All about the life of an ordinary viper. Diary of an average woman How many years does a viper snake live

ASPER (Virepa berus) is a relatively small snake, and the total length of her body with a tail rarely exceeds 75 cm, usually it is not more than 60 cm; only in the north are known vipers up to 1 m long. The tail is 6-8 times shorter than the body. Females are somewhat larger than males. The viper's head is clearly delimited from the neck, and on its upper side, in addition to small scutes, there are three large ones (frontal and two parietal). The tip of the muzzle, when viewed from above, is rounded. The nasal opening is cut in the middle of the nasal shield. Around the middle of the body, as a rule, 21 scales (occasionally 19 or 23). From above, the body is gray, brownish or red-brown in color with a dark zigzag stripe along the ridge. There is an x-shaped pattern on the head.

A dark stripe runs from the eye to the corner of the mouth. Often there are black vipers, which are more in the north. It is very widely distributed: it lives in the North and Central Europe and North Asia, from England to Sakhalin and Korea. To the north rises to 68 ° N. sh.- in Europe and 61-63 ° with. sh. - in Siberia. In the south it reaches 40°N. sh. In the mountains it rises up to 3000 m above sea level. Inhabits the forest and forest-steppe zones, preferring mixed forests with clearings and good herbage, forest edges, clearings, overgrown burnt areas, swamps, river and lake banks. It is often found in vegetable gardens, rarely settles in meadows, in dry pine forests and green moss spruce forests. Like most snakes of the northern and temperate latitudes, the common viper is very unevenly distributed over the territory, forming large clusters in suitable places - snake foci, but absent on large areas at all.

In the northern parts of the range, the placement of snake foci is determined by conditions suitable for wintering. In snake foci, the population density of vipers can reach 90 snakes per 1 ha, but more often there are no more than 3-8 vipers per 100 ha. Vipers, as a rule, are sedentary and live all their lives in the same place, moving within a radius of no more than 60-100 m. The area is usually inhabited by a pair of vipers. Only after wintering, occupying summer habitats, in some areas, snakes move several hundred meters, and sometimes 2-5 km. During such migrations, vipers can swim across fairly wide rivers and lakes.

Migrations of vipers are also known in mountainous regions, where they move along the slopes for a distance of several kilometers, apparently due to changes in the food supply of habitats over the seasons or in different years. Vipers hibernate below the freezing layer of soil, at a depth of 40 cm to 2 m, more often in the burrows of rodents or moles, in the passages of rotten roots of trees and shrubs, in the voids of peat bogs, if they are not flooded with water, under haystacks, in large piles of stones and deep rock crevices. There are few suitable places for wintering, especially in the permafrost zone, and their presence quite clearly determines the distribution of vipers over the territory. The temperature in wintering areas should not fall below 2-4°C. More often, vipers hibernate alone or not. large groups 2-5 snakes together, however, in especially convenient places, sometimes several dozen vipers gather; cases of accumulation on wintering up to 200-300 snakes are described. Together with vipers, toads, newts, spindles and other animals were found in winter quarters. The vipers use the same wintering place from year to year.

After wintering, common vipers appear on the surface in mid-spring, in sunny days when there is still a lot of snow in the forest. AT middle lane this happens more often in late March - early April, sometimes in early May, depending on the course of spring. Males appear first, and after a few days, females and young. Leave for wintering in the second half of September - early October. In the middle lane, wintering lasts about 180 days; in the south and north of the range, respectively, 2-3 weeks less or more. In the spring, in the first days after leaving winter shelters, males stay in the warmest, well-warmed places, using solar radiation and contact with warm soil, heated trunks of fallen trees, or warm flat rocks. The body temperature of vipers in nature ranges from 9 to 31 °.

The optimum temperature for males is about 25°, and for pregnant females 28°. Above 37 °, rigor mortis sets in in vipers and they die. In summer, burrows of various animals, rotten stumps, bushes, and various cracks serve as a refuge for vipers. Usually snakes crawl out and bask in the sun repeatedly throughout the day, but they go hunting more often at dusk and are most active in the first half of the night. After a successful hunt, vipers may not leave their shelters for two or three days or more, or they come out only to bask in the sun. Males hunt especially intensively in late May - early June, after the end of the mating period. Females are inactive throughout the entire period of pregnancy.

The diet of vipers is very diverse and varies depending on the place, season and year. As a rule, mouse-like rodents or frogs form the basis of the diet of the common viper during the entire active period, however, during the mass hatching of chicks in small birds nesting on the ground, i.e. from early June to early July, chicks are the favorite food of snakes. Most often, in the stomachs of vipers, you can find gray or red voles, moored or grass frogs, and from chicks - warblers, skates and oatmeal.

The general list of animals eaten by common vipers is very extensive and includes a large number of species of small animals, including shrews, all types of amphibians found in the viper's range, a large number of species of small birds (including not only species nesting on the ground) , which the snake, obviously, lies in wait during their feeding, watering (chaffinch, lentil, repol, etc.) or rest. They catch vipers and lizards, among which are more often viviparous and spindle. Young vipers usually feed on insects, especially locusts and beetles, less often they eat caterpillars of butterflies, ants, slugs and earthworms. In some places, young vipers in large numbers catch frogs that have just completed metamorphosis. For the first time, female vipers begin to breed at the age of about 5 years, with a total body length of 50-54 cm; males become sexually mature at 4 years of age, reaching a length of about 45 cm.

It is possible that in the south of the range sexual maturity occurs a year earlier. Mating takes place two to three weeks or a month after leaving the wintering grounds, usually from mid-May to early June. The assumption of autumn mating in vipers is not confirmed by modern research. The number of eggs in the oviducts of the female varies from 5 to 20, depending on the size of the snake and the conditions of the year. However, up to 20% of the eggs are sometimes resorbed (reserved), so that one female often brings 8-12 cubs. As shown latest research, in the walls of the oviducts of the female viper there are many folds, the epithelium of which is very rich in capillary blood vessels.

The outer membranes of developing eggs (chorioallantois) are also rich in blood vessels, and gas and water exchange occurs through thin membranes between the chorioallantois of the egg and the walls of the oviduct. Consequently, in an ordinary viper something like a placenta is formed and the development of the embryos occurs not only due to the yolk of the egg, but also through the circulatory system of the female. The period of egg development lasts about 3 months, and the young are born from the second half of July to the beginning of September, the mass birth of the young occurs in August. In the northern and central parts of the range, females give birth in a year; in the south of the range they breed annually. The length of the young at birth is about 16.5 cm. After a few hours or a few days, they molt. Until the first molt, they stay near the place of birth, but when you try to pick them up, they hiss, bite; their bites are poisonous.

After the first molt, the vipers crawl away and begin to look for insects, however, they can do without food for several weeks, existing at the expense of reserve nutrients obtained in the egg. The molting of the young in the future occurs once or twice a month, depending on the condition of the snake. Signs of shedding in the form of fading in color and clouding of the eyes appear about a week before the start. The speed of molting is determined by the state of the body - healthy and strong snakes molt quickly, in just one and a half to two hours, and weak and sick ones molt up to two weeks. During molting, snakes hide in their shelters, do not feed and are inactive.

