, and the checkerboard pattern is characteristic only for the snake. The size of the snake should not be taken into account unless the age is determined, and the difference is not so significant. Color can also confuse, there are types of water snakes, their color is black, very similar to the black viper.

Few people are not afraid of snakes. Fear of reptiles is in the human blood. And this is no coincidence, because the bite of a viper, which is common in our country, is very dangerous and can be fatal. But quite often it is confused with non-poisonous snake who looks a bit like her. This snake is non-aggressive, and its bite, although painful, is not dangerous. Both the snake and the viper can be met during outdoor recreation, walks in the forest, and even on your own. suburban area. Usually, seeing a reptile, a person is frightened, sometimes trying to kill him. You need to know what it looks like so that when you meet a snake, you can imagine how to behave. It is better not to touch it at all, and if you recognize a viper, then try to get away from it.

What are the snakes

This non-aggressive and non-dangerous snake causes fear and dislike in most people. After all, not everyone knows what it looks like. You can meet him almost anywhere, but most of all he likes to live near water bodies. AT middle lane In Russia, the common one is most common, which has characteristic distinguishing features - it is easy to distinguish it from a viper by them. But the water snake, living to the south, is very similar to its poisonous relative, since it also has a dark or black color. On the Far East there is already a tiger, which has poisonous teeth. He is to be feared. But now we are interested in the common one and its difference from the viper. After all, it is this snake that can be found in the country or in the village yard, on the beach or in the forest.

What does an ordinary one look like?

This snake is usually small in size - from 50 to 80 centimeters.

But there are also individuals about one and a half meters long. Basic hallmark the snake, which is known to many, is light, usually yellow or orange spots on the back of the head, forming something like ears. This snake comes in different colors, most often brown, gray or olive, sometimes its body is covered with a bright pattern in the form of spots. They can be dark or light, scattered over the body of the snake or staggered. The abdomen is always colored lighter, sometimes even white. The body of this snake is elongated, the tail is very long, tapering at the end. The snake's head is oval, but when threatened, it can make it look like a viper's head. His eyes are large and round.

snake behavior

1. This snake is not at all aggressive and will never attack first, it is better to crawl away. Her only defense against predators is the ability to release a sharp, very unpleasant odor in moments of danger. At the same time, she can burp all the food she has eaten. And if you pick up the snake, he most often pretends to be dead, hanging like a rope.

2. These snakes live near water and swim very well. But those who know what it looks like have seen them on the roads, basking in the sun in glades and even near human habitation. And in winter in search warm place they may even crawl into the house.

3. The main food of snakes is frogs and toads. These snakes actively hunt, quickly chasing their prey and then catching it. Holding the victim with small sharp teeth, it gradually swallows it whole. Sometimes this snake can eat fish, small rodents or birds, but this is very rare.

4. People get scared when they see a clutch of many eggs on the ground. After all, when snakes hatch, the sight is not very pleasant, especially if it happens near the house. But if everyone knew what snake eggs look like, the senseless extermination of this species could be avoided. The female lays them in a warm and humid place, because their skin is very thin and dries out easily. The clutch consists of small round white eggs, often glued together.

Differences between a snake and a viper

In addition to the main characteristic feature- yellow ears on the back of the head, which many people know about, these snakes have a few more differences. And people who are often in nature need to know what a viper looks like.

You can distinguish them by their eyes: the viper has a vertical narrow pupil, and the snake has a round one.

Their head is also different: the viper has a triangular head and the snake has an oval head.

A poisonous snake is usually dark in color, often black, it has a zigzag pattern along its back, and it can be of any color, its distinguishing feature is dark or bright spots and a lighter belly.

They can also be distinguished by the shape of the body: in vipers it is thicker and shorter, the tail is blunt and short. The snakes are thinner and longer, have a tail gradually tapering towards the end.

Why do you need to know what it looks like?

