If it does bite. How dangerous is it for humans and how to distinguish it from other snakes and vipers. Is it really dangerous for humans?

A trip to the forest to pick mushrooms or just a walk in nature can give a person a lot of unpleasant moments (see). Often in forests and fields, people encounter snakes - ancient reptiles that have lived on earth for millions of years. There are quite a few varieties of snakes. Some are considered dangerous to humans (see), others cause a lot of unpleasant sensations (including pain), while others do not pose any threat to human life at all. It is very important to be able to distinguish dangerous snakes from harmless ones, so many people have a question: is the grass snake poisonous?

Snakes are often confused with vipers, and this ignorance of the variety of snakes becomes dangerous for humans (see). Much more muscular and larger than a viper, its skin is covered with scales. The snake has two yellow spots on its head, shaped like “ears.” It is very rare to find a reptile without these identifying marks. The body is mostly a single color, brown or gray-green. Vipers have a diamond-shaped pattern on their bodies. The pupil of the eye is always round, poisonous viper the pupil is vertical and constricted.

How do snakes live?

Snakes live everywhere; these snakes can be found in forests, fields, meadows, near ponds and reservoirs. The snake is about a meter long, females are larger than males, reaching a length of 1.5 meters, but large individuals have also been encountered. The largest one reached a length of about 3 meters. Reptiles feed mainly on small amphibians (frogs, lizards, newts). Juveniles hunt insects, tadpoles and small fish.

The snake tracks its prey, and then uses a throw to attack the prey. Sometimes snakes chase frogs. They grab their future food by the head or hind legs and then swallow it whole. The snake can attack small warm-blooded animals, such as rodents or chicks. They live in holes under rotten trees in a pile of leaves.

They breed from May to June. In winter, the snake hibernates. With the arrival of spring, it wakes up, sheds its old skin (molts) and begins to look for partners for mating. Shedding occurs in different ways: sometimes the snake’s skin comes off the body entirely (like a stocking). But it happens that the old stratum corneum falls off in pieces. In this case, the snakes rub their bodies against stones and trees, trying to free themselves from the old skin. A fertilized female lays eggs in a warm and damp place (a pile of rotten leaves, compost, rotten stumps). After 5-6 weeks, small snakes hatch from the eggs.

In warm weather sunny days The snake loves to bask in the sun, so it can be found in the grass of lawns and fields. In nature, these snakes have quite a lot of enemies. Snakes often become prey for storks, snake eagles, and kites. Of the terrestrial predators, martens, raccoon dogs, minks and foxes are considered dangerous to snakes. In most cases, rats destroy snake nests by eating their eggs and newly hatched snakes.

Is it really dangerous for humans?

Despite the fact that it belongs to snakes, it is not poisonous. There have been many cases when these reptiles crawled into a person’s home without causing him any harm. Villagers said that snakes entered the cattle barn and sucked on the cow's udder to drink milk. The cow did not suffer from such a guest, since the snake did not bite through the skin of the animal.

Snakes love water very much. On hot days summer days snakes can be found near water bodies or ponds. The reptile feels great under water, swims quite quickly, leaving behind small ripples in the water. The snake can swim several tens of meters from the shore and stay calmly underwater for half an hour. It is quite easy to see a swimming reptile; it raises its head high from the water. If you encounter a snake in the water on a hot day, you should not be afraid of it. It is best not to touch the reptile, then it will try to stay away from the person. Snakes are very dexterous and agile, they crawl well through trees.

Do snakes have venom? The reptile has a pair of sharp teeth at the front, just like other snakes. However, these teeth do not contain any poisonous substance. The exception is the tiger snake, which has poisonous back teeth, but uses them only when swallowing caught prey. For humans, this does not pose any particular danger. The tiger snake lives in the Primorsky Territory, Khabarovsk, Korea and Japan. Since its poison is considered low-toxic, it does not cause harm to humans. In order to bite with its back teeth, the snake needs to deepthroat a person’s hand.

Attention! In Japan, there are known cases of severe intoxication of people after an encounter with a tiger snake. There were even deaths recorded! And for small children and people with allergies, poison tiger snake can be extremely dangerous. In such cases, the victim of a snake bite should be taken to a medical facility as quickly as possible.