The sex ratio of the common viper is close to 1:1, but in the spring during the breeding season, males are very active and catch the eye three times more often than females. On the contrary, in June - July, pregnant females are found twice as often as males, as they tend to crawl out into open, well-warmed places. The life expectancy of vipers in nature is little known, however, there are snakes of 11-12 years of age and some live up to 14-15 years.

The enemies of the common viper are serpent eagles, owls, less often storks, and from quadrupeds - badger, fox, ferret and hedgehog. Despite the fact that the common viper is the most widespread venomous snake in our country and its numbers in some areas are significant, relatively few people suffer from its bites. This is due to the fact that she is peaceful and bites a person only if he steps on her or inadvertently grabs her with his hand. When a person approaches, the viper always hurries to crawl away and hide, or, hiding, lies quietly. The bite of a viper is painful, but patients recover in 2-4 days. Illness and complications after a bite, sometimes lasting several weeks, are caused by the use of harmful methods of self-treatment (cauterization, incisions, constriction of the limb with a tourniquet, etc.). For many decades, isolated cases have been known when a viper bite resulted in death, in most cases of children bitten in the face. And in these cases it is not clear what turned out to be the cause of death - poisoning snake venom or "treatment".

snakes: 1 - common blind snake (Typhlops vermicular ts); 2 - common snake ( Natrix natrix), 3 - water snake (Natrix tessetata), 4 - Amur snake (Etaphe bchrencki), 5 - leopard snake (Etaphe situta), 6 - snake arrow (Psammophis lineolatus); 7 - sand efa(Echis carinatus); 8 - common boa constrictor, or boa ( constrictor constrictor), 9 - reticulated python (Python reticulatus); 10 - common anaconda (Eunectes murinus); 11 - Aesculapian snake (Etaphe longissima); 12 - spectacled snake (Naja naja); 13 - bicolor bonito (Pelamys platurus); 14 - gyurza (Vipera lebettna); 15 - common viper (Vipera berus); 16 - Caucasian viper (Vipera kaznakowi); 17 - common muzzle (Agkistrodon halys); eighteen - rattlesnake(Crotalus horridus), 19 - copperhead (Coronella austriaca).

common viper

The common viper (Viperidae berus) is the most common venomous snake in central Russia. The common viper can be found in the forest and forest-steppe zones. More common in mixed forests, in glades, swamps, overgrown burnt areas, along the banks of rivers, lakes and streams. It is distributed in the European part of Russia, in Siberia and the Far East (up to Sakhalin), in the north it occurs up to 68 ° N. sh., and in the south - up to 40 ° N. sh. In the mountains, the viper is found at altitudes up to 3000 m above sea level. The population density of vipers is very uneven. In suitable places, vipers form large concentrations - snake foci, where their density can reach 90 individuals per 1 ha, but more often does not exceed 3-8 per 1 ha. After wintering, they usually appear on the surface of the earth in April - May. In summer, burrows of various animals, voids in rotten stumps and between stones, bushes, haystacks serve as shelters for vipers. Vipers can settle in abandoned buildings. The common viper is a relatively small snake up to 75 cm long; specimens up to 1 m long are found in the north. The body is relatively thick. Females are usually larger than males. The head is round-triangular, clearly delimited from the neck, on the upper part there are three large (frontal and two parietal) shields. The pupil is vertical. The tip of the muzzle is rounded, and the nasal opening is cut in the middle of the nasal shield. On the front edge of the upper jaw are large mobile tubular poisonous teeth.

The color of the body varies from gray to red-brown, with a characteristic dark zigzag line along the spine and an x-shaped pattern on the head. Black forms are found in the north.

Some types of vipers: 1 - common, 2 - Caucasian, 3 - nosed,
4 - Asia Minor

Mating of vipers takes place from mid-May to early June. Viper is ovoviviparous. Offspring are born in August.

viper egg laying

Young vipers are born 17 cm long and are already poisonous. In the middle lane, vipers are active during the daytime. They like to bask in the sun, and they can do it right on the path, on stumps, bumps and stone slabs. They usually hunt at night. They feed mainly on small rodents, frogs, and insects. When meeting a person, the snake, as a rule, tries to hide.

When threatened, it takes active defense: hisses, makes threatening throws and the most dangerous bite-throws, which are most easily provoked by a moving object. Therefore, it is better not to make sudden movements during a direct meeting with a viper. You should not take the snake by the tail, as the possibility of a bite is not excluded.

Most often, meetings with vipers occur during the collection of wild berries, mushrooms, deadwood and during haymaking. To protect yourself from the bite of a viper, you need to be more attentive and careful. Going to places where a meeting with vipers is possible, you must have appropriate clothing and shoes. Protect against snake bites: high boots; thick woolen socks; tight, body-hugging trousers tucked into shoes. When picking mushrooms and berries, it is better to use a stick long enough to scratch it in the thickets near the place where they grow. If there is a snake in this place, it will either reveal itself or crawl away.

A stick put forward will not be superfluous even when moving quickly along the path. Vipers have a weak sense of smell and hearing, and the sudden appearance of a person can prevent her from hiding in a timely manner. If a snake is stepped on, it may bite. One must be especially careful before entering overgrown pits. You should not arrange an overnight stay near rotten stumps, trees with hollows, at the entrances to holes or caves, next to heaps of garbage or deadwood. On warm summer nights, the snakes are active and can crawl to the fire. When moving at night, it is necessary to illuminate the path with a lantern. The entrance to the tent should be tightly closed so that the snake cannot crawl in there. If the tent has not been tightly closed or if you are staying overnight without a tent, inspect the bed and especially the sleeping bag before using it. Remember that mice attract snakes. At the site of the bite of the viper, two point wounds from the poisonous teeth of the snake are visible.

The bite causes severe increasing pain. Already in the first minutes there is hyperemia of the bitten part of the body (excessive filling of blood vessels). Edema spreads upward from the bite site. When poison enters the bloodstream, a general reaction can develop immediately or half an hour or an hour after the bite. Most often this happens after 15-20 minutes (data from various literary sources). There is dizziness, lethargy, headache, nausea, sometimes vomiting, shortness of breath, rapid pulse. The venom of an ordinary viper, according to the mechanism of toxic action, is a poison of predominantly hemorrhagic (causing hemorrhage), blood clotting and local edematous-necrotic action. The closer the bite is to the head, the more dangerous it is. In spring, viper venom is more toxic than in summer.