This snake can be found everywhere, even in a village house. In order not to confuse it with a viper, you need to imagine what it is. It is also desirable to know what a snake bite looks like. Indeed, after a person has been bitten by a viper, his life is in danger, and he definitely needs health care. And it is not poisonous, usually it only scratches the skin with its teeth. It is quite painful, but not dangerous. To avoid trouble, it is better not to come close to any snakes at all, but try to bypass them.

Even in the century before last, an ordinary one could calmly settle in a peasant yard, without fear for his life. The villagers were afraid to kill an intruder because of the superstitious fear of bringing trouble to their home.

Appearance, description of an ordinary snake

The reptile belongs to the already-shaped family, differing from its girlfriends in the snake kingdom with yellow “ears” - symmetrical marks on the head (closer to the neck). Spots are lemon, orange, off-white or completely invisible.

The size of an average individual does not exceed 1 m, but there are also more solid specimens (1.5-2 m each). Males are much smaller than females. The head of the snake is noticeably separated from the neck, and the body is 3-5 times longer than the tail.

The top of the snake body can be painted in dark gray, brown or olive color, diluted with a dark "chess" pattern. Belly - light gray or off-white, with a dark longitudinal stripe in the center. In some individuals, this strip occupies the entire lower side. Among snakes there are both albinos and melanists.

Similarity to a viper

It is interesting! The harmless snake is related to poisonous viper little: favorite places relaxation (forest, ponds, lawns) and the desire to avoid collision with people.

True, the viper rarely retains composure and attacks a person at the first careless movement.

There are many more differences between reptiles:

• it is longer, slimmer than a viper and has a smoother transition from body to tail;
• yellow spots stand out on the head of the snake, and a zigzag strip stretches along the back of the viper;
• the snake has an oval, slightly ovoid head, while that of the viper is triangular and resembles a spear;
• snakes do not have poisonous teeth;
• snakes have pupils that are vertical or round (similar to those of a cat), while vipers have pupils that are transverse, like sticks;
• snakes eat frogs, and vipers prefer mice.

In fact, there are many more differences (for example, in the form of scales and scutes), but an amateur does not need this knowledge. You won't look at the scales when threatened by a snake attack, will you?

Range, habitats

AT northern latitudes common snake can be found from Karelia and Sweden to the Arctic Circle, in the south - on the northern coast of Africa (up to the Sahara). The western border of the range runs through the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula, while the eastern border captures central Mongolia and Transbaikalia.

Snakes adapt to any landscape, even anthropogenic, as long as there is a reservoir with stagnant or slowly flowing water nearby.

These snakes live in a meadow, in a forest, a river floodplain, a steppe, a swamp, mountains, gardens, city wastelands and forest park areas. Settling in the city, snakes often find themselves under the wheels, as they like to bask on the pavement. This is the main reason for the decline in the population of snakes in a densely populated area, although in global terms, there is no need to worry about the number of the species.

Length and lifestyle

Already lives a lot, from 19 to 23 years, and the main condition for its long life is water, which is responsible for the scientific name of the species - natrix (from the Latin natans, translated as "swimmer").

It is interesting! The snakes drink and bathe a lot, making long swims without specific purpose. Their route usually runs along the coast, although some individuals have been seen in the open sea and in the center of huge lakes (at a distance of tens of kilometers from land).

In water, it already moves like all snakes, vertically raising its neck and wave-like bending of the body and tail in a horizontal plane. While hunting, it dives deep, and when resting, it lies on the bottom or wraps itself around an underwater snag.

It searches for prey in the mornings/evenings, although the peak of activity occurs during daylight hours. On a clear day, an ordinary one exposes its sides to the sun on a stump, stone, hummock, fallen trunk, or any convenient elevation. At night, it crawls into a shelter - voids from uprooted roots, a cluster of stones or burrows.