Is a snake bite considered dangerous? The common snake, which is found in forests and fields, is harmless to people. The snake will never attack first. It takes a lot of effort to make her angry. Only to save its life can a reptile bite a person. It takes a stance, hisses loudly and lunges like all snakes. His teeth can only damage human skin, leaving small wounds in the form of scratches on it. There is nothing wrong with this; the injured person just needs to treat the snake bite site with any antiseptic. If this is not done, an infection may get into the wound and inflammation will develop.

How can one behave when meeting a person?

In most cases, when trying to catch a snake, a person may smell a very unpleasant odor. This is a peculiar substance secreted by the snake from its cloaca and necessary for protection from predators. The liquid has a yellow color and a strong, repellent odor, so catching a snake is not a pleasant experience.

The reptile can also depict imaginary death. Even if he recently swallowed prey, he regurgitates it, opens his mouth and turns upside down, pretending to be dead. As soon as you move a little away from the snake, it returns to its original body position and tries to crawl away. Snakes are useful reptiles, and there are no vipers in the forest where they live. These two species of snakes constantly compete in nature. It also hunts rodents, thereby exterminating their numbers.

Snakes can be kept as pets, as they are unpretentious. In captivity, the snake feels no less comfortable; it is important to bathe it on time and ensure that there is always clean, fresh water in the terrarium. Snakes very quickly get used to a person; a short time after catching a snake, it ceases to be afraid of a person and can even take food from his hands.

Conclusion

So is it considered a poisonous snake or not? The snake is a rather peaceful animal that does not harm humans. But it’s still not worth trying to catch a reptile, since you can inhale its protective smell, which is felt for a very long time. Snake bites are not dangerous, but they can be very painful for small children.

Already- a snake belonging to the class of mammals. Many of us are terribly afraid of snakes, but should we be afraid? common snake ? Is it dangerous for humans and does it have poison? Today we will answer these questions, and also touch upon the snake’s habitat and find out what it eats in nature, and we will start with its characteristics.

Description of a common snake

Snake length 1 meter, but some individuals grow up to 1.5 meters. His main and characteristic peculiarity– bright spots on the back of the head. They can be orange, yellow and whitish. Quite rarely, only black snakes or faint spots are found, so it is quite easy to recognize the snake. Leather snakes are dark gray, black or light gray in color. Gray individuals may appear as dark spots. Belly The snake is light with a dark stripe from tail to neck. Body of a snake slender, and on some individuals you can see paired brushes, but not on all. Eyes the snakes are round, but there are snakes with “cat eyes”. Tail much shorter than the body, about 3-5 times, with various forms– sharp, steep, rounded. Visible throughout the body scales, some individuals have smooth skin, others have noticeable ribs. The snake has teeth on the top of its mouth, several teeth increase as the throat opens, some teeth small and motionless, in others they bend, there is also a forked language. Lifespan of a common grass snake in nature about 20 years, at home the figure remains the same.

Is the common snake poisonous and is it dangerous for humans?

Generally, snakes safe for humans. They do not know how to bite, but can scratch the skin, and if there is a bite, it is insignificant. Yes and ordinary When he sees a person, he tries to hide as quickly as possible; he flees rather than attacks. But if they are caught by surprise, they hiss and turn their heads as if they want to bite, but they rarely get bitten, and the bite itself heals very quickly. Already- a calm snake, but for the purpose of protection, it can shoot a white-yellow liquid from its teeth, which has an unpleasant odor, and if it does not scare away the observer, it opens its mouth and relaxes its body, feigning death. At this moment, you can see drops of blood from the throat, or he will simply regurgitate food out of fear. But if snake don't touch it, but you won't have to see all this.

WHAT DOES THE COMMON SNACK EAT, WHERE DOES IT LIVE AND KEEPING AT HOME?

What does the common grass snake eat in nature?

Snake's main diet- amphibians and fish. It feeds on frogs, tadpoles, and toads. In addition, snakes eat lizards, their eggs, mice, rats, moles, other rodents, insects, small birds, their eggs and chicks, bats, small squirrels, and even their own kind or other snakes. Already swallows prey whole because it does not have teeth or other devices to tear prey. If the lunch is small, then he will quickly finish the meal, but if the prey is large, he will have to deal with it for several hours, and after such a meal he can go without eating anything for two days. He can do without food for a long time, but without water, and in hot weather, it’s easy to find them near bodies of water. On the land really stalks its prey, can sneak up on it for a long time in the water, and then suddenly pounce.

