No matter how you learn the incredible wonders of our planet, there is always room for surprise. We are accustomed to secretive bastards gliding imperceptibly among foliage and grass. A completely different impression is made by a coral snake. One name is worth it! They talk a lot about this reptile. She regularly takes prizes in various ratings, bewitching specialists with her appearance and habits. Let's see what is unusual in it.
Description
The coral snake got its sonorous nickname due to its unusual color. The predominant color is red. Aspide, unlike many other relatives, is brightly colored. Red spots alternate with contrasting white and black. Less common are the incredible snakes, flaunting a heavenly blue or pink dawn, spilling rings on the skin. The size of this reptile is not impressive. Its maximum length is seventy centimeters. The head is small, blunt. This aspid is distinguished by a love of skin change. He sheds up to six times a year. Another oddity for a snake is that it loves to drink water, but not to swim.
Lifestyle
People rarely have the chance to admire this "beauty". She prefers to hide in moist foliage, cool grass. Leads a coral snake nocturnal. Sometimes, during the rainy season, her instincts fail. Then you can see the asp in the open. This is dangerous. Poisonous coral snake can harm humans. The habitat of this animal is from the southern states of the USA through Brazil to the Mato Grosso plateau. Finding a coral snake is not an easy task. She does not like curious eyes, random anxieties. Lives among foliage and grass. Spends most of the time in the shade, or even burrowing into the ground. On the surface in ordinary (non-mating) times, a coral snake can only be driven out by showers that interfere with its quiet existence. Sometimes it appears in human habitation (mostly by chance). The coral snake is an egg laying. The mating season in these animals is only once a year. One or two eggs appear in the clutch.
Nutrition
Coral snake (photo) prefers hunting. Its diet includes insects, amphibians, and some lizards. Sometimes she is able to catch and swallow a small bird. Without food, the snake can remain for a long time, which cannot be said about water. She needs to drink often (for reptiles). Already on the third day of the "drought" she begins to feel a lack of moisture. When keeping aspid in captivity, it is necessary to ensure that it has constant access to water (full drinker). It should be fed large insects ( Madagascar cockroaches are recommended ) or earthworms. In captivity for a reptile constant care is required. Terrarium fans are advised to get the serum ahead of time and keep track of its expiration date to avoid trouble.
Bite
A person with this snake is not recommended to argue. She usually bites her leg. Since her teeth are small, a faint wound appears.
Most often, a person understands an event because of pain spreading over a limb, and that is not always the case. After a dozen minutes, vomiting appears, sometimes with blood. Sometimes a severe headache occurs. If the antidote is not taken in time, then paralysis can develop, in rare cases the heart does not stand up, then a fatal outcome follows. The snake is characterized by a tenacious bite. She does not open her jaw immediately after injecting poison, like other aspids. She chews on her prey. From the bite there are many barely noticeable wounds. If you are lucky, and it immediately slips off the skin, then the effect of the poison will be minimal.
Coral snake due to the brightness of appearance is very popular among reptile lovers. She is kept in terrariums, studied, made films. Even tattoos in the style of this aspect have become a fashion trend among certain groups. This is a symbol of a fearless, treacherous, wise, secretive warrior, endowed with tremendous power.