Enemies of common snake

If the snake does not hide before sunset, it will quickly cool down and will not be able to quickly escape from natural enemies, among which are seen:

• predatory mammals including fox, raccoon dog, weasel and hedgehog;
• 40 species of large birds (for example, storks and herons);
• rodents, including rats;
• amphibians such as frogs and toads;
• trout (eats young animals);
• ground beetles and ants (destroy eggs).

Trying to catch fear on the enemy, it hisses and flattens the neck area (pretending to be a poisonous snake), folds the body in a zigzag and nervously twitches the end of the tail. The second option is to run away.

It is interesting! Once in the paws of a predator or human hands, the reptile pretends to be dead or splashes with a smelly substance secreted by the cloacal glands.

Snakes are constantly experiencing a shortage of reliable shelters, which is why they enjoy the fruits of human activity, settling in houses, chicken coops, baths, cellars, bridges, sheds, compost heaps and garbage dumps.

Diet - what does an ordinary person eat

The gastronomic preferences of the snake are quite monotonous - these are frogs and fish. Periodically, it includes other prey of a suitable size in its diet. It can be:

• newts;
• toads;
• lizards;
• chicks (dropped out of the nest);
• newborn water rats;
• insects and their larvae.

Snakes disdain carrion and do not eat plants, but they willingly drink milk when they are in a terrarium.

When hunting for fish, it already uses a waiting tactic, grabbing the victim with a lightning movement when it swims close enough. The frogs are already actively pursued on land, but they do not even try to jump to a safe distance, not seeing a mortal danger in the snake.

A fish dish is already swallowed without any problems, but eating a frog usually stretches for many hours, since it is not always possible to grab it right by the head. Like other snakes, it already knows how to stretch its throat, but the angular frog is in no hurry to go to the stomach and sometimes breaks out of its supper mouth. But the executioner is not ready to let the victim go and grabs her again to continue the meal.

After a hearty meal, they go without food for at least five days, and if necessary, for several months.

It is interesting! There is a known case when a forced hunger strike lasted 10 months. He was subjected to this test by a German naturalist who did not feed the experimental subject from June to April. The first feeding of the snake after the hunger strike passed without deviations from the gastrointestinal tract.

snake breeding

Puberty occurs at 3-4 years. The mating season lasts from April to May, egg laying occurs in July-August.. The periods of mating games in different regions may not coincide, but always begin after the end of the first seasonal molt(already usually changes the skin, catching and digesting the first prey). Cases of autumn mating have been recorded, then the female lays eggs after wintering.

Coition is preceded by the interlacing of several snakes (female and many males) into a "nuptial ball", which results in the laying of leathery eggs in an amount from a few to 100 (and even more).

It is interesting! If there are not enough secluded places in the habitat of the population, the females create a collective storage of eggs. Eyewitnesses told how they once found a clutch of 1200 eggs in a forest clearing (under an old door).

The masonry must be protected from drying out and cold, for which the snake is looking for a moist and warm "incubator", which often becomes a pile of rotten leaves, a thick layer of moss or a rotten stump.

Having laid eggs, the female does not incubate the offspring, leaving it to the mercy of fate. After 5-8 weeks, small snakes 11 to 15 cm long are born, from the moment of birth they are preoccupied with finding a place for wintering.

Not all serpents manage to feed themselves before the cold, but even hungry kids reach the spring heat, except that they develop a little slower than their well-fed sisters and brothers.

Snakes remarkably tolerate captivity, are easily tamed and undemanding in content. They need a horizontal type terrarium (50*40*40 cm) with the following equipment:

• thermal cord / thermal mat for heating (+ 30 + 33 degrees in a warm corner);
• gravel, paper or coconut for substrate;
• shelter in a warm corner (to maintain humidity, it is placed in a cuvette with sphagnum);
• shelter in a cold corner (dry);
• a capacious container with water so that the snake swims there, gets wet during molting, and not only quenches thirst;
• UV lamp for daylight.

AT sunny days additional illumination of the terrarium is not required. Spray it once a day warm water so that the sphagnum always remains moist. The snake's home diet consists of small fish and frogs: it is desirable that the prey show signs of life, otherwise the pet may refuse to eat.