Habitat of the common grass snake

Snakes can be found near bodies of water, under a bridge, near a lake or pond. In addition, they like to settle next to people, choosing quiet and secluded places such as a basement, haystack, cellar, barn, in the roots or hollows of trees, in the garden, in firewood, in a pile of stones, in a vegetable garden and even in a pile of garbage . Snakes They love warm bedding and live next to poultry, laying their eggs there, but they will never go near large animals.

Habitat of the common grass snake– almost all of Russia, eastern Primorye, the borders of the Komi Republic, the border of Karelia. Almost all of Europe, and some individuals snakes found in Africa, Central, South and North America, Australia, Asia, Cuba, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, Oceania.

VIDEO: ABOUT THE CONTENT OF THE COMMON SNACK

IN THIS VIDEO, YOU WILL SEE AND LEARN HOW TO CORRECTLY KEEP A COMMON SNACK AT HOME

Snake bite is a fairly common problem among tourists and nature lovers. This snake prefers damp forests and swampy areas. The reptile itself is quite peaceful and is not the first to attack humans. But if disturbed, it can bite the offender. Whether a snake has venom depends on its variety, of which there are about a dozen.

Important! It's easy to see when a snake is about to bite. She begins to hiss and sticks out her tongue. In this case, you need to move away from the snake, then it will not attack.

Why is it dangerous for humans?

Most of these snakes belong to the family of non-venomous reptiles. The only exception is the tiger snake, living in Korea and Japan, on Far East Russia. Its teeth contain a poisonous substance used to paralyze insects and rodents. For humans, the poison is less dangerous, but in susceptible people it can lead to fatal outcome. The tiger snake got its name because of its specific color - along its entire length there are stripes of dark orange color, reminiscent of the skin of a tiger.

When bitten by a poisonous snake, it is of great importance what teeth the reptile used to pierce the human skin. Largest quantity The poison is contained in the teeth located deep in the jaw.

Simple non-venomous snakes live throughout Europe and Asia, excluding the polar regions. In Russia this is one of the most common reptiles. The snake prefers to settle closer to humans, choosing damp areas. But you can often see a grass snake basking in the sun. Representatives of the Colubridae family feed on small insects and frogs.

The bite is no longer dangerous to human health, much less his life. But in some categories of people, a bite can cause unpleasant symptoms that are easily treatable.

It will be useful to know the main differences between a snake and a viper, since these snakes are very similar to each other, but can be fatal to humans:

• it already has an oval head, the viper has a triangular head;
• the scales of the viper are matte and dark, while the snake has a bright color;
• the most noticeable difference non-venomous snake the presence of two bright yellow or orange spots on the head of the first one indicates that it is poisonous;
• it already reaches a meter in length, and the viper is no more than 70 cm;
• The pupils of a poisonous snake are vertical, reminiscent of a cat’s, while those of a non-venomous snake are round

A frightened snake secretes a yellow liquid with an intense unpleasant odor from special glands - this is its way of defense. There are many varieties of snakes, but none of them, except the brindle, have dangerous poison. Some representatives of the colubrid family do not even know how to bite. This includes the water snake. Outwardly, it is very similar to a viper, but is not at all poisonous, and instead of teeth it has plates for grinding food.

Symptoms and consequences of a snake bite

Manifestations of a grass snake bite look like this:

• teeth marks in the form of paired dots;
• slight bleeding from the wound;
• swelling of the skin at the site of injury.

A person may experience mild pain and itching at the site of the bite. These sensations are caused by tissue irritation by snake saliva, which is ejected from the teeth when the skin is pierced. U healthy person Symptoms after a bite last for 2-3 days, then disappear.

What happens if it bites with poisonous teeth? The symptoms in this case look more serious:

• weakness;
• difficulty breathing;
• headache;
• muscle twitching;
• temperature increase;
• intense itching, strong pain at the site of the bite;
• pronounced swelling.

These symptoms are due to intoxication. The painful condition lasts longer - about 7 days.

The main danger when bitten by a snake- infection of the wound and development of inflammation in this place. If a person suffers from increased allergies, snake venom can cause angioedema or even anaphylactic shock. Lack of emergency medical care in this situation can result in death.

If a person has encountered a poisonous snake, the symptoms will be more pronounced. Manifestations associated with blood clotting disorders come to the fore:

• severe headache develops;
• after a while nausea and vomiting appear;
• then blood appears in the vomit;
• A hemorrhagic rash forms on the legs and arms.

