What kind of snake is this? Interesting facts about snakes

A snake is an animal of the chordate type, class Reptiles, order Squamate, suborder snakes (Serpentes). Like all reptiles, they are cold-blooded animals, so their existence depends on the ambient temperature.

Snake - description, characteristics, structure. What does a snake look like?

The body of the snake has an elongated shape and can reach a length of 10 centimeters to 9 meters, and the weight of the snake ranges from 10 grams to more than 100 kilograms. Males are smaller than females, but have a longer tail. The body shape of these reptiles is varied: it can be short and thick, long and thin, and sea snakes have a flattened body that resembles a ribbon. That's why internal organs these scaly ones also have an elongated structure.

The internal organs are supported by more than 300 pairs of ribs, movably connected to the skeleton.

The snake's triangular head has jaws with elastic ligaments, which makes it possible to swallow large food.

Many snakes are venomous and use venom as a means of hunting and self-defense. Since snakes are deaf, to navigate in space, in addition to vision, they use the ability to capture vibration waves and thermal radiation.

The main information sensor is the forked tongue of the snake, which allows it to “collect information” about the environment using special receptors inside the palate. Snake eyelids are fused transparent films, scales covering the eyes, therefore snakes don't blink and even sleep with their eyes open.

The skin of snakes is covered with scales, the number and shape of which depends on the type of reptile. Once every six months, the snake sheds its old skin - this process is called molting.

By the way, the color of the snake can be either monochromatic in species living in the temperate zone, or variegated in representatives of the tropics. The pattern can be longitudinal, transversely circular or spotted.

Types of snakes, names and photographs

Today, scientists know more than 3,460 species of snakes living on the planet, among which the most famous are adders, sea snakes (not dangerous to humans), pit snakes, pseudopods, which have both lungs, as well as rudimentary remains of the pelvic bones and hind limbs.

Let's look at several representatives of the snake suborder:

• King cobra (hamadryad) ( Ophiophagus hannah)
  

The most gigantic poisonous snake on earth. Some representatives grow up to 5.5 m, although the average size of adults usually does not exceed 3-4 m. King cobra venom is a lethal neurotoxin, causing death in 15 minutes. The scientific name of the king cobra literally means “snake eater”, because it is the only species whose representatives feed on snakes of their own kind. Females have an exceptional maternal instinct, constantly guarding the clutch of eggs and completely going without food for up to 3 months. The king cobra lives in tropical forests India, Philippines and the islands of Indonesia. Life expectancy is more than 30 years.

• Black Mamba ( Dendroaspis polylepis)

The African venomous snake, growing up to 3 m, is one of the fastest snakes, capable of moving at a speed of 11 km/h. The highly toxic snake venom causes death in a matter of minutes, although the black mamba is not aggressive and attacks humans only in self-defense. Representatives of the black mamba species received their name due to the black coloration of the oral cavity. The snake's skin is usually olive, green or brown in color with a metallic sheen. It eats small rodents, birds and bats.

• Fierce snake (desert taipan) ( Oxyuranus microlepidotus)

The most poisonous of land snakes, the venom of which is 180 times stronger than that of a cobra. This species of snake is common in the deserts and dry plains of Australia. Representatives of the species reach a length of 2.5 m. Skin color changes depending on the season: in extreme heat it is straw-colored, when it gets colder it becomes dark brown.

• Gaboon viper (cassava) ( Bitis gabonica)

The poisonous snake that lives in African savannas is one of the largest and thickest vipers, up to 2 m long and with a body girth of almost 0.5 m. All individuals belonging to this species, have a characteristic, triangular-shaped head with small horns located between the nostrils. The Gaboon viper has a calm character, rarely attacking people. It belongs to the type of viviparous snakes, breeds once every 2-3 years, bringing from 24 to 60 offspring.

• Anaconda ( Eunectes murinus)

The giant (ordinary, green) belongs to the subfamily of boas; in former times the snake was called a water boa. The massive body, 5 to 11 m long, can weigh over 100 kg. The non-venomous reptile is found in low-flow rivers, lakes and creeks of the tropical part of South America, from Venezuela to the island of Trinidad. It feeds on iguanas, caimans, waterfowl and fish.

• Python ( Pythonidae)

The representative of the family is not poisonous snakes It is distinguished by its gigantic size from 1 to 7.5 m in length, with females much larger and more powerful than males. The range extends throughout the eastern hemisphere: tropical forests, swamps and savannas of the African continent, Australia and Asia. The diet of pythons consists of small and medium-sized mammals. Adults swallow leopards, jackals and porcupines whole, and then digest them for a long time. Female pythons lay eggs and incubate the clutch, by contracting muscles, increasing the temperature in the nest by 15 -17 degrees.