AT southern regions Russia is inhabited by the steppe viper (Viperidae ursini), the Caucasian viper (Viperidae kaznakovi) and the common, or Pallas, muzzle (Agkistrodon halys).

steppe viper

steppe viper

Steppe viper (Vipera ursini) no more than 57 cm long, usually no more than 48 cm. Females are somewhat larger than males. From above, it is brownish-gray in color with a dark zigzag stripe along the ridge, sometimes broken into separate parts or spots. The sides of the body are covered with dark, unsharp spots. The lateral edges of its muzzle are pointed and somewhat raised above its upper part. Black steppe vipers are very rare. Distributed in the steppes and forest-steppes of Europe, Kazakhstan, Northwestern China, Turkey and Iran. It rises to the mountains up to 2500-2700 m above sea level. Inhabits different types steppes, sea coasts, shrubs, rocky mountain slopes, meadow floodplains, riverine forests, ravines, semi-deserts and deserts. Agricultural land is avoided and preserved when plowing in bushes, beams, along roadsides, etc. For this reason, it has almost disappeared in Moldova and southern Ukraine. Apparently, the steppe viper spends the entire cold season in semi-stupor; on warm days it comes to the surface in winter. Leaving the holes of rodents, cracks in the soil, voids between stones and other shelters where vipers hibernate alone or in small groups, they spend most of the day in open, unshaded places, basking in the sun. In early or mid-April, steppe vipers mate. Males are very active at this time, they are looking for females and often get caught in the eye. Near one female, they often arrange mating games, like males of other snakes. After the mating period, the males feed intensively, and when they are satisfied, like the females, they lie in well-heated places for a long time. At the same time, pregnant females prefer more open areas, which is why they more often fall into the eyes of a person. In spring, steppe vipers feed on lizards and lizards, which make up 30 to 98% of their diet. By the end of spring, rodents and insects become their main prey, rarely frogs and spadefoot. Sometimes they catch chicks and eggs of birds, including climbing trees. Viper food is digested within 2-4 days. Steppe vipers begin to breed, apparently, at the age of 3, being from 31 to 35 cm long. The gestation period is from 90 to 130 days. From early August to mid-September, females give birth to 3 to 16 cubs, 12-18 cm long. Shortly after birth, vipers molt. Adults molt three times a year. Snakes molt at a temperature of at least 15 degrees Celsius and a relative humidity of at least 35%. In healthy snakes, shedding of old covers takes about 15 minutes. Exhausted and sick snakes molt for a long time, and this process is often fatal for them. The life expectancy of steppe vipers is about 7-8 years. They have many enemies: owls, black kite, steppe eagles, harriers, crows, storks, badgers, foxes, hedgehogs. A specific enemy of the steppe viper is a lizard snake, which prefers vipers to any other prey and easily copes with them, swallowing them whole, after paralyzing them with a bite. One lizard snake is capable of swallowing two or three vipers in an hour. When encountering a human, the steppe viper seeks to crawl away and throws its head towards the enemy only when the path to retreat is cut off.

Cases of deaths from the bite of the steppe viper are not reliably known. However, occasionally horses and small cattle die from the bites of this viper.

lizard snake

The total length reaches 180 cm. The muzzle is somewhat rounded in front. The upper surface of the body is dark olive in color, without spots. Large individuals have a well-defined dark stripe, bordered along the upper edge by a yellowish dotted line. Young snakes are brown, olive-brown or grayish above with brown, dark brown or almost black small spots arranged in the form of well-defined longitudinal stripes. The coloration of young snakes looks variegated due to the contrast of these dark spots with yellow or white edges of individual scales on the back and sides of the body. With age, the spots on the back and ventral surface of the body disappear, the color of snakes larger than 70 cm is monochromatic - grayish-olive or brownish-gray with a yellow belly without spots. In mature males, the color of the anterior part of the body, the top of the head is olive-green, and the rest of the body is bluish-gray. The ventral side is pale yellow, the longitudinal pattern or its fragments are preserved on the throat. Females retain dark longitudinal stripes on the sides of the body and a longitudinal pattern on the belly.

Caucasian viper

Caucasian viper (Vipera kaznakowi) very close to the steppe viper, but differs in a denser physique and a characteristic bright color. Its body is up to 60 cm long. The head is very wide with strongly protruding temporal swellings and a slightly upturned tip of the muzzle. A sharp neck interception separates the head from the thick torso. The main color of the body is yellowish-orange or brick-red, and a wide dark brown or black stripe zigzags along the ridge. Often this band is torn into a series of transversely elongated spots. The head is black on top with separate light spots. Sometimes there are individuals completely painted black. The Caucasian viper lives in Krasnodar Territory Russia, the South Caucasus and Northeast Turkey. It lives in river valleys, in mountain forests, in subalpine and alpine meadows, from the Black Sea coast to altitudes of 2500 m above sea level. This snake is most common in the upper forest zone and in subalpine meadows. Its diet consists mainly of mouse-like rodents. There are isolated cases of people dying from the bite of a Caucasian viper. Pets are often the victims of her bites.
Attention! If you see a snake in a menacing stance, it's best to back off. Keep in mind: the snake bites only in case of protection.

When bitten by a viper, severe and prolonged pain appears, a large swelling at the site of the bite, which quickly spreads to a significant surface of the body, pronounced subcutaneous hemorrhages, drowsiness, fainting, sometimes excitement and convulsions. Death can occur in half an hour, but sometimes much later (in a day or more) with collapse and respiratory arrest.

Common muzzle

Cottonmouth snakes are representatives of pit-headed snakes, which, in addition to the senses common to most terrestrial vertebrates, also have specialized organs that capture thermal radiation.

In addition, unlike vipers, their head is covered with large shields, which explains their name. Like vipers, muzzle venom acts primarily on the blood and the hematopoietic system. However, it also contains neurotoxins that affect the nervous system and cause paralysis of the respiratory center. Therefore, the bite of the muzzle (as well as other pit vipers) causes a double reaction in the victims - damage to both the nervous and circulatory systems. Like vipers, muzzles have backward-curving "folding" poisonous teeth.

His head is wide, the neck interception is well expressed. The tip of the muzzle is slightly upturned. Between the nostrils and the eye, a small depression is clearly visible - the opening of the thermosensitive organ.

On this basis, the muzzle is easy to distinguish from all other snakes.

Its coloration is dull, usually grayish or brownish. Against this background, transverse dark spots are located on the back and tail. A row of smaller dark spots stretches along the sides of the body. On the head, dark spots form a clear pattern. From the eye to the corner of the mouth, like many snake snakes, there is a dark stripe. The underside of the body is usually whitish or yellowish.

The range of the common muzzle

The common muzzle is very widespread. It is found in the Caucasus, in Central Asia, Northern Iran, Northern China, Mongolia and Korea. In Russia, it inhabits the territory from the Lower Volga region through Southern Siberia to Far East.

The habitats of these snakes are surprisingly diverse. It is impossible to say about the muzzle (as about other viper snakes) that it is a forest, steppe or mountain view. It can be found in forests, and in the steppes, and in semi-deserts, and in rocky or sandy deserts, and along the banks of rivers, and in swampy floodplain valleys, and in subalpine meadows. In the mountains, it rises to a height of up to 3000 meters.

Depending on the climatic conditions, weather, nature of the habitat, the common cottonmouth can be active during the day or at night, or only at dusk, or both during the day and at night.

What does the common muzzle eat?

He hunts for any animals of suitable sizes for him. First of all, these are various mammals, birds, lizards. But scorpions and spiders, insects (mainly orthoptera, the favorite food of the steppe viper), fish and frogs, as well as snakes, were also found in the stomachs of the muzzle. Such animals, which, like the common muzzle, master the most different places habitats, active at different times of the day and at different weather, feed on all possible feeds, are called ecologically plastic. Obviously, it is precisely because of this that the common muzzle is so widespread.

Reproduction of common muzzle

Like many other viper snakes, female muzzle bear live young, which are born in translucent shells and are immediately released from them. In the litter of one female, there are from 2 to 12 small muzzles, the body length of which is 15-20 centimeters. In coloring, they are no different from adults. For the first period of their life, the cubs feed on invertebrates, and then move on to larger prey.