The condition returns to normal after 5-7 days. If a person initially had blood clotting disorders, intense bleeding may develop.

If a person does not know which snake has bitten him - poisonous or not, or whether it was a completely different reptile - he must immediately seek medical help, describing appearance snakes.

Providing first aid for a snake bite

After an attack by a snake, even a non-venomous one, a person requires first aid. It consists of carrying out the following activities:

You cannot cauterize the wound or make cross-shaped cuts on it. The snake’s saliva has already been absorbed, and these measures only contribute to the introduction of infection into the wound.

Even if a person feels well, he must be taken to the hospital for examination by qualified specialists. You should definitely seek medical help if the following symptoms develop:

• fever;
• severe fatigue;
• severe swelling of the tissue at the site of the bite;
• skin redness;
• the appearance of throbbing pain in the damaged area of ​​the body.

These are signs of an inflammatory process that has developed due to infection in the wound. If appropriate treatment is not carried out, the infection spreads through the bloodstream, and sepsis may develop.

If a viper bite occurs, you need to remove the snake venom from the wound as quickly as possible. This is done by sucking out the blood from the bite site, spitting the blood out immediately and then rinsing your mouth with water. It is recommended to apply a tourniquet to the limb above the bite site and immediately take the person to the hospital.

Treatment for a snake bite

In the hospital, the person is examined and the necessary blood tests are taken. If allergy symptoms are present, detoxification and antihistamine therapy is carried out. If there are signs of infection and inflammation of the wound, it is treated with antiseptic and antibacterial drugs are prescribed. Apply a sterile bandage.

For several days you need to treat the bite site with antiseptics and change the bandage. If necessary, damaged skin is lubricated with healing ointments.

Treatment for a viper bite requires the administration of a special serum, and this must be done as quickly as possible.

How to protect yourself from bites?

Answering the question whether snakes bite or not - they do not attack a person first, for no reason, but can bite only as a defense. Therefore, it is enough just not to tease the reptile, and then it will not cause harm. If a person walks in areas with tall grass or through swamps, he may accidentally step on this snake and then it will bite the leg in defense. To avoid this, you need to wear thick boots or boots with high tops and tuck your trousers into them.

The reptile emerges from hibernation in the spring and lays eggs in early summer. It is at this time that the likelihood of meeting a snake is highest, and females are most dangerous at this moment. Since snakes love water, you should not swim in untested bodies of water, as snakes may well settle there. Knowing how it is dangerous for humans and how to avoid its bites, you can safely go into nature.

Meeting a snake is a pleasant event for few people. IN in rare cases reptiles, in defense, bite a person, however, not in all cases this poses a threat.

Most members of the snake family do not pose any danger, but there are some species with which you need to be extremely careful. Many people know that a snake bite will not cause harm, but whether this is true or not, the reader can find out by reading this article.

This type of snake is found everywhere, preferring to settle on river banks, marshy areas, forests and field plantings. It is a frequent visitor near villages and summer cottages, where it lives in little-used agricultural buildings or garbage heaps. It, like any other reptile, is attracted by the presence of food, so there are more snakes where small rodents, lizards, frogs and toads are found.

Snakes are diurnal animals; at night they mostly stay in shelters. Since they do not have poison and are quite weak, they are hunted by small mammals, for example, hedgehogs, cats, foxes, snakes and others. The size of reptiles depends on gender - females are slightly larger than males and can reach up to a meter in length.

The note. The longest snake seen in the forests of Russia reached almost three meters in size.

They reproduce in early summer, hiding the laid eggs in burrows. Animals love warmth; they can often be found basking in clearings, stumps, and various heaps.

On sunny days, the reptiles are quite active, hunt among grassy vegetation, avoid meeting people, and upon contact, as a rule, they flee. Snakes are good swimmers and can spend long periods of time under water; for example, water snakes are good at fishing.

In spring and autumn they are less active due to cold air. In winter, several individuals gather, forming clubs, trying to find shelter under stumps and in hollows, but they can also be under floor niches, in basements, if these rooms are rarely visited by people.

Difference between vipers (black - Nikolsky, gray - steppe) from snakes (water and common)

The color of the common grass snake can vary from light gray to tarry, so it is not surprising to confuse it with a viper, which often happens during an unexpected encounter. But distinguishing the first from the second is quite simple.