• African egg snakes (egg eaters) ( Dasypeltis scabra)

Representatives of the snake family that feed exclusively on bird eggs. They live in savannas and woodlands of the equatorial part of the African continent. Individuals of both sexes grow no more than 1 meter in length. The movable bones of the snake's skull make it possible to open its mouth wide and swallow very large eggs. In this case, the elongated cervical vertebrae pass through the esophagus and, like a can opener, rip open eggshells, after which the contents flow into the stomach, and the shell is coughed up.

• Radiant snake ( Xenopeltis unicolor)

Non-venomous snakes, the length of which in rare cases reaches 1 m. The reptile received its name for the rainbow tint of its scales, which are dark brown in color. Burrowing snakes live in the loose soils of forests, cultivated fields and gardens in Indonesia, Borneo, the Philippines, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and China. Small rodents and lizards are used as food items.

• Worm-like blind snake ( Typhlops vermicularis)

Small snakes, up to 38 cm long, resemble earthworms in appearance. Absolutely harmless representatives can be found under stones, melons and watermelons, as well as in thickets of bushes and on dry rocky slopes. They feed on beetles, caterpillars, and their larvae. The distribution area extends from the Balkan Peninsula to the Caucasus, Central Asia and Afghanistan. Russian representatives of this species of snake live in Dagestan.

Where do snakes live?

The distribution range of snakes does not include only Antarctica, New Zealand and the islands of Ireland. Many of them live in tropical latitudes. In nature, snakes live in forests, steppes, swamps, hot deserts and even in the ocean. Reptiles lead an active lifestyle both during the day and at night. Species living in temperate latitudes winter time hibernate.

Snakes are scaly reptiles and live on all continents of the globe except Antarctica. These are predatory creatures that feed on birds and mammals, hunting them and killing them using their own poison. The mobility and flexibility of their body allows them to move without limbs, flatten themselves when passing through narrow crevices, and suffocate their victims by wrapping around them. The muscle corset is the main structure of the body of these reptiles, but they also have a skeleton. This article will discuss the principles of movement of snakes, the structure of their skeleton and the characteristics of their venom.

Characteristics of snakes

Snakes are distinguished from other reptiles by their elongated body, devoid of limbs, movable eyelids above the eyes and eardrums in the hearing aid. Their body shape resembles worms - the only difference is that the surface of their body is dry and covered with scales. The body length of adult individuals varies from 10 cm to 12 m or more.

The color of their scales almost always has the color of the environment in which they live. Terrestrial reptiles are characterized by green, brown, woody and black tones. Reptiles living in tropical forests are predominantly brightly colored - blue, emerald green, yellow, like reptiles living in warm ocean waters.

Important! The poisonous teeth of snakes are not visible when the mouth is closed, and they appear only when the snake opens its mouth and points them at the enemy. Do not touch these reptiles, even if it seems to you that they do not have long teeth with poison.

These creatures are most common in the tropical regions of South America, South Asia, and. They are found a little less frequently in countries with temperate and continental climates, at latitudes close to the poles. Snakes are completely absent from New Zealand and Ireland. A hot climate is preferable for them, since they are cold-blooded creatures and maintain a high body temperature solely due to the ambient temperature.

The longer and stronger the reptile, the larger the size of its prey. These predators feed on a variety of creatures, ranging from small insects to large mammals. There are individuals that eat only one type of food. Thus, egg reptiles are able to eat exclusively bird eggs - other food is not available for them to digest. The prey is always swallowed whole, and then gradually digested in the intestines.

Skeletal structure

The question of whether snakes have a skeleton can be answered in the affirmative. Despite their amazing flexibility, these reptiles have a solid bony skeleton, which is characterized by freedom of joints.

Diapsid type with reduced temporal arches, kinetic - the bones are able to move apart significantly. The bones of the skull are divided into several types: quadrate, pterygoid, palatine, squamosal, temporal and maxillary. The jaws are separated in the center by elastic ligaments, and connected to each other in the same movable way, which allows the snake to stretch its mouth to the size of its killed prey.
Structure of a snake's skull

Teeth

Well developed, located on the upper and lower jaws. They have a thin, sharp shape, convenient for gradually pushing food deep into the esophagus. Snake teeth are not intended for chewing. Non-venomous reptiles have only short and thin teeth.

Did you know? The longest living snake is a species of reticulated python. Its length exceeds 12 meters and its weight is about 160 kilograms. This reptile lives in the Tama Zoological Garden in Tokyo. Another snake named Baby surpassed its relative in weight - in 1998, at the age of 25, she weighed 182.5 kg. This record was included in the Guinness Book of Records.

Poisonous species have elongated front teeth, similar to fangs curved inwards. Poisonous teeth are hollow inside and connected to poisonous glands. When biting, the reptile inserts its poisonous teeth into the body of the prey and injects poison into them. In some species, the front teeth can rotate 90 degrees when the mouth opens.