The bite of the muzzle causes a serious illness in a person, which, however, almost always ends in a complete recovery in five to seven days.

The venom of the muzzle, like other viper snakes, is used in pharmacology.

Gyurza snake

Gyurza (Vipera lebetina) is a large snake that has a blunt snout and sharply protruding temporal corners of the head. From above, the head of the snake is covered with ribbed scales, and the supraorbital scales are small - this is a distinctive feature of the gyurza from other types of vipers. The thick and short body has a grayish-sandy or reddish-brown color with a number of dark brown or orange spots transversely elongated along the back. There are a number of smaller dark spots on the sides of the body. The head of the reptile is plain, without a pattern. Dark spots are located on the underside of the body, which is painted in light gray. General background the coloration is very diverse, and single-colored individuals are not excluded. The color of the gyurza depends on its habitat and makes it possible to disguise itself, become invisible to its victim. Males and females have different body lengths (up to 1.6 m, up to 1.3 m, respectively).

Gyurza habitats

Gyurza is a fairly common type of snake. Their habitat is very extensive: from Central to North Africa, Eastern Mediterranean, countries of the Middle East and North-West India. Various subspecies of gyurza are not rare on the islands of Crete, Milos, Kimolos, Polinos and Sifnos. Gyurza habitats on the territory of the post-Soviet states are Transcaucasia and Eastern Ciscaucasia, Southern Turkmenistan, Southern and Eastern Uzbekistan, Western Tajikistan and the extreme south of Kazakhstan.

Under the name "gyurza" this snake is known in the Caucasus and throughout Central Asia. In other countries, its name is the eastern or Levant viper. In addition, it is known by numerous local names (names) used by the population. Gyurza is characterized by fairly similar habitats throughout the vast range of its residence. As a rule, these are dry foothills, mountain gorges and slopes overgrown with sparse shrubs, cliffs in river valleys. In the mountains, this snake lives no higher than 1.5 km above sea level. It is not particularly afraid of people, therefore it does not avoid cultivated lands, the banks of irrigation canals, gardens and vineyards, and can also crawl into non-residential or residential premises on the outskirts of villages. Various quiet, secluded places serve as shelters - burrows of rodents and other medium-sized mammals, crevices in rocks, ravines in river cliffs or fences made of stones. Snakes are quite mobile, most prone to seasonal migrations individuals living on the slopes of mountains. Snakes hibernate in large groups in rock crevices, after wintering they spread around the surroundings.

Summer snake migration is associated with temperature regime- with the start summer heat they go down to the foot of the rocks, closer to the water. In August - even lower, to the reservoirs, where they quench their thirst and appetite, hunting birds flying to the watering place.

In the heat, gyurzes love to swim, and also drink a lot of water. The spring release of the first gyurz occurs in March - April. At this time they are very passive, wake up after hibernation, basking in the sun near their winter dwellings and do not immediately start hunting. During this period, the vipers are active during the day, and at night they climb into secluded places. With the onset of heat, the way of life of snakes also changes, they gradually become active at dusk, and then at night. In the summer months, the gyurza is active on the surface at sunset and in the first half of the night. With the onset of autumn coolness, they are diurnal animals again, until they leave for the winter in October.

Gyurzes are a large population of snakes. So, in a typical habitat you can meet up to 4 individuals per 1 ha, and in August-September near the water you can count up to 20 specimens per 1 ha. The young prey on small lizards - geckos and foot-and-mouth disease. In Central Asia, young vipers annoy the fast foot-and-mouth disease the most.

Gyurza nutrition

The menu of grown snakes includes small mammals (gray hamsters, voles, house mice). Adult individuals easily overcome and eat: gerbils, jerboas, rats, small hares, amphibians. Phalanxes, small turtles and their eggs are present in small numbers on their menu. Usually medium-sized animals make up a large proportion of the snake's diet.

Certain types of gyurza in spring and autumn quite often hunt for birds. At the same time, in some populations of gyurz that live in Uzbekistan on the Nuratau ridge, birds during the autumn migration make up more than 90% of their entire diet. The ways of hunting for birds by gyurz are the most diverse - from waiting for a feathered victim on bushes and trees to setting up an ambush near springs and lying in wait for birds at a watering place. Their victims are birds ranging in size from a small sparrow to a turtledove, but mostly passerines.

The tactics of snakes living in vineyards are somewhat different. In autumn, snakes crawl onto vines and hide, hiding near a bunch of ripe berries. Sparrow flocks that fly for grapes fall into gyurze. The snake seizes the bird with lightning speed and does not let it out of its mouth, so that the victim does not escape, and it does not have to climb down to the ground. After 1 minute, the poison paralyzes the bird, and the snake immediately swallows it and guards the next careless victim.

Reproduction of gyurza

April May - mating season at gyurz. In early autumn, kites are born. However, they appear in different ways. In most of the territory of their residence, live cubs (live birth) are born at the Gyurza, and in Central Asia, she lays eggs. Their incubation period is up to 40 days. The laid eggs are covered with a thin, translucent shell, the embryos are quite developed. A thin shell is needed so that it is easier for grown-up babies to get out and get enough oxygen. Having made a small hole in the egg shell before leaving, the snakes are in no hurry to leave their shelter for more than a day.

The cubs hatched from the eggs are 23-24 cm long and weigh 10-14 g. The total number of eggs in the clutch or newborn snakes is 15-20 pieces. However, there are exceptions, a case was recorded when one large female viper in captivity laid 43 eggs.

Gyurza behavior

The appearance of the gyurza - its thick and curvy body, can mislead an ignorant person, suggesting that she is slow and clumsy. In fact, this is a very dexterous and intelligent creature: it climbs the branches perfectly, on the ground it is capable of quick and unexpected movements, jumping, seeing danger, quickly crawls away and hides. If she creates an obstacle that threatens the situation, then the gyurza begins to hiss loudly and menacingly and make a sharp throw with her whole body towards the enemy. Large snakes make these throws-jumps for the entire length of their body, so the catcher is forced to react quickly by jumping to the side. Gyurza has an unusually magnificent powerful and muscular body. It is very difficult to hold a large gyurza in your hand. The snake is trying with all its might not only to wriggle out, but also to sting the offender (catcher), and sometimes even biting through its lower jaw.

Gyurza poison

The bite of a gyurza is very dangerous for humans. When bitten by a snake, about 50 mg of venom enters the body, which is very toxic and inferior in its toxicity only to cobra venom.

The composition of the gyurza poison includes enzymes that can destroy red blood cells and the walls of blood vessels, causing blood clotting.

Therefore, after a snake bite, numerous internal and subcutaneous hemorrhages appear, small vessels rupture under the action of the poison, a very strong edema appears in the bite area, large and medium-sized blood vessels are clogged, because. blood clotting occurs. All this is accompanied by severe pain, dizziness, vomiting. If appropriate measures are not taken, then the outcome is very unfavorable, up to death (up to 10% of cases). Timely and qualified assistance with the use of anti-venom serum avoids a fatal outcome from a bite of a gyurza. However, in medicine and pharmacology, gyurza poison is widely used.

