What people are very interested in is the question of whether snakes are poisonous, how to distinguish them from vipers. But these reptiles of the order of scaly snakes have quite interesting habits, a way of life, and a diet. The snake family is very numerous. There are more than 1500 types of them. Snakes inhabit all continents except Antarctica, they live in various biotopes, including deserts. Fans of home terrariums are happy to breed these reptiles. Snakes are unpretentious, and care for them is the most minimal. It is terrariumists who are most concerned about the question of when and where snakes lay their eggs, how to get he althy offspring. Let's investigate this issue.
Types of snakes
As already mentioned, this is a very large family. It is divided into three groups: real, false snakes and snakes with copperheads. Consider first the genus Natrix. These are real snakes. There are also hundreds of varieties. The most common of them is Natrix natrix, or the common one. It is found throughout Europe (except the Far North). It is in this form that we form an idea of \u200b\u200bwhat it really is. The photo of this small snake with yellow "ears" serves as a "identikit" for the whole family. Wrong opinion! There are species of snakes without yellow spots - for example, Natris tesselata, which lives in the reservoirs of Western Europe, Moldova and Ukraine. Not to mention snakes, rather large snakes, and copperheads. But they also belong to the snakes. Meet among this diverse family and poisonous species. It's just that their secret is not dangerous to humans and, in the worst case, can only lead to swelling around the bite site.
How to tell a snake from a viper
Two bright orange or yellow spots on the sides of the head are not the only distinguishing mark. In snakes, at least real snakes, as well as some false ones, the pupils are round. Whereas in vipers - slit-like, vertically located. Again, this difference is the rule only in our country. In the tropics, there are snakes with slit-like pupils. The color of the viper - black or dark gray - can be found on the backs and sides of its non-venomous counterparts. So what types of snakes are found in our country? Natrix is the most widespread in the European part of Russia. The northern border of its range is the latitude of Vologda. The water one is more thermophilic. In our country, it is found only in the southern Volga region, Kuban and on the Don. And, finally, Rhabdophis tigrina, tiger snake, is found in Primorsky Krai. This species deserves a special mention. This is a conditionally poisonous snake 110 centimeters long. Ifif she bites a person with short front teeth, then the wounds are small and there are no symptoms of poisoning. But putting a finger in the mouth of a tiger snake is not recommended - in the literal sense. In the depths of his throat (on the back of the upper jaw) there are also poisonous teeth. The secret causes poisoning that is as severe as a viper's bite.
Where lives
Already, species of which inhabit various landscapes, up to desert ones, nevertheless "loves" water. It prefers moist, swampy forests or grasslands. The snake keeps near the reservoirs, and the water snake lives in them. But they eat prey, and even more so, these reptiles lay their eggs on land. Tree snakes are found in tropical latitudes. Interestingly, they can only crawl up. Climbing up the trunk, this one freezes, taking on the semblance of a branch, watching for birds. To go down, the snake coils up and jumps. In flight, it straightens the body, draws in the stomach and spreads the ribs. It turns out something like a gutter-hang glider, slowing down the fall. In these tree snakes, the pupil is also slit-like, but located horizontally, which allows you to see a three-dimensional image. The ordinary snake, the description of which we have already given, can reach a length of one and a half meters. It is interesting because it does not shy away from human habitation. Females even lay their eggs in chicken coops.
What eats
The main food of these reptiles are frogs, toads, amphibians. However, what it eats depends entirely on its biotype.habitat. In semi-deserts, it feeds on small rodents, eggs, and insects. In the highlands, its diet includes lizards and even snakes. Tree snakes feed on geckos, skinks, gaping birds. The diet of an aquatic species is 60 percent small fish. Young snakes eat tadpoles, insects, newt larvae. There are types of "narrow specialization". For example, fat-headed snakes that live in Southeast Asia are able to get snails out of their shells. They stick two front teeth into the soft body of the mollusk and begin to spin like a corkscrew. Egg-eating snakes live throughout Africa. These are small snakes (75 cm maximum). But they can even swallow chicken eggs. The snake simply stretches on the prey like a stocking. Inside her esophagus there is a "tooth" - a process of the spine that pierces the egg. The liquid drains into the stomach, and the snake spits out the flattened shell.