Spine and ribs

Since this creature has no limbs, its spine does not have specific sections. It is flexible, long, homogeneous, consists of identical vertebrae, to the lower part of which the ribs are movably attached. The longer the reptile, the more vertebrae it has: short and thick reptiles have an average of 150 vertebrae, and thin and long ones - up to 430. Snakes do not have a sternum, so they can stretch significantly in width, flatten and curl into as many rings as possible their length.
Snake skeleton

Front and hind limbs

Completely atrophied. Some species have minor rudiments of the pelvic bones. Other species have a single pair of internal claws on either side of the anus, like vestigial hind limbs.

Features of movement

This reptile moves mainly due to contraction of the body muscles and special movable scales on the abdomen.

Important! Some snakes are capable of jumping considerable distances by curling up into a tight spring and then throwing themselves far forward. If you see that the reptile is shaking its tail in warning, opening its mouth and starting to tense its body, slowly back away from it without making sudden movements.

There are four types of movement, the use of which depends on the size of the reptile and its habitat:

1. Straightforward. Used exclusively by large individuals such as pythons, anacondas and boa constrictors. A snake moving in a straight line pushes itself forward by contracting the skin of its abdomen, and then pulls up the tail part of its body.
2. Parallel. Reptiles that live in desert areas move in this way. climatic zones with sandy soils. They throw the head part of the body to the side and forward, and then carry the back part of the body after the head. In this case, a complex pattern is formed on the sand, consisting of parallel strips bent into hooks at the ends.
3. Concertina. Also known as “accordion”, this method is typical for reptiles that live in trees. They gather their bodies into horizontal loops, throw their heads forward, straightening their bodies, and then pull their tails behind them, forming a new accordion.
4. Serpentine. Classic way movement, known to almost everyone. This is a wavy, gliding motion that snakes use to move both on land and in water. An S-shaped movement occurs due to contraction of the lateral abdominal muscles.

Snake venom

Produced by the salivary glands, which are connected by a muscular canal to the two largest poisonous teeth. These teeth may be hollow or have a special groove on the front. At the moment of the bite, the muscles compress the poisonous gland, the poison from it enters the tooth cavity and flows through the groove through the wound into the muscle tissue of the prey. Some types of snakes spit their venom and at the same time aim for the eyes of the victim.

Did you know? The average lifespan of snakes is 25–30 years, but there are exceptions to this rule. In April 1977, a male python named Popeye died at the Philadelphia Zoo. At that time, the unique centenarian turned 40 years, 3 months and 14 days.

Snake venom causes instant blindness, using which the reptile attacks its prey. The poison may act on the nervous system, causing paralysis, or cardiovascular system, causing spasms and swelling. The most poisonous and dangerous reptile is considered to be from the asp family. Its bite is ten times more poisonous than that of a rattlesnake.
The snake is a scaly reptile found primarily in tropical and desert regions. It has an elongated muscular body with a simple movable skeleton, moves by crawling and obtains food for itself by suffocating prey or biting it with poisonous teeth. The venom of some reptiles is not dangerous to humans, but the bite of others can lead to quick death, so in the wild you should stay away from snakes of a species unknown to you.

Snakes crawl, intensively bending their bodies, and swallow very large prey whole. Both require powerful muscles, and complex bony skeletal reinforcement would only be a hindrance. Therefore, from a mechanical point of view, snakes are an elastic, durable tube with a minimum number of rigid frame elements. But a poorly developed skeleton limits the possibilities of increasing body size. Mathematical calculations show that with a snake physique maximum length

bodies, in principle, cannot exceed 15 m, otherwise such a monster simply would not be able to move on land, but would be forced to live in water.
The structure of the skull of snakes is completely unique. It has evolved, adapting to a peculiar way of feeding. The head of any snake is very small in relation to the size of the prey, which the snake is able to swallow whole. This ability is due to the fact that the bones of the facial part of the skull in almost all snakes are movably connected to each other. The lower jaw is attached to the skull by ligaments that can stretch greatly. In addition, the lower jaw is not continuous; it is connected in the center by an elastic ligament. All this guarantees excellent extensibility of the snake's mouth.
Snakes have well-developed teeth, they are located on the upper and lower jaws, and in many species also on the palatine, pterygoid and premaxillary bones.

But since snakes do not chew or tear their prey, their teeth are very thin, small, although sharp. In non-venomous snakes, teeth serve to push prey towards the esophagus, and venomous snakes also have special teeth that serve to bite and inject venom into the prey; they are bent back. In colubrid venomous snakes, the teeth are grooved, located on the back of the upper jaw, equipped with small grooves or open tubules through which poison flows from the poisonous glands. In slate and sea snakes, the poisonous teeth are tubular, have a closed channel in the cavity, and are fixedly attached to the jaw in the front part of the mouth. In vipers and pit snakes, the poisonous teeth also have a tubular structure, but they are longer than in colubrids and have a very interesting attachment. The maxillary bone of these snakes is very short, attached with a hinge. Therefore, poisonous teeth have the ability to fold when the snake’s mouth is closed; in this case, they lie along the jaw with the sharp end back. When the snake opens its mouth, the maxillary bone with poisonous teeth rotates, becoming vertical, and the teeth are now pointing downwards and are ready to bite.
Front and hind limbs