It is enough to pay attention to distinctive characteristics, given below:

1. The presence of yellow or orange spots on the back of the head, but this only applies to the common grass snake (see photo in the table below).
2. Snakes, unlike poisonous snakes do not have a triangular head shape because they do not have poison glands. The head is oval, does not stand out much and blends smoothly into the body.
3. All grass snakes have round eye pupils. Among the representatives of vipers they are cat-like - narrow and vertical.
4. Color. Snakes are distinguished by a shiny tint, while vipers are matte (with the exception of Nikolsky’s black viper).

Table. Types of snakes in Eurasia:

Danger to humans

Of the three species presented in the table, the tiger snake can be dangerous; the rest, although they can bite, do not contain poison. All these snakes can live close to a person, but they themselves never attack first.

The most common individual is one that has two yellow spots or “ear”, as people most often say. This is the most widespread species, representatives of which are found in significant numbers in forests and coastal areas.

The animal avoids humans, and when they meet, they try to hide. If he fails to do this, then most likely he will take a defensive position - he will curl up in a half ring, hiss and throw himself.

In this case, you are more likely to get a bite. If his actions are not successful, the animal will begin to pretend to be dead, turning its belly up, opening its mouth wide, and will lie motionless for some time, and then again try to run away.

The snake is easy to catch. To do this, you can lightly press it down with a stick or grab it by the tail. As soon as he calms down and stops behaving aggressively, you can pick him up.

Note. The common one has an unpleasant, persistent odor. When caught, it releases even more foul-smelling substances, and it is also possible for the snake to defecate on a person. All these are natural defense mechanisms developed by nature. Without soap, it will be difficult to get rid of the smell, which must be taken into account if you want to play with the animal.

In the water, until it is picked up, it will not be able to bite, since there is no support for this, but if it ends up on the shore or is squeezed in the palm of your hand, then the animal, depending on its disposition, can cause trouble, which does not happen often. In all cases, the snake bites a person through his fault. If you do not touch the reptile, then it will not attack.

Peculiarities of tiger snake behavior

The pattern of behavior of representatives of this species is similar to its relatives, but with the difference that its aggressiveness will depend on its nutrition. Toxic substances poisonous frogs, which an individual feeds on, can accumulate in the glands, so the more such animals in the diet, the higher the degree of aggression.

When encountered, the tiger snake takes a defensive position, hisses, and a small hood is blown out in the chest part of the body, like a cobra. These snakes have small teeth, unlike vipers and other dangerous crawling reptiles, they do not have poisonous fangs.

When bitten, as a rule, the front teeth penetrate the skin, which does not cause significant harm, but if toxins from the back teeth enter the bloodstream, severe swelling, dizziness and nausea develop. Essentially, the symptoms will be the same as with a viper bite, however, fatal outcome unlikely. In this case, the victim should move less (preferably lie down), drink as much fluid as possible to reduce concentration harmful substances and their rapid removal from the body.

Important. The administration of an antidote in the form of serum is recommended only in exceptional cases, for example, with bites in small children, weak old people, or if a person develops a severe allergic reaction. For a healthy person, this will not be necessary, because the medicine itself is a foreign protein, which can provoke an increase in the negative reaction.

If the clinic does not have serum against tiger snake bites, the patient will be prescribed symptomatic therapy:

• anti-inflammatory drugs;
• analgesics;
• diuretics;
• medications to eliminate the negative effects of poison on internal organs, which the doctor prescribes according to indications.

As a rule, negative manifestations do not last more than three days; the affected person recovers completely within 4-5 days.

Common grass snake bite

The yellow-eared snake is not poisonous or aggressive. To get a bite, you need to try hard, because when a person approaches, she makes herself visible (hissing, warning stance) and tries to hide.

An animal rarely bites, as a rule, if it is in pain, or the person’s behavior is extremely careless. Even if you are already caught and treated gently, a bite most likely will not occur. But if a reptile is treated roughly, it will begin to defend itself, which is natural.

If you do get bitten, then characteristic symptoms appear:

• small marks remain on the skin;
• blood will be released depending on the depth of the wound; if the snake makes a jerk or a sharp turn when biting, then the wounds may be deep and bleeding is possible;
• slight redness of the skin around the penetration of the teeth;
• Swelling and itching are possible, which is quite rare.