Therefore, in the former USSR, special snake nurseries were created, where poison was extracted from snakes. These nurseries were located in Tashkent, Frunze and Termez. Gyurzas were kept there in large numbers. These snakes are hardy, live longer than other reptiles in captivity and give a relatively large amount of poison, mainly 0.1-0.2 g (in dry form) per capture (milking). This poison is used to obtain antivenom serum and for the manufacture of various medicines. In terms of its properties, the venom of the gyurza is unique and surpasses the poisons of almost all viper snakes. The chemical composition and properties are very similar to the venom of the chain viper. Scientists from the poison of the gyurza created the drug lebetox, which is necessary for people who are sick with hemophilia (a genetic disease - congenital blood incoagulability). This drug is used to treat hemophilia of various etiologies.

In addition, gyurza venom is used to diagnose various complex diseases, such as malignant tumors in the early stages of development and leprosy. Pharmacology widely uses gyurza poison, it may contain drugs to lower blood pressure, pain relief and treatment of bronchial asthma, rheumatic fever, sciatica, and neuralgia. Due to the high value of gyurza venom, zoologists are studying the habitat of gyurza, identifying mass accumulations - snake foci. In such places, snake sanctuaries are created, snakes are protected here, their livestock serves as a replenishment for snake nurseries, where snake venom is obtained.

A cobra bite is less painful and causes less swelling. Disorders of speech and swallowing, blackout of consciousness, paralysis of motor muscles develop rapidly. Death can occur within 1-6 hours from paralysis of the respiratory muscles.

First aid for a snake bite.

When bitten by a snake, first of all try to suck the poison out of the wound as soon as possible, constantly spitting it out. This can be done by the victim himself or by someone nearby. For sucking poison, this is not dangerous. Even if he has wounds or abrasions in his mouth, nothing threatens him, since the effect of any poison depends on the dose per kilogram of body weight. And the amount of poison that can enter the body during suction is so small that it cannot cause harm.

Cutting the bite site for better discharge of poison is not recommended. This threatens with infection, often damage to the tendons, which can lead to disability.

After suctioning the poison, you need to limit the mobility of the victim. If the leg is bitten, it is necessary to bandage it to the other, if the hand, then fix it in a bent position. The victim is advised to drink more - water, tea, broth. It is better to refrain from coffee, as it has a stimulating effect.

You can wash the wound with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate, put cold on the bite site.

Under no circumstances should a tourniquet be applied! Firstly, it does not prevent the penetration of the poison into the overlying tissues, and secondly, the tourniquet, especially with the bites of viper and viper, pinching the blood vessels, contributes to an even greater metabolic disorder in the tissues of the affected limb. As a result, the processes of necrosis and decay are intensified, which is fraught with severe complications.

Cauterization of the bite site is ineffective, because the length of the snake's poisonous teeth sometimes reaches more than a centimeter. The poison penetrates deep into the tissues, and superficial cauterization is not able to destroy it. And at the site of cauterization, a scab is formed, under which suppuration begins.

A person who has been bitten by a snake is strictly forbidden to drink alcohol. Alcohol is not an antidote, as some believe, but, on the contrary, by making it difficult to remove the poison from the body, it enhances its effect.

Remember the main thing - after a snake bite, a person must be taken to a medical facility as soon as possible, even if it seems that the danger has already passed.

RECIPES OF THE HOME DOCTOR
For snakebites in the lower part of the body, it is good to take hot baths up to the waist with a decoction of Veronica grass (any kind of this plant will do).

Veronica officinalis

For 3 days, apply fresh yeast to the snake bite site, changing it every hour. It is even better to alternate these applications with crushed garlic applications, changing one for another every hour.

Pick up nettles, grind with salt, tie to the wound with snake bites. Change twice a day.

Olive oil to insist on the flowers of St. John's wort.

St. John's wort

Drink 1 tbsp. spoon 3 times a day, at the same time drink 2 glasses of hot tea from St. John's wort flowers, adding a little vinegar to the tea. Apply 3-4 days for snake bites until swelling subsides.

Mix well 1 part of crushed garlic and 4 parts of vinegar, insist in a closed cabinet for 7 days. Lubricate painful places with scorpion bites, snakes - the remedy protects against many poisons.

Vipers cause fear and panic in many people, but still they are very beautiful animals with interesting external characteristics and habits. You can verify this by the example of an ordinary viper, which is often called brown, gray, forest and rattlesnake, Siberian.

Description and characteristics of the common viper

If little is known about some varieties of reptiles, then any herpetologist probably knows who such an ordinary viper is. General information about her can be found in many sources, but it is likely that not all aspects of her life have been thoroughly studied. Let's learn more about this variety of poisonous snakes.

What does it look like

The common viper belongs to the viper family, but has its own individual characteristics. They are inherent in both the habits of the animal and its appearance:

1. body length- no more than 65 cm, but specimens up to 90 cm long were seen on the Scandinavian Peninsula (females are always larger than males).
2. The weight- an average of about 200 g, but there are individuals weighing 1 kg.
3. Head- flattened, and separated from the rest by a short neck, the muzzle is rounded, and in the upper part three large thyroid regions are clearly visible: the frontal and two parietal (sometimes one more develops between them). The nostrils are located at the bottom of the nasal shield, and above the eyes are overhanging supraorbital shields, because of which the snake seems angry.
4. torso- in its middle part it is covered with 21 scales, while the number of abdominal growths varies between 132-158 pieces (a male from a female can also be distinguished by this feature, because males always have fewer scales). In the caudal zone, there are 32-46 pairs of scales in males and 23-38 in females.
5. Color- changeable. The main background is gray, light brown, brown or reddish with a copper overflow. Along the ridge, the main background is complemented by a zigzag pattern. The belly can be grey, grey-brown or completely black, in rare cases with white spots. General form complements a yellow, orange or red tail. In some regions where common vipers live, 50% are black varieties, the so-called melanistic vipers.

Studying information about the viper, it would be useful to find out: does it swim in the water and can it bite in aquatic environment. Representatives of the described species are good swimmers, which allows them to catch frogs and small fish. They usually do not attack first, but if a person hooks a snake, then it is unlikely that they will be able to avoid a bite.

Did you know? The name "viper" comes from the word "gad", which our ancestors meant "disgusting animal".

Where are found

Encounter a common viper in wild nature, it is possible on the territory of European and Asian countries, but basically it lives only in places with reduced temperature indicators (it often settles in mountainous areas, at an altitude of up to 2.6 km above sea level). He equips his dwelling in bushes, oak trees, birch groves and next to marshy forest areas.
Life span in natural environment habitat - 10-15 years, but many individuals do not live up to 10(this is especially true for females, which often give birth). It is difficult to say exactly how long ordinary vipers live at home, because much depends on the conditions of their maintenance and proper nutrition.

What do they eat

The main components of the diet of the described predator are:

• small and medium rodents;
• amphibians;
• lizards;
• small birds whose nests are located on the ground.

• bugs;
• locusts;
• butterfly caterpillars;
• ants;
• slugs
• earthworms.