During the process of evolution, during the transition to a climbing lifestyle, the girdle of the forelimbs completely atrophied in snakes. However, some representatives of the infraorder of lower snakes have preserved small rudiments of the pelvis (for example, boa constrictors, narrow-mouthed snakes). In addition, boas and bob snakes have paired claws on the sides of the anus, which are rudiments of the hind limbs inherited from the lizard-like ancestors of snakes.
Spine Since snakes lack a belt of upper and, there is no sternum, then the division of the spine into sections, as in other vertebrates, cannot be clearly carried out. The spine of snakes is flexible, long and extremely mobile. It consists of large quantity

vertebrae Thick and short snakes, such as the Gaboon viper, or Gabonica, have 141 of them. And in the longest and thinnest snakes, the number of vertebrae reaches 435. Due to the absence of a sternum, the ribs are attached very movably, they can diverge widely to the sides so that along the esophagus and large prey could pass through the stomach, they can converge, they can become very flattened, allowing the snake to flatten its body in defense or, if necessary, to penetrate a narrow, hard-to-reach hole.
SNAKES,
(Serpentes) suborder of reptiles of the order Squamata. Legless animals with a thin, highly elongated body, lacking movable eyelids. Snakes are descended from lizards, so they share many similarities with them, but two obvious characteristics can almost always accurately distinguish the two groups. The vast majority of lizards have limbs. Snakes do not have front legs, although sometimes the rudiments of the hind legs are visible in the form of claws. Legless lizards, which look very similar to snakes, have movable eyelids. Snakes are also distinguished by structural features of the head and body associated with their peculiar way of feeding. Known approx. 2400 modern species of snakes. Although most of them live in the tropics and subtropics, the suborder is distributed almost throughout the world. Snakes are absent only in areas with permafrost, since during hibernation
they need underground shelter to survive the cold season. Only a few species live in the seas. About 500 species of snakes are venomous; Of these, approximately half pose a serious danger to humans. Snakes, like all other reptiles, are vertebrates. Their spine may consist of hundreds of vertebrae. The large number of the latter and, as a result, the amazing flexibility of the body distinguish snakes from all reptiles. The vertebrae of snakes are complex and firmly connected to each other. There are almost as many pairs of ribs as there are non-caudal vertebrae. The absence of limbs does not limit the mobility of snakes, since their long body allows them to develop special, very effective methods of locomotion and catching prey. Specific methods of swallowing it also compensate for the lack of legs, and these reptiles, using their jaws and coiled torso, surprisingly deftly “manipulate” even relatively large objects. Snake scales are thickenings of the outer layer of skin. Its living tissues grow, and the cells on the surface become heavily keratinized, become rigid and die. Areas of thin elastic skin remain between the scales, which allows the integument to stretch, and snakes to swallow objects even larger diameter than themselves. As the snake grows, it molts. To shed the outer layer of skin, it first tears it around the mouth opening by rubbing its head on the ground or other hard surface. Then the snake pulls off the old covers, moving them back and turning them inside out. Often the skin comes off in one piece, like a stocking. The first time a snake sheds at the age of several days, and young animals renew their integument much more often than adults. On average, shedding occurs more than once a year, but its frequency depends on the species and habitat characteristics. The shed skin (creep) is colorless, and the pattern on it is very faintly noticeable. The pigment cells that color the snake's integument lie deeper - in living tissue. Although the patterns are very diverse, three main types can be distinguished: longitudinal stripes; transverse stripes on the back or completely encircling the body at regular intervals; evenly distributed spots. The pattern is often camouflage in nature and allows the snake to blend into the background. Determine the sex of an animal by color, as well as by others, difficult even for a specialist. However, females of most species are larger than males and have shorter tails. The length of the smallest snakes is only 12.5-15 cm with a mass of no more than 10-15 g. But the giants exceed 9 m in length and weigh hundreds of kilograms, being in fact the longest among modern terrestrial vertebrates, and fossil species were twice as long as the current ones. Opinions differ about the size limits of snakes. Some herpetologists consider the maximum length to be 11.4 m, attributing it to the anaconda (Eunectes murinus), a giant boa constrictor from South America. The largest snake in North America is the common boa constrictor (Boa constrictor) with a length of up to 5.6 m, which, however, is rare for it. Seven species longer than 5.4 m are either boas or pythons, with the exception of the venomous king cobra (Naja hannah) up to 5.5 m long, which is found in South and South-East Asia. Snakes, along with fish, amphibians and other reptiles, are cold-blooded, or ectothermic, animals. This means that, unlike mammals and birds, they do not produce enough heat to maintain a constant body temperature. That's why snakes love to bask in the sun. However, they are poorly protected from overheating, which quickly kills them. At least one species of python cannot be called completely cold-blooded, since the female is able to slightly warm the laid eggs by curling up around them.
Nutrition. Medium-to-large snakes feed almost exclusively on other reptiles, mammals, birds, amphibians and fish. Many small species eat insects and other invertebrates. Prey is almost always captured alive and, if it is harmless or difficult to kill, it is swallowed. Large, vicious or too mobile animals are immobilized by snakes with poison, strangled or simply crushed by wrapping them around their body. Having grabbed large prey, the snake firmly holds it in its mouth with the help of numerous sharp, backward-curved teeth. During swallowing, she widely spreads the branches of the lower jaw and pulls them away from the skull. This is possible due to the fact that the corresponding bones are connected by elastic ligaments, and the upper jaw is also movable. Each half of the lower jaw, independently of the other, moves forward along the victim, pushing it into the throat. Then the muscles of the pharynx and body movements are included in the process, helping the snake, as it were, to impale itself on a bolus of food. There is no grinding or chewing of it. The process of swallowing a large victim can last more than an hour. While the jaws and throat squeeze it, the trachea, reinforced with cartilage rings, moves downward so that the snake can breathe. In this way, an animal can swallow prey that is larger than itself, as long as it is of a convenient shape. The ability to eat large animals allows some snakes to feed only a few times a year. However, the same species can also swallow small prey, which, naturally, has to be caught much more often. Three or four hearty “lunches” a year, especially in the case of long hibernation, are quite enough to maintain good shape, and there are many cases where snakes have gone without food at all for a year or even longer.