Funny habits
A person is more likely to meet a snake than a viper. But there are fewer opportunities to catch him, because these reptiles are very agile. In addition, they realize that in a fight with a person they have nothing to defend themselves with. You can meet these snakes with yellow “ears” near housing, as well as in haylofts where snakes lay their eggs. In the spring, these snakes crawl out to bask on thawed patches, on stumps and even on the road. When meeting with a large opponent, he already uses an interesting tactic called "akineza" - a false death. It turns out he has it very convincingly: the body is like a lifeless rope, the eyes are rolled up, the mouth is convulsively open, the tongue has fallen out. Some individualsthey can even let out a few drops of blood from their mouths. For greater persuasiveness, a smelly secret shoots out of the anus. Few people will have the desire to pick up a half-decomposed corpse. But as soon as you move far enough away, the creeping "Lazarus" resurrects and flies away.
Snakes
These are large snakes reaching two or more meters in length. They also have several dozen types. They are also found in our country, especially in the south of the Far East. In the realm of snakes, snakes are excellent sprinters. Small individuals prefer to run away, but large ones can also show aggression towards humans. Despite the fact that snakes are not poisonous, their large, dog-like teeth can cause wounds. The yellow-bellied snake, which is found in Ukraine, in the countries of Transcaucasia and in our Lower Volga region up to the Ural River, is especially aggressive. Being cornered, he rushes right in the face. The spotted snake does not lag behind him in the desire to stand up for himself. Its habitat is Central Asia. And the largest non-venomous snake (unless, of course, you count pythons and boas) is a big-eyed snake. It reaches a length of three and a half meters.
Ceramic
This is a small one. The photo shows a red or brown snake only 50 cm long, which has small dark spots along its back. The copperfish lives in clearings and forest glades, in meadows and in the steppes. Its habitat is from Scandinavia and throughout Europe. We have it in the southern part of the country. Viperophobes mercilessly kill copperheads, confusing them with poisonous snakes. Andin vain. Copperheads themselves eat vipers, and sometimes attack adults. However, they do have poison. But it only works on cold-blooded ones - the bite of a copperfish kills lizards in a matter of seconds. But for humans, it is absolutely harmless. False snakes of Latin America - mussurans - feed exclusively on poisonous snakes. This quality is used by farmers in Brazil and Argentina. They breed Mussuran to protect their dwellings and herds from poisonous snakes, which this false snake eats.
Reproduction
These reptiles mate in the spring, usually in April. Terrariumists need to take this into account. "Wintering" - artificial maintenance of pets at temperatures below +10 degrees for a month - will increase the chances of success. Marriage games for snakes take place without much frills. The male, approaching his larger lady, makes rhythmic nods with his head. If she behaves calmly, he approaches her and presses his lower body against her. Sometimes applicants for a female are much more than one. Then the snakes form the so-called "nuptial ball". Males do not fight or bite each other. They are simply trying to push back the opponent and continue the race themselves. In favorable conditions (for example, in a terrarium), two litters per year can be achieved. If the early spring gave way to frosts, the reproduction of which is not always subject to strict deadlines, can delay the laying of eggs. In this case, an interesting process of incomplete incubation occurs. Embryos develop in mature eggs inside the mother's body.
Pregnancy and birthbrood
Pregnancy lasts an average of three months. Snakes lay their eggs under lying objects, tree roots, in empty burrows, manure, or in rotting plant debris. The number of snakes depends on the size of the female. A snake up to 70 cm long lays about 10 eggs, more than a meter - 15-30. Inside the shell is a large yolk surrounded by a thin layer of protein. The eggs of the common grass snake resemble those of a pigeon. But they are fastened "in beads" with a gelatinous substance. Between the periods when the snakes lay their eggs and when the cubs appear, three weeks pass. Newborns are 15 centimeters long, but already fully viable. They feed on worms, snails and various insects. Young growth is easily tamed, takes food from hands.
