The Amur snake, or otherwise Shrenka is a snake of the family already distinctive, it is widespread in the Far East. This reptile perfectly adapts to living conditions in a number of natural zones: from steppes to coniferous forests. In the territory
The Russian Federation, the Amur snake is most often found in Primorye and in the Khabarovsk Territory. Moreover, his place of residence can vary significantly: a dry forest zone, wetlands near ponds, water meadows, the attic of a house or a farmer’s garden. This species is found even in the mountains at an altitude of 1 kilometer above sea level.
An adult Amur snake can grow a little over 2 meters. The male, as a rule, is significantly larger than the female. The back of a snake can have all shades - from dark brown to black. The pattern of transverse stripes may be absent in such a snake as the Amur snake. The photo shows that the creeper’s belly is invariably light in various shades. Schrenka has two subspecies. Russian snake and Chinese snake. Subspecies differ mainly in size - the second, as an inhabitant of warmer climatic zones - is larger. The Amur snake leads a daily lifestyle. Sleeps at night, climbing into a shelter, which can serve as a hollow tree, haystacks, holes
animals, crevices in stones. In the cold season, the shrenka hibernates in October, and wakes up in April. At this time, individuals gather in groups, sometimes up to 35 pieces.
The Amur snake climbs trees perfectly. It can rise to a height of 10 meters. Reptiles of this species reach puberty in the third year of life. In the spring, after wintering, adults gather in a certain place, which remains unchanged from year to year. The males pick up a pair and achieve its location by stroking the head of the female’s body. When the mating season ends, snakes creep into their territories, and females hatched eggs. Pregnancy lasts a little over a month. In mid-July, females lay small eggs, they can be up to 30 pieces. A nesting place with a loose and moist litter can serve as a nest. There are collective nests. More than a hundred eggs were found by scientists in one of these nests.
The young shrenki are born quite large. Many of them die during the first wintering, since there are not many suitable shelters. The Amur snake feeds on small
mammals and their cubs, birds and chicks, frogs and eggs. The snake swallows smaller victims at once, more than large ones - initially strangles, squeezing rings around the body or pressing it to the surface of the earth. If the snake gets into a dangerous situation, it first tries to retire. But if flight is impossible, hisses and attacks. A large individual can cope with a small hare or rat. The Chinese keep snakes of this species as pets instead of cats, as they do an excellent job at killing rats and mice.
The idle talk that the Amur snake is poisonous is far from harmless, because people do not hesitate to destroy these reptiles. The number of snake is steadily declining.