How they breed

The common viper is a viviparous snake, the mating season of which falls on May (the birth of new individuals is closer to the end of the summer season). However, offspring will appear or not, depends on a number of factors, among which the age of the “future mother” is in the first place. Unlike many other reptiles, this variety of viper rarely survives after several years of active reproduction, but if you take into account the period before puberty, then the total life expectancy will average 5-7 years.

Young individuals appear from eggs while still in the mother's body, and fully formed and independent animals are born into the world, which do not require the help of the mother from the very first minutes after birth. Most of these snakes do not build nests, and their birth process is very unusual. As soon as the female feels the approach of labor activity, she crawls onto a stump or tree trunk, tightly wraps around it, leaving only the tail hanging down.
Appearing serpents fall to the ground and immediately crawl away. The longer the female, the more offspring she will give, but on average she gives birth to 8-12 young individuals at a time.

Important! Before their first hibernation (usually occurs in October-November), young vipers stop looking for food in order to digest the food already in the body and prevent metabolic disturbances during sleep.

Where and how do they winter

The wintering of common vipers begins from the moment hibernation begins (October–November) and continues until mid-spring (the exact timing depends on the characteristics of the climatic region of residence). Settling down for the winter, the snake seeks out the most suitable depression in the soil - usually someone's holes or just cracks in the ground and descends to a depth of about two meters. At such a distance from the surface of the earth, the temperature remains within +2 ... +4 ° C all winter, which is perfect for these reptiles.
If there are few suitable places, then several vipers can be accommodated in one hole, which, with the advent of spring, will crawl out and crawl in different directions.

natural enemies

The biggest enemy of the common viper is man, who constantly cuts down forests and changes the landscape, thereby leaving the animal without shelter. Besides, in European countries these snakes are caught and resold in private terrariums, and in Romania, poison is also extracted from them. However, people are not the only danger for vipers, there are enough those in the forest itself who can harm them.

Among the animals main enemy- This is a hedgehog with good immunity to snake venom. When attacking, he bites his victim and immediately curls up into a ball, pointing needles. This continues until she weakens and dies. The external attractiveness of the hedgehog is very deceiving, because it is one of the most active predators that eats snakes with pleasure.
Other natural enemies of the common viper include:

• foxes;
• badgers;
• ferrets;
• eagles;
• sometimes storks.

Did you know? According to approximate calculations, 70 milliseconds is enough for a gray viper to bite and jump back to its original place. It is unlikely that anyone will have time to feel the danger during such a time.

What you need to know about a viper bite

If we are talking about an ordinary viper, there is no doubt about the poisonousness of the snake. However, what happens after her bite depends on the reaction rate of the victim and his environment. For a healthy adult, the venom of this snake rarely becomes fatal, but if an animal has bitten a child, it is better to take him to the hospital as soon as possible in order to definitely exclude the possibility of death.

Bite symptoms

Whether it is possible to die from a snake bite and whether the poison of a particular viper is deadly are undoubtedly important questions, but, in addition to this, there are a number of other symptoms that, although they cannot kill, are unpleasant consequences for a person of a snake attack. In the case of an ordinary variety of vipers, first of all it is worth highlighting:

• throbbing pain in the bite area;
• redness and swelling around the wound;
• intoxication of the body, accompanied by dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive sweating and tachycardia;
• increase in body temperature.

Important! In rare cases, these symptoms can persist for up to a year, but this happens only with self-treatment.

First aid

Often people have no idea what to do if bitten by a snake, especially away from the city and first aid stations. However, it is first aid that will help reduce the level of risk in each case.
Among the main recommendations are the following:

• try to calm down and apply a compressive bandage (just do not tourniquet);
• reduce the load on the injured limb as much as possible, up to its immobilization;
• make sure you drink plenty of water;
• if possible, suck out the poison from the wound, after rinsing your mouth well (this will help reduce the likelihood of bacterial flora entering the body).

What is strictly forbidden to do

Knowing the rules of first aid after a viper bite will significantly reduce the rehabilitation period for the victim, but this is only if all actions are performed correctly. Along with the list of necessary manipulations, there is also a list of undesirable ones, among which it is worth highlighting:

• transverse incision of the bite site in order to extract the poison;
• cauterization of the wound;
• applying a pressure tourniquet;
• covering with snow.

Consequences of a viper bite All this has long proved its low efficiency, and in some cases, such actions can only complicate the situation.

medical treatment

The antidote for the bite of an ordinary viper should be in any paramedical station located in its habitat. It is in such institutions that it is necessary to deliver the victim, where the doctor will make the appropriate vaccine. The most popular antidote on the territory of the Russian Federation, in this case, is the drug with the eloquent name "Antigadyuka", the analogue of which in Ukraine is the "Serum against common viper venom, horse, purified, concentrated, liquid".

The antibodies present in its composition neutralize toxins, but maximum effectiveness can only be achieved after a few hours. Until the condition of the victim improves, he is left in the hospital, providing symptomatic treatment.
First of all, it is:

• organization of a plentiful drinking regime for the rapid elimination of toxins along with urine;
• the use of antihistamines (for example, Suprastin, Dimedrol, Tavegil), at a dosage of 1-2 tablets, regardless of the age of the victim (in some cases, drugs are given before the introduction of an antidote);
• the use of an antipyretic (for example, "Aspirin");
• the use of a 0.5% solution of "Novocaine", which is used to cut off the bite area;
• anesthesia with the help of any available composition, but only non-narcotic effects;
• the appointment of "Dopamine", "Heptamil" or other similar drugs intended to normalize blood pressure with its sharp decrease;
• a course of antibiotics.

Did you know? Most snakes have well-developed infrared vision, but in order for them to “see” their prey, its temperature must be at least +28 ° C.

Prevention

Even if the venom of a common viper does not kill you, there is little pleasure from a bite, so it is better to prevent it than to deal with the consequences.
The main preventive measures in this case include:

• the use of high rubber shoes when hiking in the forest;
• a thorough examination of the place chosen for rest (it is likely that a snake twisted somewhere under a stone);
• maintaining calm when meeting with a reptile (without unnecessary screams and tantrums, just step aside);
• constant accompaniment of children (do not allow kids to climb bushes and trees);
• if the animal is prepared for an attack and demonstrates this with its appearance, you can retreat only by moving backwards, without turning your back on the predator and without putting your hands forward.

Features of some types of vipers

In addition to the common viper, there are many other types of real vipers in nature: poisonous and not very. Some are found on the territory of Russia and neighboring countries, and when faced with them, it is advisable to understand who exactly you are dealing with.

Nikolsky

Like the snake described above, the Nikolsky viper is often found in certain regions of the Russian Federation and Ukraine (mainly in the direction of Kanev - Kursk - Tambov - Buzuluk, although representatives of the species often penetrate the steppe areas of Samara and Saratov region, in the Southern and Middle Urals).
The average individual of this species reaches a length of 76.5 cm, with a tail length of 8 cm (females are always larger than males). Young snakes are brown in color and have a dark zigzag pattern on the back, which darkens even more closer to three years.

The Nikolsky Viper is poisonous, but the poison is not fatal and does not pose a serious danger to a healthy person (it is completely neutralized by ordinary serum).