Locomotion. It is generally accepted that snakes crawl very quickly, but careful observations prove the opposite. Good speed for a large snake it is about the same as for a pedestrian, and most species move more slowly. The maximum speed for these reptiles, and even then over a short distance, is a little more than 10 km/h. Typically, snakes crawl by bending in an S-shape in a horizontal plane while their body is pressed to the ground. The forward movement is due to the fact that the back side of each bend is repelled by the unevenness of the substrate. A snake crawling along loose sand leaves behind itself at equal distances oblong mounds that rise when its body presses on the ground. This the usual way locomotion is known as lateral undulation, or simply “serpentine.” The animal cannot move in this way on a smooth surface. However, it is used for swimming, and snakes swim well. Their eyes, protected by a transparent film, and the ability to hold their breath for a long time make movement in water much easier. The so-called "caterpillar move" is sometimes used by large, heavy snakes. At the same time, they move in a straight line due to wave-like contractions that underlie the skin of the muscles. The waves run one after another from the neck back, and the scutes on the animal’s belly are pushed off by the uneven ground. The "side pass" is used by snakes on quicksand. Either the front or the back of the body is thrown in turn closer to the target, encountering minimal resistance along the way. The snake seems to be walking, or rather, “jumping,” keeping its side to the direction of movement. Most snakes are good climbers. In specialized arboreal forms, the long transverse ventral scutes on the sides are curved outward, forming two longitudinal ridges, one on each side of the abdomen.
Reproduction. With the onset of the breeding season, snakes are actively looking for a sexual partner. At the same time, excited males use a chemical analyzer, “sniffing” the air with their tongue and transferring tiny amounts of chemical substances, left in the environment by the female, to the paired Jacobson's organ in the sky. Courtship helps to recognize partners: each species uses its own specific movement patterns. In some species they are so complex that they resemble a dance, although in many cases the males simply rub their chins against the female's back. Eventually the partners intertwine their tails and the male's hemipenis is inserted into the female's cloaca. The copulatory organ in snakes is paired and consists of two so-called. hemipenes, which protrude from the cloaca when excited. The female has the ability to store live sperm, so after a single mating she can produce offspring several times. Cubs are born different ways. They typically hatch from eggs, but many species of snakes are viviparous. If the incubation period is very short, delaying the laying of eggs may result in the eggs hatching inside the mother's body. This is called ovoviviparity. However, some species develop a simple placenta, through which oxygen, water and nutrients are transferred from mother to embryo. Most snake nests are constructed extremely simply, but eggs are not laid just anywhere. The female is looking appropriate place a type of pile of rotting organic material that would protect them from drying out, flooding, extreme temperature changes, and predators. When eggs are protected by parents, they not only scare away predators, but also, after being in the sun, can warm the clutch with their bodies, which develops faster at elevated temperatures. Some heat is also released when the nest material rots. The number of eggs or young produced by a female at a time ranges from a few to about 100 (on average more in oviparous species than in viviparous species). Large pythons are especially prolific, sometimes laying more than 100 eggs. Their average number in a clutch of snakes is probably no more than 10-12. Determining the gestation period of these reptiles is not easy, since females can retain live sperm for years, and the duration of embryo development depends on temperature. The different types of reproduction also make things more difficult. However, it is believed that in some rattlesnakes the pregnancy lasts approx. 5 months, and for the common viper (Vipera berus) - a little more than two months. The length of the incubation period varies even more.
Lifespan. The vast majority of snakes reach sexual maturity in their second, third, or fourth year of life. The growth rate reaches a maximum at the time of full puberty, after which it decreases noticeably, although snakes grow throughout their lives. The maximum age of most snakes is probably ca. 20 years, although some individuals lived to almost 30. In nature, snakes, like many other animals, rarely reach old age. Many die quite young due to unfavorable environmental conditions, usually becoming victims of predators.
MAIN FAMILIES
Modern snakes are usually divided into 10 families. Three of them are very small and include mainly Asian species. The remaining seven are described below.
Colubridae (grassroots). At least 70% of modern snakes belong to this family, including two-thirds of European species and 80% of those living in the United States. The distribution area of ​​colubrids covers all warm areas continents except Australia, where they are found only in the north and east. They are also abundant on many large islands of the Old World. The largest number of species live in the tropics and subtropics. Colubridans have mastered all the main types of habitats: among them there are terrestrial, aquatic, and arboreal species. Many swim and climb well. Their sizes range from small to medium, and their shapes are quite varied. Some resemble a thin vine, others are thick, like large poisonous snakes. Almost all colubrids are harmless, although several of their poisonous African species pose a serious, if not mortal, danger to humans. In the USA, this family is represented by snakes (Natrix), garter snakes (Thamnophis), hog-nosed snakes (Heterodon), collared snakes (Diadophis), grass snakes (Opheodrys), snakes (Coluber), American whip snakes (Masticophis), indigo snakes (Drymarchon ), climbing snakes (Elaphe), pine snakes (Pituophis) and kingsnakes (Lampropeltis). The first four genera are not of significant economic importance. Grass snakes eat some harmful invertebrates. The rest can be considered useful animals, as they destroy rodents and other economically damaging mammals.

