Arrow snake: description of the species and its features

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

The arrow snake is a native inhabitant of rocky and sandy areas. The reptile is distinguished by the presence of four stripes on a sandy-gray body. Poisonous or not arrow snake? This question is asked by many people. This is what we will now try to figure out.

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The arrow snake got its name for its high speed of movement. The reptile lives in Asia and Kazakhstan and reaches a length of 90 cm. It has a color of the upper body based on a gray palette: olive-gray, sandy or brown. The body has a pointed shape, and the eyes of the arrow are large with a round pupil. Four longitudinal black stripes stretch along the entire body.

The belly of the snake is usually light, sometimes has small gray spots. It differs from other representatives of the already-shaped family by a rather long and slender body. The arrow belongs to poisonous snakes, so you should beware of meeting with a desert dweller. Photos of the arrow snake are presented in the article.

Snake habitats

This species is widespread in the deserts of Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and Central Asia. You can oftenmeet representatives of this species on the rocky slopes of the mountains. The hiding places are usually cracks in the soil, hollow spaces on the stone surface. Quite often the arrow-snake hides in holes of rodents. Most individuals try to stay closer to thickets of a few shrubs. They can also rest there or escape persecution.

Lifestyle

The fast arrow snake, whose description makes it the most interesting and attractive variety of desert creatures, is diurnal. During the daytime, she stays awake and forages for food. The diet of the reptile consists of different types of rodents, swift-footed lizards, roundheads and agamas. Also, the sandy beauty does not disdain some species of her relatives.

For the night, arrows are placed in rodent burrows, climbed under stones or hammered into cracks in the ground. It is not always possible to find a snake lair right away. The camouflage coloration makes this poisonous beauty completely invisible in the sandy terrain.

How does a snake move?

The snake behaves differently than the rest of the family. It can often be seen not curled up, as vipers usually do, but in a straightened form. This is one of the main similarities of the snake with the object after which it is named. The posture of the snake during the stance is also different. Its front part is elongated in a vertical position, and the back is assembled in the form of an accordion.

It is impossible to immediately determine how the snake moves-arrow in the area. Watching the speed of its movement, it may seem that the arrow does not crawl, but flies over sand or stones. Due to its natural protective coloration, it is quite difficult to detect among the branches of trees and shrubs. In the dense foliage of trees, these snakes escape from the sultry heat and from the chase. They perfectly climb branches, can move with rapid jumps from one tree to another. If you catch a snake, then to the touch it will resemble an elastic hard wire covered with leather. All her muscles immediately tense up, at this moment the arrow does not bite, but actively tries to escape from captivity.

How an arrow hunts

When hunting, the snake is always in a certain stance. If you do not look closely, then you can not notice it at all, it is so well masked by its color. As soon as the victim is chosen, the snake makes a lightning throw, which takes a fraction of a second, and the victim is already in the wide mouth of the predator. Live food is captured almost always in the middle of the body, closer to the head. This can be explained by the fact that in this way the arrow deprives the victim of the opportunity to resist. First, she bites the prey, injecting poison, then wraps around and suffocates. After the death of the captured animal or insect, the meal begins.

The hunting process is not always successful. Sometimes you have to go to another place in search of prey. After all, if the snake missed during the throw, then the rodent or lizard instantly retreats, and the arrow rarely rushes in pursuit. It is easier for her to find a new victim, and for this, the branded stance is again adopted.

Is a poisonous snake dangerous-arrow?

Snake venom is needed only to kill prey. Its small poisonous teeth are deep in the mouth, and the poison enters the victim when swallowed deeply. For people, this is completely harmless for the reason that the arrow belongs to peace-loving creatures. If caught, the snake will not even attempt to bite, but will only try to escape from the hands. Therefore, if such an interesting representative of the already-shaped family met on the way, you should not be afraid of her. And the arrow itself will try to retreat instantly.

Deserts and semi-deserts of many countries are home to a large number of snakes, lizards and other interesting animals and insects adapted to this climatic zone. Not all snakes are deadly to humans, even if they are considered poisonous. These species include the arrow snake - a creature that is completely harmless to people.