Zoologists attribute the common snake to the type of chordata, the class of reptiles, the order of the scaly, the family is already distinctive. This snake is found in all areas with a temperate climate - both in our country and in Eurasia as a whole.
Below we will talk about its habitats, nutritional features and lifestyle, as well as explain the ways in which you can distinguish between an adder and an ordinary snake.
What does it look like
The most typical coloring of this snake from the back is a simple brown, dark gray or blackish, with an implicit pattern.
Quite rarely, but there are completely black snakes, as, indeed, albinos. The abdomen of them is always lighter, it is dirty gray in color, has a dark strip stretching all the way to the throat.
On the sides of the head of most representatives of this species are two bright yellow or orange spots of an oval shape, which is a kind of visiting card of this reptile (see photo of an ordinary snake in the article). It should be borne in mind that individuals are occasionally found in which these spots are either not present or weakly expressed.
Usually the body length of this snake is about a meter. But some specimens of females of the common snake may be larger - up to 150 cm.
Habitat
Already ordinary from the class of reptiles - a typical and almost one of the most common types of reptiles.
Quite often, these reptiles choose a hollow and a hole under the roots of trees, as well as burrows, for living. For life, prefers wet and marshy places already ordinary. The snake is found in large numbers near ponds, lakes, rivers, swamps, at beaver huts, in coastal shrubs, on old clearings, in moist forests, especially many-tier ones, in haystacks, under bridges, etc.
It often settles near human housing - houses, farm buildings, in personal plots. You can meet snakes in sheds, in barns, logs of firewood, in garbage heaps. Sometimes they crawl into the attics and basements. Apparently, this is due to the fact that the permanent neighbors of a person live here - small rodents and insects, which make up the main diet of snakes.
Lifestyle
Ordinary - pretty playful reptile. Everyone who has ever tried to catch her knows how difficult this is. This snake moves well on the ground and in the trees. Crawling, she speeds up to 5 km per hour, but for a snake this is not bad at all. Even the snakes swim perfectly, holding their heads above the surface and leaving their mark in the form of a characteristic ripple with their wriggling body in the water. And if necessary, while hunting, it can already dive and hold out at a depth of as much as half an hour! He is able to lie for a long time at the bottom, waiting for prey. Nevertheless, in spite of such remarkable qualities of a skilled swimmer, snows prefer not to swim far, hunting in coastal zones.
Day is the usual active time for snakes; he goes hunting most often in the morning or in the evening. At noon, this snake likes to bask in the sun, curled up on a tree branch or on a house jam. However, all that has been said concerns an ordinary snake, but another species of snakes - digging from North Africa - leads an exclusively nocturnal lifestyle.
With the onset of the autumn months (usually in October-November), the snakes hide in burrows or under stones and fall into hibernation. They can sleep for 8 months a year - the duration of suspended animation depends on the time of onset of cold weather and their end. Usually hibernation ends in April days, when the sun significantly warms the ground.
For wintering, snakes choose non-freezing secluded places where no one will disturb them. In such shelters, up to several dozen individuals can gather, sometimes other types of snakes join them.
In captivity, he is already able to live for about 20 years. Zoologists suggest that such could be the duration of life in nature, if not for a large number of natural enemies.
Mating season and reproduction
Shortly after awakening, the male snakes intertwine in a hissing tangle, arranging battles for the female: the mating season begins at an ordinary snake. And after about three snakes, after three months they are looking for places for future clutches in secluded and humid places: either it is a bunch of old foliage, or an old hole, or a hole under a rotten pre-heating deck covered with moss.
The nest contains from 20 to 40 eggs. The average egg length is up to 25-30 mm, and the width is no more than 18-20. Freshly laid eggs are oval in shape, covered with a leathery, sticky, whitish shell. They often stick together, forming chains or lumps.
Sometimes the masonry is not the only one. It may happen that, having found a nest, another female will report her eggs to these. If the rat does not bury the cache, the young will hatch from the eggs in a couple of months (and if the weather is cold, then in three).
Newborn snakes are still small, no more than 15-20 cm, but they are already quite ready to lead an independent life and can hunt - for insects, their larvae, caterpillars, worms and even fish fry.
Molting
Having survived the wintering, the snakes also undergo a molting process. Their skin at this time grows dull and loses its former colors. Shedding snakes rub against any protruding places - stones, driftwood, tree bark, trying to quickly crawl out of their old skin, which peels off them like a stocking.
Entering the habitat of the snake sometimes catches the eye of the so-called crawl (or "shirt") - translucent, behind the body of the snake skins or parts thereof. As a rule, the skin comes off the reptiles as a whole, but sometimes the molt passes in an abnormal mode - then it loses its old skin to shreds.
It is interesting that at the last moment of molting, the snake becomes almost completely blind: just like with the whole body, a thin skin gradually disappears from her eyes, which makes it difficult to see. Then she tries to touch to find some safe secluded gap, crawl into it and wait there for the end of the molt.
The molted snake looks quite impressive - all the strokes on its skin appear sharper and brighter, even the pupils in the eyes become clearly distinguishable.
What is eating already
The diet of this reptile consists mainly of small vertebrates and various insects. Frogs, newts, other snakes, rodents, birds, their eggs, chicks, fish, etc. - this is what the ordinary eats.
Having overtaken his prey (and this snake, like all reptiles in general, attacks only the moving, moving animals), it attacks it. He swallows the prey alive and whole. In this case, the sharp teeth bent inward do not serve to pierce them into the victim’s body. He cannot tear it to pieces and begin to chew, he cannot even strangle it with his body. Therefore, it swallows it. And he needs teeth to help him push the body of the captured animal inward, acting alternately between the upper and lower parts of the jaw.