Usually there is no need to do anything, since the person is in nature, as a rule, in this case there is nothing at hand. You can apply a cloth to the skin, and once the bleeding stops, use celandine or plantain leaves.

If the victim has access to medicine or is at home, first aid instructions will be as follows:

1. Rinse skin clean water. You can use soap, preferably baby or laundry soap.
2. Dry the wound with a sanitary napkin and treat with hydrogen peroxide or rub with a swab soaked in a 70% solution of ethyl alcohol;
3. If you have ice, applying it to the bite can reduce inflammation and pain. Instead of ice will do any frozen product wrapped in a clean cloth or plastic bag.
4. After all procedures, lubricate the skin around the wound with a cotton swab dipped in iodine and apply a bactericidal patch.

As a rule, this is where the troubles end. Complications are possible when an infection occurs, which may be due to dirty skin or the penetration of microbes present on the snake’s teeth.

In this case, the following symptoms develop:

• the skin around the wound becomes very red and warms up;
• an inflammatory process develops, there may be suppuration or an unpleasant odor;
• a temperature appears, which depends on the degree of the negative process;
• Signs of dyspepsia and intoxication may appear.

If these symptoms occur, you should immediately go to the hospital to provide medical assistance to the victim.

How to Avoid a Bite

To avoid causing harm to a person, you just need to not touch him.

To do this, you should be careful when being in natural conditions:

• do not walk barefoot on tall grass, especially along river banks or wetlands;
• do not pick up branches and leaves with bare hands;
• when picking mushrooms and berries, you need to use a stick to rake the forest floor;
• do not create on garden plot garbage heaps of trimmed cultivated plants that lie for a long time without disposal;
• fight frogs and rodents;
• Do not provoke the discovered animal with a stick or other objects, trying to get a better look at it.

Important. Most the right way When meeting a snake, move a few meters away from it. A snake or another reptile never attacks first, but only for the purpose of its own protection.

Conclusion

In Eurasia you can find three types of snakes: common, water and tiger. The latter has toxic substances, and its bite in rare cases can be toxic, like a viper.

Snakes are usually very peaceful; in order to show aggression, they need to be provoked (inflicted pain or forced to defend themselves by improper behavior). Health care may be required if bitten by a tiger snake. In other cases, it is enough to disinfect the wound and apply an antiseptic plaster. If an infection occurs, it is recommended to go to the hospital.

Already is a fast and agile snake. There are signs by which you can distinguish a grass snake from a viper. Experts and terrarium owners talk about the intelligence of snakes, but advise remembering that not all snakes are harmless.

Common snake, photo by Marek Szczepanek

How to distinguish a grass snake from a viper?

Eyes. The pupils of snakes are round, while those of vipers have the shape of a transverse “stick”. Characteristic feature Most snakes have well-developed eyes:

They have a round oval or vertical pupil, like a cat's, and often have a brightly colored iris, which usually harmonizes well with the overall coloring of the body. Snakes, which search for their prey mainly by sight, have greatly enlarged eyes, adapted to react to moving objects (Animal Life, Volume 5).

So: the pupils of snakes are round, and those of vipers are in the shape of a stick, which is located across the body.

Coloring. The coloring of snakes is varied. Among them there are snakes of dark olive, brown, brown and even almost black color. Some snakes have variegated skin with bright patterns. It is possible that this is the protective nature of the coloring, the desire to imitate poisonous snakes. The snake family is numerous. Therefore, in order not to confuse a snake with a poisonous snake, you need to know the characteristics of exactly those species that are found in a particular area. Let's consider three types of genus Snakes (Natrix) subfamilies Real snakes (Colubrinae).

Common already “It is well distinguished from all our other snakes by two large, clearly visible light spots (yellow, orange, off-white) located on the sides of the head. These spots have a crescent shape, and are bordered in front and behind with black stripes. There are individuals whose light spots are weakly expressed or absent. The color of the upper side of the body is from dark gray to black, the belly is white, with irregular black spots” (“Animal Life”, volume 5).

Perhaps this advice from a famous snake catcher will help someone:

It was quite simple to distinguish a snake from a viper: the snake has sharp yellow or red spots on its head, similar to ears, and its body is monochromatic - dark gray or black. Vipers do not have “ears” on the head, the body is gray or red, and a zigzag stripe stands out sharply on the back (A Nedyalkov. Naturalist in search).