It is interesting! Sometimes snakes are accustomed to thawed foods. They feed already-shaped 1-2 times a week, large reptiles - even less often. Once a month, mineral supplements are mixed into food, and mineral water is given instead of ordinary water. The water in the drinker is changed daily.

If desired, the snake is hibernated, for which, with the onset of autumn, the lighting / heating time is reduced from 12 to 4 hours. After you achieve a decrease in temperature in the terrarium to + 10 + 12 degrees and stop lighting it, the snake will fall into hibernation(up to 2 months). The dream you simulated will have a beneficial effect on the body of a rested pet.

Viper refers to poisonous snakes which scares most people. Not everyone knows what to do in case of a viper bite, which we will tell you about today. The origin of the snake meant "disgusting animal", and over time, from this word "reptile", she was given a name. Many of us are confused viper snake, how to distinguish them? We will tell you about this in our article, and we will start with the characteristics of the reptile.

Description of the common viper

common viper a very small representative of this family, her body length is 60-70 cm, but there are also snakes that have reached a length of 90 cm. The weight reptile varies from 50 to 180 grams, and most interestingly, females are much larger than males. Color at common viper changeable: it is completely black, bright copper, yellow-brown, red-brown. Most snakes have a pronounced pattern on the back in the form of a zigzag, the belly is gray, black or whitish. And as we know tail tip has an orange, reddish tone. Head vipers are flattened and large enough, and muzzle rounded. Eyes she has small, constantly expanding and narrowing, which helps to see clearly both day and night. Perhaps the most dangerous thing in a snake - fangs, located on the upper jaw of the snake, emitting poison. Teeth reach 4 cm, capable of rotating back and forth, and in a closed mouth, they calmly fold themselves and become covered with a film. During the attack viper capable of opening its mouth 180 degrees, and the bite is more like a blow than a bite itself. Life span of a viper on average 15 years, but some individuals can live up to 30 years.

Eats snake small rodents, birds, lizards, insects, amphibians, frogs. This species of snake has a wide range of habitats. She can be found Russia, Great Britain, Eurasia, Korea, Italy, Albania, France, Lapland, Siberia, Far East, coast Barents Sea, in Greece, in Transbaikalia, in Turkey.

How to distinguish a viper from a snake

1. Already a non-poisonous snake, when the viper is poisonous

2. The viper has a pure black color, and if it is already black, it has yellow-orange spots on its head

3. In snakes, the color has a checkerboard pattern, in vipers, the stripes are zigzag

4. The merman no longer has yellow spots on the head, therefore, it is easy to confuse. BUT! In a viper, regardless of skin color, various spots always predominate.

5. Snakes Have No Teeth When Vipers Have Sharp Fangs

6. The pupils are round, snakes in vipers are vertical

7. Snakes have a thin long tail, vipers have a short one.

8. In length, snakes where more vipers, the length of his body can reach 1-1.3 meters

9. The snake has an oval-shaped skull, while the viper has a triangular one

10. When meeting people, snakes try to hide as quickly as possible.

11. Snakes are most often found near water bodies, because they prefer wet places, while vipers live in forests, steppes, and grass.

VIPER TYPES, CONSEQUENCES OF A VIPER BITE

What to do if bitten by a viper

Of course, viper bite very dangerous to humans, and sometimes fatal. Its poison quickly enters the bloodstream, and after 15-20 minutes of a bite, dizziness, nausea, heart palpitations, chills appear, the most dangerous is convulsions, fainting and coma. We all understand perfectly well that it is necessary to call an ambulance in case of a bite. And if you are out of town, which is most likely, and help can travel a long time, so how can you help yourself or your neighbor?

1. The first thing to do after a bite is to provide peace to that place, most often it is the arms or legs. It is necessary to tie up a limb and limit movement.

2. Apply pressure to the wound and try to extract the poison by sucking it out. Most importantly, periodically spit saliva! This assistance will take 15-20 minutes.