Boidae (pseudopods). Approximately only 2.5% of modern snake species belong to this family, but among the non-venomous representatives of the suborder they are the most famous after the colubrids. Boa constrictors are usually considered giant inhabitants of tropical forests, but many of them are medium or even small in size, and their habitats are very diverse - right up to the Central Asian deserts. The small rubber snake (Charina bottae) of this group is widespread throughout the western United States and can be found as far away as Canada. All propods kill prey by constricting it with their bodies, which is why they are commonly called boa constrictors. However, strictly speaking, boas constitute only one of two subfamilies, with the vast majority of its members living in America. The second subfamily of pseudopods - pythons - unites exclusively snakes of the Old World. Almost all pseudopods have more or less noticeable rudiments of the hind limbs - in the form of two small claws at the base of the tail. This family includes 6 species of the world's largest snakes; they all live in tropical forests. Only the largest specimens pose a threat to humans. In addition to the anaconda and the common boa constrictor (the only giants of this subfamily), we are talking about 4 species of pythons. In Africa lives the hieroglyphic tiger (Python sebae) up to 9.7 m long, in South and Southeast Asia - the reticulated tiger (P. reticulatus) up to 10 m long, around the same place - the Indian tiger (P. molurus) up to 6 m long, and from the north of Australia to the south of the Philippines and the Solomon Islands, the amethyst python (P. amethystinus) is found, up to 7 m long.

Collier's Encyclopedia. - Open Society. 2000 .

Snakes (Serpentes) are one of the most peculiar inhabitants of planet Earth. They, like no other animals, are subject to persecution by people, who have been pursuing them for a long time and killing indiscriminately poisonous and non-venomous, and the latter, it must be said, are the majority: of the 3,200 species of snakes known to science, only about 410 species are poisonous, and in the former USSR even less - out of 58 species, only 11 are poisonous.

External features and structural features of snakes

The elongated body of snakes can reach a length from 10 cm to 9 m, weight ranges from 10 grams to 100 kilograms. Males are generally smaller than females but have a longer tail. The shape of the body can be short and thick, long and thin, or flattened, resembling a ribbon (in sea snakes)

The skin of snakes is dry, covered with scales or scutes formed by keratinized layers of the epidermis. On the back and sides they are small and overlap each other in a tiled manner; the belly is covered with wide semi-circular plates.

The immobility of the fused eyelids creates the impression of an unblinking gaze, which seems to have hypnotic powers.

There is an opinion that frogs, hypnotized by a snake, themselves climb into its mouth, resist, scream, but are unable to escape. When meeting a snake, the frog actually freezes, but this is only one of the ways to preserve life: pretending to be dead, freezing is a consequence of the instinct of self-preservation. But she herself, of course, does not climb into the mouth. The snake turns out to be more agile than the victim, and grabs it before it can escape.