Water snake painted differently. This snake differs from the ordinary snake, although it often coexists with it.

The color of its back is olive, olive-gray, olive-greenish or brownish in color with dark spots located more or less in a checkerboard pattern or with narrow dark transverse stripes. There is often a dark spot on the back of the head, shaped like a Latin letter V, pointing towards the head. The belly is yellowish to reddish, mottled with more or less rectangular black spots. Occasionally there are specimens completely devoid of a dark pattern on the body or completely black (“Animal Life”, volume 5).

Zmeelov A. Nedyalkov warns that it is dangerous to rely only on the color of the snake’s skin. One day, a viper taught him a lesson that could end in tragedy:

I did not yet know that there were vipers painted solid black, and I almost paid a heavy price for my ignorance.

I was walking through the forest one day after rain and saw a black body stretching across the path. large snake. The snake's head was hidden in the grass. The black body means it's not a viper, but... I really needed a big one, so I bent down and took the snake without any precautions. bare hand by the body. The snake hissed. Snakes usually do not hiss when picked up. My catcher’s reflex kicked in, and with my other hand I grabbed the snake by the neck so that it couldn’t reach me with its teeth. I look and her pupil is in the shape of a stick. Viper!

What saved me from being bitten was that the viper was very chilled after the rain, and chilled snakes are rather sluggish and clumsy (A Nedyalkov. Naturalist in search).

Tiger snake , which is found in the Far East of Russia (as well as in Northern China, Korea, Japan), is brightly and elegantly colored:

The back is dark green or dark olive in color (occasionally blue specimens are also found), mottled with more or less clear black transverse stripes or spots, gradually decreasing in size as they approach the tail. In the anterior third of the body, the spaces between the black spots are painted a bright brick-red color. Under the eye there is an oblique black, wedge-shaped stripe, with its apex facing downwards, another black stripe runs from the supraorbital shield to the corner of the mouth. There is a wide black collar on the neck, or there is one triangular-shaped spot on each side of the neck. The upper lip is yellow, the eyes are large and black (“Animal Life”, volume 5).

Smell. Snakes have one more difference from other snakes. Alarmed snakes smell disgusting:

The snake waved its tail and doused me with a stream of whitish, stinking liquid. The stench was terrible: a mixture of garlic fumes and some kind of chemical substance. I almost vomited, but I still threw the snake onto the shore. For an hour and a half I rubbed my skin with soap, sand, and alcohol, but I couldn’t remove the smell (A. Nedyalkov “Dangerous Paths of a Naturalist”).

It is believed that in those places where snakes are found there are no vipers. It's a delusion:

In addition to vipers, snakes were also found near the ditches. They say that snakes are at enmity with vipers and kill them. I have seen more than once how a grass snake and a viper lie side by side and calmly bask in the sun. And I never saw them fight (A. Nedyalkov “Naturalist in Search”).

Types of snakes

There are many different snakes, but the most common in our country are these three species.

(Natrix natrix ) is found in Europe (except for the Far North). It is a black or dark gray snake measuring up to 1.5 m (usually 1 m, females are noticeably larger than males) with two yellow or bright orange spots on the sides of the head. The snake can be found in overgrown bushes near water, in wet forests and in the swamps. The common snake sometimes settles near people’s homes: in heaps of garbage in the yard, in sheds, stables, cellars and poultry yards. It often hangs onto chickens and ducks or crawls into stables and barnyards. The snake even lays eggs here that resemble those of a pigeon. A dinner egg is filled with a yolk inside, surrounded by a thin layer of white. The eggs are covered with a leathery shell. The female lays eggs bound into “beads” by a gelatinous substance. Oviposition can be found in manure heaps, in a heap of dry leaves, damp moss or in loose soil. There can be 15 - 17 eggs (less often up to 30 pieces). About three weeks pass, and the cubs are born. The length of a snake that has just hatched from an egg is about 15 cm. It is capable of eating worms, snails and various insects.

The common snake spends the winter on land: it hides in old burrows made by mammals, climbs under the roots of trees, etc.