Kaznakov's Viper, or as it is also called "Caucasian", is also a representative of the genus of real vipers, and got its name in honor of the director of the Museum of the Caucasus Kaznakov A.N. It is distinguished from the steppe by a bright color (mainly with red, orange and black tones), and it does not matter which population the individual in question is a representative of. This is not the largest snake, but it is difficult to confuse it with others. The body length of the reptile is 45-47 cm, the head is wide, slightly flattened from above with a clearly defined neck.
Habitat - the territory of Turkey, Georgia, Abkhazia and Russia, and on the lands of the latter it is found mainly in the foothills Krasnodar Territory. Viper Kaznakov prefers to settle in alpine meadows and broad-leaved forests.

Did you know? Representatives of this species are included in the International Red List.

Melanist (black)

The black viper melanist is, in fact, the same ordinary viper, only with a completely black body. Even the iris of the snake's eyes does not differ from its general color, however, reddish-copper individuals are sometimes found. The body length does not exceed 75 cm, the head is more oval than triangular, slightly flattened in the upper part.
Adults are always completely black, while juveniles are grey-brown with a zigzag pattern on the back. The snake's habitat is the steppe regions of the European part of the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Usually snakes settle in massifs and oak forests of broad-leaved regions.

Poisonous snake from the genus of African vipers. It grows up to 1.2 m in length, has a flat triangular head with 2-3 pointed scales at the end of the muzzle. It is because of them that the viper got its name. The body is thick and short, covered with a beautiful pattern: double trapeziums on the back blue color, with yellow border and black diamond connections. Representatives of the species are usually found in the equatorial part of the African continent and, unlike previous species, are more dangerous to humans. The rhinoceros viper settles mainly in wet tropical forests, in swampy areas and on the banks of streams and lakes.

Levantine

Viper gyurza (this is how the representatives of this species are called) belongs to the genus of giant vipers, the Viper family. Together with the tail, the length of its body reaches 2 m, with a mass of 3 kg. The head is large and wide, with the same large muzzle. The upper part of the body is grayish-brown, but the pattern may vary: for example, relatively large dark brown spots on the back often turn into small spots on the sides. Habitat - desert, semi-desert and mountain-steppe zones of Africa, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan. It can be found in Transcaucasia and in the southern part of Kazakhstan.

steppe

A relatively large viper, growing on average up to 60 cm in length. The head is slightly elongated, with raised edges of the muzzle. The body is not very massive, brownish-gray in the upper part and light in the middle of the back. A black, zigzag pattern runs along the ridge, although in some cases it is broken into several separate spots. Feeds on small vertebrates and insects.

It lives mainly in European and Asian territory, but is found in some regions of Russia and Ukraine. Feels equally good both on flat terrain and in mountainous areas.

A characteristic feature of the representatives of this species is the unusual structure of the scales on the body, which makes it seem bristly. Males are larger than females and grow up to 73 cm in length, while the length of females does not exceed 58 cm. Body color can be completely different: from red and black to yellow-green and orange-blue. It is found in Central Africa, mainly in the provinces of the Congo and Kenya.

Desert

Another large and rather poisonous viper, found mostly on the semi-arid rocky mountains of southern Morocco, Libya, Algeria and Tunisia (sometimes called sandy or "Sakhalin"). Representatives of this species reach 1.3-1.6 m in length and are distinguished by a grayish-cream body color. On most of the body, gray-brown spots are clearly visible, forming a zigzag pattern.
The so-called Sakhalin viper (distinguished by its smaller body size, but outwardly very similar to the desert viper) is found in the mountain and lowland coniferous-small-leaved forests of some regions of the Russian Federation.

Did you know?Snakes are distinguished by a high level of survivability, which has very interesting evidence in history. So, in 1846, two desert vipers, which at that time were considered dead, were exhibited as exhibits in the British Museum. However, after museum workers lowered one of them into warm water, she began to move and eat again (this fact has not yet been rationally explained).

Asia Minor

It belongs to the group of medium-sized vipers, with a body length of 60-75 cm. In the upper part, the color is gray with a brown tint, and along the ridge there is a row of yellow-orange or brown spots, often merging into one zigzag line. There are two very noticeable dark stripes on the back of the head, and small blackish spots can be seen on the belly. A species of Asia Minor vipers is the Radde viper.
Habitat - the European territory of Greece and Turkey, Armenia, certain mountainous regions of Azerbaijan.

The genus of African vipers has many species, whose representatives reach a length of several tens of centimeters to two meters or even more. One of the most popular and numerous species are dwarf African vipers, with a body length of no more than 32 cm. They have a thick body, gray or reddish-yellow color, with several longitudinal rows of dark spots. The tip of the tail is traditionally black. Found mainly in southern and southeast africa, in desert regions with little vegetation.

Ruzel

Ruzel's viper (aka Russell's snake, chain viper and daboia) is the most famous poisonous reptile in South Asia and India, where the snake is one of the four most poisonous. The maximum body length of Russell's viper is 166 cm, although in the mainland part of the range these figures do not exceed 120 cm.

An arrow-like pattern is clearly visible on the head, with a straight white border, and on a gray-brown body there are dark brown spots in a white border (sometimes they are interconnected).

Woody

African tree vipers are a genus of venomous snakes found in the tropical regions of the African continent. Representatives of different species (for example, rough or green viper) do not grow more than 75 cm in length, and their color can vary from rich green to yellow-red or even blue. Almost all of them choose moist forests for life.

How to get rid of vipers in the country

The experience of experienced summer residents confirms the possibility of meeting with a viper in their area. Snakes crawl not only into the most remote places, but also into houses, so the issue of their quick elimination is often in the first place. To distract them from your home, you can take the following steps:

• mow tall vegetation;
• take out large stones, lumber and other debris that can serve as a shelter for reptiles;
• eliminate small rodents and eliminate their holes, which also attract snakes;
• enclose the site with a fence dug into the soil by 5 cm and with cells no more than 5 cm.

• spreading mustard (1 kg is enough for 10 acres);
• planting garlic in different corners of the site;
• burning car tires (the smell will scare away vipers);
• scattering mothballs, saltpeter, ammophoska, garden herbicide (you can soak rags in them and scatter them in the garden and around the house);
• hanging rattles, Chinese bells and other products “noisy” in the wind in the garden (snakes love peace and quiet, and this will disturb it).

Video: How to get rid of snakes in the area Using all these methods, most likely you will not have to think about how to kill vipers, but if they are still massively gathering on your territory, then you will have to call in professionals. There are services that specialize in catching snakes and taking them far beyond private property. In addition, they know how to properly eliminate the reason for their constant return (for example, poison rodents). When hiking in the forest or being on private property, do not forget about the safety rules. Even when meeting with a dangerous animal, attacks can be avoided if you know exactly who you are dealing with and what are the behavioral characteristics of a particular viper.

A meeting with a snake in your own area can happen to any summer resident. For most people, especially women, such a neighborhood only causes panic, a desire to lock themselves at home, and in some cases even get rid of the dangerous area.However, a snake found in the grass is not a reason to leave your favorite place. Knowing the characteristics and habits of the animal, you can not only protect yourself from a bite, but also try to force the snakes to leave your territory.

common viper

In the middle lane, you can most often meet with an ordinary black or light gray viper with a zigzag stripe on its back. The length of the snake usually does not exceed 70-75 cm. Vipers are active at night and in the early morning. Animals usually sleep during the day.