3. Be sure to disinfect the bite with any product that contains alcohol, except for perfume, but cologne is fine.

5. If the person faints, give artificial respiration and heart massage.

6. It is necessary to drink liquids as much as possible: water and weak tea.

Types of vipers

The classification of vipers is divided into 4 types:

1. Viper - common viper

2. Pitheads - have infrared pits between the nostrils and eyes

3. Azemiopinae - Burmese viper

4. Toads - the purpose of which is to constantly breed and lay eggs

But this, Dear friends, only a classification of subfamilies, but in fact, type of vipers pretty big:

ordinary

Nikolsky's Viper

nosy

steppe

Horned keffiyeh

Burmese (Chinese)

noisy

Rhino Viper

Labaria (Kaisaka)

Rhombic rattlesnake

Levatskaya (Gyurza)

African pygmy

Bushmaster (Surukuku)

VIDEO: ABOUT VIPS

IN THIS VIDEO, YOU WILL SEE WHAT VIPERS LOOK LIKE, AS WELL AS LEARN MUCH USEFUL AND INTERESTING

Very rare, but sometimes it does happen. Much more often, hunters, fishermen and mushroom pickers intersect with a snake, which many mistakenly take for a viper. And the thing is that there is a significant similarity between them. In order not to endanger yourself when meeting, you need to know how to distinguish a snake from a viper. To do this, we will compare these two reptiles.

Appearance of the snake

An adult individual can reach a length of one and a half, or even two meters, although the average size ranges from 75 cm to 1 m. The color is mostly gray or black, sometimes it is olive with checkerboard spots. On the body of the snake, a change of colors can be traced: the farther from the head, the darker the color. In order to know how to distinguish a snake from a viper, you need to remember that special feature of all snakes is the presence of light spots on the head, they can be yellow, orange or white. They are located in the area of ​​​​the ears, so they are also called "yellow ears". The head is oval, the pupils of the eyes are round. The tail is elongated and thin. They have no poisonous teeth.

Distinctive features of the viper

This snake has smaller dimensions, on average, the body length is about 50 cm. The color can be very diverse, including black. Trying to determine how to distinguish a snake from a viper, you need to know that it will not be possible to do this only by color. There is another feature characteristic of vipers - this is a dark-colored zigzag on the back, passing through the entire body. Their tail is shorter, and the body is thicker than that of the snake. The head has a triangular shape, the pupils are placed vertically.

Habitat

Snakes prefer to settle in damp places. They are good swimmers, they can often be found near ponds and swamps. But the most main reason such a choice of habitat is the presence of frogs, a favorite delicacy of snakes. Shelter for them are stones, tree roots, small holes. The viper feeds mainly on voles and other rodents. Therefore, its habitat is either high steppe grass, or dense shrubbery in the forest, where it is possible to hide from uninvited guests. Different environment habitat also allows you to answer the question of how to distinguish snake from viper. They say that where snakes live, there can be no vipers. But apparently it's not really right opinion, naturalists often had to see both representatives of the snake family peacefully basking in the sun nearby.

Different tempers

Another thing that differs from a viper is its aggressiveness. Their characters are completely different. It will never attack a person first. Defensively, he will imitate an attack and imitate the behavior of a viper. Seeing the futility of his attempts to free himself, he can pretend to be dead. At great danger it exudes an unpleasant odor that repels many animals. The viper behaves much more aggressively. It is worth provoking her, and she instantly attacks, and completely ignoring the dimensions of her enemy.

Summarize and remember

The difference between a viper and a snake is as follows:

• the viper is smaller than the snake in size;
• already has “yellow ears”, the viper has a zigzag strip along its back;
• the triangular head of the viper, the oval of the snake;
• snakes have round pupils, vipers have vertical pupils;
• snakes prefer to live near water bodies, vipers in forests;
• vipers are aggressive, they are in a hurry to hide.