If at that crucial moment an enemy encroaches on the very snake, he, of course, will have to retreat. And in order to flee as quickly as possible, the half-swallowed victim will burp. It is interesting that at the same time, the freed food, often not at all harmed by the adventure, runs away on its own business.
Snakes can remain hungry for a long time, but always need to drink and bathe.
Who attacks snakes in nature
This snake itself also often becomes the prey of various predators. Enemies in the wild already have enough. These are badgers, foxes, martens, minks, raccoon dogs. Birds love to hunt him. An eagle or a kite snaps from a sky, and sometimes even a stork picks it up.
Most often, this reptile prefers to crawl away from danger as soon as possible, but if the enemy is too close, the snake can curl up in a knot and make several false attacks to the offender, hissing loudly. Even the snakes can skillfully pretend to be dead - they will relax the body, open their mouth with their tongue sticking out and lie still, showing a complete absence of reactions to external stimuli. In this case, the snake may even burp partially digested food. Most of the predators avoid eating carrion - that’s the cunning snake and helps out. As soon as the enemy disappointedly turns away, the "imaginary dead" resurrects and quickly crawls away.
Sometimes it can splash on the attacker with a special yellowish-white liquid, which has an unpleasant odor. It does not irritate the skin, it only stinks. But the majority of four-legged predators, possessing a sensitive scent, stops this, but such protection does not work against birds.
Could it be dangerous to humans?
Most members of the family already reproductive can not do any harm to people. They can only slightly scratch the skin with your teeth if you show a desire to take the snake in your hands. Already ordinary in most cases, when trying to catch him, he prefers to hide.
However, some species, such as, for example, the tiger, common in the Far East and in neighboring areas, have teeth in the back of the upper jaw with furrows containing poison. The bite of such a reptile can lead to edema, sometimes even fatal.
But on the whole, an ordinary one is a harmless animal that brings man undoubted benefit. In the house, he exterminates rodents.
In addition, there are lovers containing snakes in home terrariums. I must say, this is a rather troublesome task. Strange as it may seem, despite the prevalence of this reptile in the wild, for its comfortable existence in captivity, it is necessary to fulfill a number of requirements for temperature, humidity, nutrition, the presence of heated shelters, etc. A snake living in a terrarium, like crawling among forests, needs to fall into hibernation, which should also be provided by artificially created climatic conditions.
Why confuse snake and viper ordinary?
These snakes are often confused, especially people who are not initiated into zoological subtleties. Indeed, there is a similarity between snake and common viper - the habitats of these reptiles are very similar, they are similar to each other's way of life, the composition of the diet and behavior in general. Both one and the other are most active in the daytime, from May to September, and also love damp places and bask in the sun in the summer.
But the similarity ends here, because the viper, in contrast to the common snake, is poisonous. The consequences of her bite include swelling, headache, dizziness, chills, and nausea.
A photo of a common snake and an adder (see below) shows a distinct difference. As you can see, distinguishing them is not at all difficult.
Let's take a closer look at the similarities and differences between the snake and the viper.
What are the similarities?
Neither the viper ever attacks the person first, but when they meet, they prefer to flee. But both one and the other snake will bite, step on them. But only if the bite of a snake you may not even notice, the bite of a viper is not at all harmless. Therefore, for starters, while being in nature, in the places where these snakes naturally exist, look under your feet and around!
Try, although in the field it is not always possible to observe the snake encountered. The differences between the snake and the viper are quite noticeable - it can take some time to notice this.
And what are the differences?
The main and easily noticeable distinguishing feature of the snake is orange or yellow spots on the sides of the head. You will not find such spots in an adder.
In addition, this reptile can be distinguished by the dorsal zigzag pattern on the skin. True, you should not really hope that this distinctive feature will catch your eye: if the pattern and background of the snake are dark enough, the pattern can be barely distinguishable.
The viper is often confused with a completely harmless water snake. Its spotted pattern is somewhat reminiscent of the layout of a chessboard, for which tourists call this type of snake a chess or hybrid viper and ruthlessly destroy it. And there are no yellow spots on the head, as in an ordinary snake, in an aquatic one.
In general, the snakes are larger than the vipers due to the length of the tail. Some representatives of the former can reach one and a half meters, while most individuals of the latter do not exceed a meter in length.
Usually in the description of an ordinary snake it is said that he has an ovoid head, and in a viper it looks more like the triangular end of a spear. And the shields on her head are smaller.
Pay attention to the eyes of the snake met . The viper has vertical pupils, while it is round.
Precautionary measures
This, of course, will focus on the necessary measures to protect yourself from the bites of a dangerous viper. Do not forget that where you can meet the snake, you will probably see her.
First of all, those traveling to places where snakes may be living should pay attention to their clothes: boots and clothes made of thick fabric with long sleeves should be mandatory for these trips.
When you meet a viper, you don’t have to wave your hands, try to crush it or even grab it. In general, do not make sudden movements. Stop and wait - the snake is likely to crawl away.
In the spring, in April-May, when both vipers and snakes play courtship games, it’s worth, by the way, to be especially careful.
What to do when bitten by a viper
If you still could not avoid the bite of the viper, limit the movement of the bitten limb so that the poison does not penetrate the surrounding tissue. And of course, seek medical attention as soon as possible. When a viper bites, it is very important to introduce a drug that neutralizes poison, a special serum. It is equally important to drink at this time as much fluid as possible.
You should not both cauterize the bite site, and open it so that the poisoned blood supposedly could come off. Do not place harnesses on the limb.
It is still unclear whether it is possible to suck venom out of a wound. Doctors did not come to a consensus, and some of them consider this procedure to be harmless both for the amateur "doctor" and for his "patient."