Not all people are attracted to venomous snakes, and few people are engaged in breeding them at home. There are among lovers of this type of reptiles those who keep keffiy in the house.
It is impossible to deny the popularity of keffis - snakes that are part of the pit vipers (subfamily) in any way. Today, there are several species of these animals, popular among herpetologists, snake catchers, fakirs and charmers. Each variety is interesting and attractive in its own way.
General information
Kuffia (or spear-headed Asian snakes) belong to the genus of poisonous reptiles of the viper family. This genus unites approximately 30 poisonous species that are common in the Eastern Hemisphere. They got their name for their characteristic appearance, strongly reminiscent of a spear. The head, which has a triangular shape and a sharp muzzle, is sharply separated from the body.
Keffiyeh snakes lead either tree or ground imagelife. Activity is mainly observed at night and twilight. The main diet is frogs, small rodents and birds.
Varieties
The largest species is keffiyeh habu, found on the islands of Amami and Okinawa. Its length reaches up to 2.5 meters (more details later in the article). Other species, as a rule, do not exceed one meter.
The most famous is a very beautiful temple keffiyeh, common on the islands of the Malay Archipelago (in the east it reaches Sulawesi, and in the north - the Philippines). This variety is remarkable for its bright coloration: on a black-green background there are bright yellow transverse rings, the upper part of the head is colored yellow.
Many locals keep them in the trees near their houses. In their opinion, this ensures well-being. The snake got its name due to the fact that a large number of such reptiles were kept on the island of Penang (the western coast of the Mallak Peninsula), in the Serpent Temple.
Very beautiful blue keffiyeh (Komodo). Her body is painted in a wonderful blue color.
Other types of keffiyeh:
- white-lipped;
- Kalimantan;
- horned;
- spearhead;
- elegant;
- yellow-spotted;
- redtail;
- yellow-green;
- slender;
- bamboo;
- large-scaled;
- Malabra;
- Thai;
- Tibetan;
- sharp;
- coastal;
- flat-nosed;
- Sumatra;
- Ceylonese;
- and many more.
White-lipped keffiyeh
The coloration of this tree climbing snake is light green. Males have a white stripe above the upper labials. The length of the snake reaches 82 centimeters. Activity is more pronounced at night. She usually hides among the branches of trees, so it is quite possible to stumble upon her in the forest. It is one of the most poisonous of the many varieties of keffiyeh.
Males are usually smaller than females, but their colors are no less attractive. The upper part of the head and back are bright green, the areas below the eyes are yellow or pale green, the belly is white, yellowish or green, and the tip of the tail is light brown. The snake has fibrinolytic and neuroparalytic venom with a thrombotic effect. It is dangerous, but there are few deaths. Life expectancy is up to 12 years.
Representatives of this variety of keffiyi snake can be found on the territory of many states. These are Vietnam, Thailand, northern and northeastern parts of India, some areas of China, Indonesia and Malaysia. It prefers evergreen forests of the tropics and secondary bamboo forests and shrubs growing along roads.
A snake is not considered very dangerous for a person and there are relatively few deaths from its bite, but care must be taken when keeping such a pet.
Yellow-green keffiyeh
This variety does not have a brightcoloration, like other species, due to which it is perfectly camouflaged in its habitat. Its length reaches 1.2-2.5 meters, weight - up to 3.5 kg. The head is rather large, flat and widened in the region of the occiput. Coloring - light olive or yellow-green with dark spots. The belly is white.
Prefers to settle in meadows and mountain forests, near human settlements. A yellow-green snake moves through the trees, the period of peak activity is at night.
This variety is the most aggressive of all keffis. True, among humans, fatal cases after bites are relatively rare.
About security measures
Collectors around the world have always been attracted to exotic animals and reptiles. When dealing with venomous specimens, care should be taken when handling them.
Basic requirements for snake breeders:
- place terrariums away from bedrooms, best placed in a separate room;
- constantly check the tightness of the container lid;
- when cleaning and in contact with keffiyeh, use thick rubber gloves;
- do not tease the animal and do not pick it up (it is a poisonous and wild creature);
- put food in the terrarium with special chopsticks, which can also be used when cleaning up leftover food;
- in case of a bite, there should always be an antidote in the first-aid kit (will prevent pain and other unpleasant consequences);
- beginners in breeding keffiy snakes should choose to startrepresentatives of calm varieties (for example, temple keffiyeh).
In conclusion
The word keffiyeh is also called a quadrangular scarf (gutra or shemagh), which, when folded (triangle), is used as a headdress by men in Arab countries, which has nothing to do with snakes. Attached to it is also a ukal - a hoop used to hold this scarf on the head. Keffiyeh is widespread among the inhabitants of the Arabian Desert and the Sahara, the Sinai and Arabian Peninsulas, in northern Africa and eastern Asia, as well as in the countries of the Persian Gulf. More often the Arabian keffiyeh is worn with a black band.
This tradition has developed in Arabia, even before the adoption of Islam by the local population. On the ancient drawings preserved in these places, men are depicted with pieces of multi-colored fabrics on their heads, with hoops strengthening them. Today, checkered keffis (red and black), which appeared in the 20s of the last century, are very popular.