The skull of snakes is designed in a special way: the bones of the upper jaw are movably connected to each other and to neighboring bones; The left and right halves of the lower jaw are connected by a tensile ligament. These properties allow, for example, the viper, whose head does not exceed 5-7 cm in size, to open its mouth enough to swallow even a small rabbit whole.

The internal organs of snakes are also arranged unusually. Their heart is small and significantly removed from the head. So, in cobras, for example, it is located in the second half of the body.

The skeleton consists of 200-400 movable vertebrae connected by ligaments. When moving, the snake slides along the ground with its scutes. Overlapping each other like tiles, the scutes alternately assume a right angle position and help the reptile move easily and quickly. In this case, the movements of the vertebrae, ribs, muscles, and scutes are strictly coordinated: they occur only in the horizontal plane.

Some people believe that a snake can jump or roll like a wheel, but this is not so. Raising her head slightly, she lowers it to the ground and pulls up the front part of the body with a loop, after which she again raises her head, lowers it and, moving forward, pulls the whole body behind her. If a snake is placed on an absolutely smooth glass surface, it will make useless movements, since the abdominal scutes will not be able to find support on the surface devoid of protrusions and there will be no forward movement.

Snakes see and hear poorly, but they have a well-developed sense of smell and touch. And their forked tongue, which is sometimes mistakenly called a sting, helps them in this. Particles of substances from the air stick to the tongue, snakes move their tongue to a special place in the mouth and thus smell - as if they are tasting the air.

What do snakes eat?

All snakes, without exception, are carnivores. Their diet includes various types of animals, the size of which depends primarily on the size of the predator itself. The main food of snakes is frogs, rodents, lizards, their own relatives, including poisonous ones, as well as some types of insects. The ability to climb trees gives snakes the opportunity to destroy bird nests by eating chicks or eggs.

Snakes do not feed every day, and if they fail to catch prey, they for a long time may starve. If water is available, snakes can go without food for up to several months.

All snakes track their prey patiently, hiding among the leaves of trees, or on the ground, along paths leading to a watering hole. Snakes swallow prey from the head, not from the tail, fearing the sharp teeth of the victim, who may still be alive. Before swallowing a victim, non-venomous snakes squeeze it with the rings of their body so that it cannot move.

The duration of digestion of the victim depends on its size, the state of health of the snake, the ambient temperature and usually lasts from 2 to 9 days. Digestion requires more high temperatures than other life processes. To speed up the process, the snake exposes its filled belly to the sun, leaving the rest of the body in the shade.

Hibernation

With the onset of cold weather, approximately in the second half of October - early November, snakes go to winter, climbing into rodent holes, under stones or tree roots, into haystacks, into cracks and crevices. IN populated areas they gather in basements, abandoned wells, settle along heating and sewer systems. Winter torpor may be interrupted at times, and then they can be seen on the surface. In the tropics or subtropics, snakes may not hibernate or only sleep for short periods of time.

At the end of March - early April, snakes crawl out of their shelters. The life activity of snakes, as cold-blooded animals, depends on climatic factors: temperature, sunlight, humidity, etc. In this regard, the daily activity of reptiles also changes in different seasons of the year. In the spring they spend all day long in the sun, and in the summer the period of activity occurs in the morning, evening and night hours.

Reproduction

Snakes are characterized by 2 methods of reproduction. Some species, for example, the viper, reproduce their own kind by laying eggs with underdeveloped embryos, the further development of which takes place outside the female’s body. Vipers and copperheads are characterized by ovoviviparity, that is, the eggs remain in the mother’s body until the embryos in them are fully developed. Pregnant females lead a half-starved lifestyle, they are sedentary and very cautious. Heavier reptiles cannot make a lightning-fast throw and often stay in secluded places.

For example, cubs are born in the second half of August - September, the number of newborns is from 1 to 8, sometimes their number even reaches 17 or more. Small creatures behave like their parents - they move, hiss, and when defending, they bite, releasing a small portion of poison. Vipers feed exclusively on insects - locusts, grasshoppers, beetles, etc.

Shedding

Types of snakes

Today there are more than 3,200 species of snakes.

Snakes (Serpentes) are part of the class of reptiles, order Scaly. In the suborder of snakes, different experts identify from 8 to 20 families. This discrepancy is associated with the discovery of new species and difficulties in their classification.

The most numerous families include:

Colubridae(Colubridae) – more than 1,500 species. The sizes of snakes of this largest family vary from 10 cm to 3.5 meters. The shape, color and pattern of colubrids are very diverse and depend on the characteristics of the habitat. Among them there are terrestrial, arboreal, burrowing and aquatic species. Most representatives of this family are non-venomous, but among them there are also so-called false snakes, which have large poisonous teeth and grooves for poison to flow down them. Colubrid snakes are often kept in terrariums.

Aspidae(Elapidae) – about 330 species. Externally, adders resemble grass snakes and are often called “poisonous snakes.” Body length from 40 cm to 5 meters. The coloring is varied. All species of snakes in this family are poisonous. They live in Asia, Australia, America, and Africa. Not found in Europe.