Water snake (Natris tesselata) lives in southern regions Russia, since it is more thermophilic than ordinary. There are many such snakes in the Volga region and on the Don. The water snake is often seen in Crimea (especially on the Kerch Peninsula). These snakes stay near water, not only fresh, but also salty. They swim well (even in big waves) and dive. They feed on frogs, tadpoles, small fish(gobies) and even shrimp. Less often small mammals and birds. To make it easier for the snake to swallow the fish, the snake holds it in its mouth and swims to the shore. There it finds support for its body, sits comfortably near it, and then begins to swallow its prey. These snakes hide from the heat underwater. Snakes sleep in dry grass, in hay, climb into rodent holes, and under stones. In the morning, water snakes slowly crawl onto the banks of rivers and reservoirs. Snakes hibernate under rocks, in crevices and in dense bushes.

Already brindle (Rhabdophis tigrina) in Russia it is found in the south of the Far East (Primorsky Krai, near Khabarovsk) in damp areas near water, in forests and meadows. They are seen even in cities. The length of the snake is about 110 cm. It feeds on frogs, toads, small rodents and fish. This snake is considered conditionally venomous, as its poisonous teeth are located deep in the mouth (on the back of the maxillary bone).

For humans, tiger snake bites, usually inflicted by short front teeth, pass without a trace. However, in cases where the bite is inflicted by the enlarged posterior maxillary teeth lying deep in the mouth, and saliva and the secretion of the upper labial glands enter the wound in large quantities, severe poisoning can occur, not inferior in severity to that from the bite of real poisonous snakes (“Animal Life, Vol. 5).

Snake nutrition

Snakes are excellent swimmers and often get their food not only on land, but also in water. The diet of snakes mainly consists of small vertebrates: amphibians and reptiles. However, there are lovers of rodents, birds and fish. Frogs are a delicacy for snakes. He catches them in the water and on the shore. A hungry snake swallows several small frogs at once. In the water, it also hunts tadpoles and fish.

Watching him eat is unpleasant. He swallows frogs alive, just as some people swallow live oysters. The discrepancy between the sizes of the frog and the snake makes the process of eating a terrible sight - the snake has a large mouth with a small head, thin body, in which a swallowed frog sticks out with a terrible knot... As a child, I was once caught with such a knot on my neck. I poked it with a stick - a live and unharmed frog jumped out from inside, it was still crawling, but it was completely white: the stomach juice of the snake had discolored it (Hans Scherfig “The Pond”).

The snake is said to hypnotize its prey. Externally it looks exactly like this. A. Nedyalkov saw with his own eyes how the frog obediently approached the snake:

I have been told many times that snakes hypnotize frogs. But this time the “hypnosis” did not take place. To see everything better, I pulled away a branch of the bush. The frog noticed the movement of the branch and made a desperate leap, turning over its head in the air. He continued to lie motionless. Looking closely, I saw that from time to time he threw out a forked tongue from his closed lips. I didn’t bother the snake and returned to my place. About five minutes later, near the same bush, the frog purred again. I approached the bush again. He was already lying in the same place, and the frog was purring again and approaching him. She did not jump, but, carefully moving her paws, crawled the way soldiers crawl on their bellies. This time I did not move the branches, and soon the frog approached the snake at a distance of twenty centimeters. Suddenly it rushed towards the frog and grabbed it by the end of its muzzle with its mouth. The frog struggled, but could not escape. Moving his jaws, he grabbed her tighter and tighter. The frog no longer purred, but desperately scraped the snake’s head with its paws. The snake's jaws kept moving and moving. The frog's eyes were already at the very edge of its mouth. I felt sorry for the frog, and I pushed the snake with the end of the grabber. He didn’t immediately let go of his victim. Only after I squeezed his neck quite hard with my grip, did he open his mouth and the frog escaped. She immediately jumped into the grass, and then slid into the thick of the bush... I don’t think he hypnotized the frog. Most likely, she noticed his moving tongue, mistook this tongue for a worm, wanted to eat this worm and herself became the prey of the snake (A. Nedyalkov “Naturalist in Search”).

Handmade

Snakes have been kept in captivity since the time Ancient Rome. Then they caught mice. Nowadays, there are also hobbyists who keep snakes at home. They advise designing the terrarium as a “forest + pond”. It is advisable to feed snakes with frogs and live small fish. Snakes are considered intelligent snakes that can get used to humans. This is what Hans Scherfig recalls about something he already knew in his book “The Pond”:

He was so sweet and friendly. A real pet snake that was not afraid of people. He even got rid of his old bad habit of hissing and emitting an unpleasant odor when you touch him. Frightened snakes smell like garlic.

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