According to statistics, about 0.5% of those bitten die from a viper bite. Basically, these are small children with an immature immune system.

habitats

Snakes are secretive and do not tolerate extreme heat. They live, as a rule, in mixed forests in tall grass or berry fields located in the vicinity of a swamp or other body of water. During the daytime, they hide in abandoned rodent burrows, under fallen tree trunks, stones or rotten stumps.

Sometimes vipers settle on sparsely inhabited overgrown summer cottages in tall grass, haystacks, rubbish heaps, construction debris or woodpile.

Prevention of the appearance of vipers on the site

Mow the grass regularly and put things in order on your site - throw out unnecessary trash, sort out logs and boards, clear the space under the barn and other buildings. It is desirable that this is done not only by you, but also by your neighbors.

Attract hedgehogs to the site. Vipers do not tolerate such a neighborhood.

Get rid of mice and voles. The snakes will have nothing to eat and they will crawl away in search of food.

Snakes feel the vibrations of the soil well. It is believed that they avoid places where ultrasonic mole repellers are installed.

It is believed that vipers do not like noise and knocking on the ground. To scare away on bushes and tree branches, you can hang pieces of plywood or tin that will tinkle in the wind.

Snakes do not tolerate saltpeter and herbicides. If necessary, to scare away animals, you can treat the perimeter of the site with them. Before doing this, it is important to make sure that there are no snakes on the site itself. Otherwise, processing is simply meaningless.

In extreme cases, you can always contact the specialists at the disinfection station.

How to detect

The fact that your site was visited by a snake can be recognized by the characteristic tape trail on a sandy path or garden bed. Sometimes you can find the remains of a snake skin or dead bodies of mice and frogs, which make up the main diet of the animal.

What to do in case of an unexpected meeting with a viper

Vipers generally do not attack first, except when they are guarding their egg clutches.

Before the attack, the snake begins to hiss and takes a threatening posture, giving the person the opportunity to leave.

Therefore, if you accidentally meet a snake, in no case tease or attack it, do not put your hand forward - the snake can take these gestures for an attack and respond.

The best thing you can do in case of an unexpected encounter with a viper is to calmly leave, or freeze, giving it the opportunity to crawl away on its own.

Remember, the animal has a fairly quick reaction and is able to make sudden throws for a third of its length.

If the viper has bitten

At the site of the bite left by the viper, two deep stab wounds are clearly visible. The first emergency aid for a bite consists in the immediate and intensive suction of the poison from the wound for 10-15 minutes. It is best if this is done by a person who has not been bitten. Before suction, the fold of skin at the site of the bite must be squeezed, slightly opening the wounds. Poison during suction should be regularly spit. Snake venom that has fallen on the oral mucosa and even in the stomach is not dangerous for humans. However, after suction, the mouth should be rinsed with water or a solution of potassium permanganate.

When the poison is sucked out in the first minutes after the bite, up to 50% of the poison is removed from the body, which greatly facilitates the process of intoxication.

After that, the wound is treated with alcohol, iodine or vodka (if none of the above is at hand, urine) and a loose bandage is applied, which is loosened as edema develops.

The bitten person must be provided with a stationary horizontal state, which maximally prevents the spread of poison in the body. In this case, it is desirable to fix the affected organ. After all of the above activities, you can contact emergency assistance.

What not to do when bitten by a viper

No need to try to catch and kill the snake that bit you, as well as immediately and independently try to get to the medical facility - you will lose precious time in providing emergency care.

You can not shake the bitten limb and move actively - in this way you contribute to the rapid spread of poison throughout the body.

You should not cauterize the bite site - the viper's teeth penetrate the skin to a depth of 1 cm, so it is unlikely that it will be possible to destroy the poison by heating.

It is also impossible to cut the wound - this can provoke bleeding and cause an additional infection.

In no case should a tourniquet be applied - this will provoke an increase in intoxication and, in extreme cases, may result in amputation of the limb.

How to protect yourself from a snake bite

Vipers most often bite on the legs when they are stepped on. Going for a walk in the forest, as well as in any other places where it is possible to meet a viper, wear loose trousers and rubber boots with thick soles. It is convenient to examine suspicious places with a long stick, thus protecting the hand from being bitten.

Always be alert and do not make sudden, thoughtless movements.

It is important to see the positive in any situation. If you find a viper in your area, you should know that you live in an ecologically clean place. Snakes are very picky, and choose only the cleanest places in terms of ecology for life.

When it comes to the dangers that await a person at every corner, they first of all remember poisonous snakes. Undoubtedly, one of the brightest and most famous representatives of this group of animals is the viper.

The viper is a venomous snake. Its body can reach up to half a meter in length. However, it can have a completely different color. Quite often you can find individuals with a yellow, copper-red, brown, gray or brown tint. A single common feature for all subspecies of vipers is the presence of a dark zigzag on the back, located along the entire surface of the body. The body of the viper itself is quite thick, and females are usually slightly larger than males.

The head of the viper has a slightly flattened shape, in its upper part, as a rule, you can see three shields - frontal and two parietal. The central of them - the frontal - has an almost rectangular shape. It is located between the eyes, and a little behind it are the parietal shields. To many, the viper seems unusually vicious because of its vertical pupils, but this is due only to the peculiarities of the anatomy, and in no way affects the emotions of the snake.

The common viper is very widespread. Most often it is found in the steppe and forest-steppe zones, as well as in forest glades, overgrown swamps, in floodplains and on the banks of lakes overgrown with reeds. In addition, vipers can live in mountainous areas at an altitude of up to 2000 meters. Sometimes individuals can gather in large clusters, called snake clusters, in which there can be about a thousand snakes per 1 hectare of land.

The habitat of vipers is limited to the European part of Russia, many regions of the Far East and Siberia. It is also widespread in France, Italy, Great Britain, in northern Greece and in the European part of Turkey.

The mating season for vipers begins in mid-May and ends in June. The first offspring appears in August. Vipers are ovoviviparous animals. Cubs are born already quite independent, up to 15-17 cm long and already poisonous. Newborn vipers almost immediately experience their first molt. In the future, snakes molt 1-2 times a month.

Vipers eat a wide variety of food. Their diet depends on the time of year and habitat. The largest part of the viper menu is made up of small mouse-like rodents or small frogs, more often just metamorphoses from a tadpole to an adult. Vipers also prey on bird nests left unattended. They destroy such nests and eat the eggs in them. Sometimes very young chicks become victims of vipers. These snakes do not disdain adult birds of small sizes, for example, finches, as well as various small lizards, for example, spindles. Baby vipers eat insects, sometimes eating butterflies, caterpillars or earthworms. October-November is the period of the first hibernation, and vipers eat almost nothing before this, so that all the food eaten has time to be digested before hibernation.

The peak of activity of vipers falls on the daytime part of the day, especially in the hot season. This time the snakes spend either in the sun, basking in the rays, or in quiet places overgrown with thick grass. When a person approaches, vipers, as a rule, flee. That is why zoologists recommend that hikers wear high boots and trousers while walking through the forest. After all, it happens that a snake (which, by the way, has very poor hearing and focuses only on vibrations) simply does not have time to hear the approach of a person, and, protecting its territory, they use poison.