Not all people are attracted to poisonous snakes, and few are engaged in breeding their homes. There are among lovers of this type of reptiles and those that contain kufiy in the house.
It is impossible to deny the popularity of kufiy - snakes that are part of pit vipers (subfamily). Today, there are several species of these animals, popular among herpetologists, snake catchers, fakirs and spellcasters. Each variety is interesting and attractive in its own way.
general information
Kufii (or spear-headed Asian snakes) belong to the genus of poisonous reptiles of the viper family. This genus unites approximately 30 poisonous species that are common in the Eastern Hemisphere. They got their name for the characteristic appearance, strongly reminiscent of a spear. The head, having a triangular shape and a sharp muzzle, is sharply separated from the body.
The kufi snakes lead either a woody or terrestrial way of life. Activity is mainly observed at night and dusk. The main diet is frogs, small rodents and birds.
Varieties
The largest species is the keffiyeh habu, which lives on the islands of Amami and Okinawa. Its length reaches up to 2.5 meters (more detailed information later in the article). The remaining species, as a rule, do not exceed one meter.
The most famous is the very beautiful temple keffiyeh, distributed on the islands of the Malay archipelago (in the east reaches Sulawesi island, and in the north - Phillipin). This variety is notable for its bright color: on a black-green background there are bright yellow transverse rings, the upper part of the head is painted yellow.
Many locals keep them in the trees near their homes. In their opinion, this ensures well-being. The snake got its name due to the fact that a large number of such reptiles were kept on the island of Penang (the western coast of the Mallaki Peninsula), in the Snake Temple.
The blue keffiyeh (Komodskaya) is very beautiful. Her body is painted in a wonderful blue color.
Other types of keffiyehs:
- white-lips
- Kalimantan;
- horned;
- spearhead;
- graceful;
- yellow spotted;
- red-tailed;
- yellow green
- slim;
- bamboo;
- large-scaled;
- malabra;
- Thai;
- Tibetan
- sharp-scaled;
- coastal;
- flat-nosed;
- Sumatran;
- Ceylon
- and many others.
White-chested keffiyeh
The color of this woody climbing snake is light green. Males have a white stripe above the upper labial shields. The length of the snake reaches 82 centimeters. Activity is more manifested at night. Usually she hides among the branches of trees, so it is quite possible to stumble upon her in the forest. She is one of the most poisonous of the many varieties of keffiyehs.
Males are usually smaller than females, but their colors are no less attractive. The upper part of the head and back are bright green, the areas below the eyes are yellow or pale green, the stomach is white, yellowish or green, and the tip of the tail is light brown in color. The snake has venom of fibrinolytic and neuroparalytic action with a thrombotic effect. It is dangerous, but there are few deaths. Life expectancy is up to 12 years.
Representatives of this variety of kufiya snake can be found on the territory of many states. These are Vietnam, Thailand, the northern and northeastern parts of India, and some parts of China, Indonesia, and Malaysia. She prefers the evergreen forests of the tropics and the secondary bamboo forests and shrubs growing along the roads.
A snake is not considered to be very dangerous for a person and the deaths from its bite are relatively small, but caution must be taken when keeping such a pet.
Yellow green keffiyeh
This variety does not have a bright color, like other species, so it is perfectly masked in the habitat. Its length reaches 1.2-2.5 meters, weight - up to 3.5 kg. The head is flat and widened around the occipital part. Coloring - light olive or yellow-green with dark spots. The abdominal part is white.
He prefers to settle in meadows and mountain forests, near human settlements. The yellow-green snake moves through the trees, the peak period of activity is night time.
This variety is the most aggressive of all the keffiyehs. True, among people, deaths after bites are relatively rare.
About security measures
Collectors all over the world have always been attracted to exotic animals and reptiles. When dealing with poisonous individuals, precautions should be taken when keeping them.
Basic requirements for snake breeders:
- place terrariums away from the bedrooms, it is best to place them in a separate room;
- constantly check the tightness of the container lid;
- in the process of cleaning and in contact with the keffiyeh, use rubber tight gloves;
- Do not tease the animal and do not pick it up (this is a poisonous and wild creature);
- place food in the terrarium with special chopsticks, which can also be used when cleaning leftover food;
- in case of a bite, there should always be an antidote in the medicine cabinet (it will prevent pain and other unpleasant consequences);
- newcomers to breeding snakes keffiyehs are better off to choose representatives of quiet varieties (for example, temple keffiyeh).
Finally
The word keffiyeh is also called a quadrangular shawl (gutra or shemagh) that has nothing to do with snakes, which when folded (in a triangle) is used as a headdress by men in Arab countries. A decree is also attached to it - a hoop used to hold this scarf on his head. Kufiyah is widespread among the inhabitants of the Arabian Desert and Sahara, the Sinai and Arabian Peninsulas, in the north of Africa and in the east of Asia, as well as in the countries of the Persian Gulf. More often, the Arabian keffiyeh is worn with a black hoop.
This tradition has developed in Arabia, even before the adoption of Islam by the local population. In the ancient drawings preserved in these places, men are depicted with pieces of multi-colored fabrics on their heads, with hoops strengthening them. Today, kufiyas in the box (red and black), which appeared in the 20s of the last century, are very popular.