Viperaceae(Viperidae) – about 280 species. Representatives of this extensive family are found in Asia, Europe, Africa, North America and adapt to any landscape. Body length varies from 25 cm to 3.5 m. A light zigzag or diamond pattern on the back and sides is common for them. However, tropical tree vipers are bright green.All vipers have a pair of long fangs, which are used to secrete venom from venom glands located behind the upper jaw.

Blind Snakes(Typhlopidae) – about 200 species. They are common in tropical and subtropical regions of all parts of the world. One species is found in Russia - the common blind snake (Typhlops vermicularis).

Snakes have managed to adapt to a wide variety of living conditions: they can be found in forests and deserts, in mountains and reservoirs. This resulted in an amazing variety of forms within species of families differing in size, color, scales, etc.

Let's look at several of the most interesting representatives in more detail.

Non-venomous snakes

Common snake(Natrix natrix) widespread in the territory former USSR. It lives along the banks of reservoirs, in floodplain meadows, and in reed thickets. It happens that an ordinary grass snake is mistaken for a viper, but it is easy to distinguish it by two bright spots of yellow or orange color on the sides of the head. And it is larger in size and has a different pattern.

Already ordinary

Amur snake(Elaphe schrenckii) is a representative of the colubrid family. Lives in the Far East. This is one of the largest snakes in Russia and can reach a length of 2.4 m.

Common copperhead(Coronella austriaca) is another snake from the colubrid family. Widely distributed in Europe, also found in western Asia.

The reptile defends itself from enemies by curling up into a ball, hissing, and makes throws towards the enemy. Apparently, this is why many consider it aggressive and dangerous, but in fact it does not pose a danger to people.

Common blind snake(Typhlops vermicularis) is a representative of the blind snake family. Outwardly, it looks more like an earthworm than a snake. The body length usually does not exceed 30 cm, the tail is very short. The upper side of the body has a reddish-brown color, closer to the tail the color becomes darker, the ventral side of the body is light. An interesting feature of the blind snake is that it has translucent covers, blood vessels give it a pink tint, and through the abdominal wall you can see internal organs and food debris. The common blind snake is found in Asia Minor.

Pythons(Pythonidae), of which there are currently 22 species, are found in Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and the Sunda Islands. These are snakes ranging from 1.5 to 10 meters in length and weighing up to 100 kg. Pythons are non-venomous, but extremely dangerous, especially large representatives. They suddenly attack the victim, wrap their body around her and strangle her. A large python can swallow a jackal, a young wild boar and even a leopard whole.

Poisonous snakes

The most recognizable of venomous snakes are cobras(Naja) - representatives of the aspid family. They are known not only for their poisonousness, but also for the specific “hood” that they inflate when irritated. In total, about 16 species of cobras are known. They live throughout the African continent, as well as in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The spitting cobra, shown in the photo, is capable of shooting poison into the eyes of an enemy at a distance of up to three meters. When this method of defense proves ineffective, the cobra pretends to be dead.

In India alone, approximately 10,000 people died annually from cobra bites in the last century! However, this does not confuse snake charmers at all and does not prevent them from staging performances on the street, the main participants of which are cobras. The exotic appearance of the tamers, the accompaniment of the performance with special music, and the significant size of the snakes attract crowds of people hungry for spectacle. Witnesses of such performances claim that these performances are very convincing, especially to the uninitiated. The secrets and techniques of taming snakes have a long history and are based on a deep knowledge of both the habits of animals and the psychology of spectators. Impressed by what they see, people do not notice that the fakir performs especially dangerous tricks either with non-venomous species of snakes, cleverly replacing one with another, or with individuals whose poisonous teeth have been pulled out.

Gyurza(Macrovipera lebetina) is the most poisonous snake in Central Asia. The length of the viper can reach two meters, and the thickness of the body of a large individual can be as thick as a man’s arm. You can read more about the viper in the article.

Efa(Echis carinatus) found in Asia. It reaches a length of 80 cm. It is very afraid of people, and if it does not see a way to retreat, it warns of an attack with a hiss. It does not lay eggs, but gives birth to live young. The sand epha, although not very large - 60 cm in length, is very poisonous.

Viper(Vipera) is the only poisonous snake living in the European part of Russia. Common and steppe vipers, although not as dangerous as cobras or vipers, are more numerous.

Taipans(Oxyuranus scutellatus) are the most venomous and aggressive snakes in Australia. Belongs to the asp family.

Rattlesnakes or pit snakes(Crotalinae) - representatives of the viper family, one of the most poisonous snakes in the world. There are 32 species of rattlesnakes, most of which are found in the deserts and semi-deserts of Mexico and South America. As a warning, rattlesnakes begin to rattle their “rattle,” a special organ at the end of their tail.

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