Primorye is the only place on Earth where glaciers have not reached, so here you can find relic plants that existed even before the ice age. The same applies to its fauna. This region is unusually rich, it has everything: the ocean and mountains, minerals and medicinal plants, fast rivers and clear lakes, full of fish, legendary caves and the vast green space of the taiga, in which the Ussuri tiger and black bear coexist.
It is surprising that in such an abundance of snakes in the Primorsky Territory are represented by only a few species, 3 of which are poisonous.
Primorsky Krai
Unfortunately, the modern city dweller is completely not adapted to life in nature, where he is either on barbecue or on vacation. Often people cannot elementarily distinguish poplar from birch.
By and large, each of us should know what our eyes see, smell and understand smells, to watch the bird, knowing its habits and habitats. But alas, general illiteracy and the absence of elementary curiosity separated people and nature forever.
And to know, for example, which snakes are found in the Primorsky Territory, it is important if you go to a forest for a picnic, otherwise it may end badly. About a dozen reptiles live in these places, of which a person should avoid three - the Sakhalin viper, the eastern and rocky muzzle.
There is one type of conditionally poisonous snake. Such reptiles do not pose a life threat, but they can cause a lot of unpleasant sensations, therefore, when going to the forest, it is better to worry in advance about the first-aid kit with antidote and about the knowledge of how dangerous snakes of the Primorsky Territory look like.
Eastern muzzle
This snake is difficult to confuse with any other, since it has a characteristic color in the form of black circles on the sides of the body, which are connected along the back. From the mouth to the eyes of the eastern muzzle, there are strips giving it a smiling look, but it is better not to trust it.
These snakes in the Primorsky Territory prefer damp places and ponds, as they are excellent swimmers and dive well. They can be found in flood meadows, swamps and forests. There have been cases when, during migration, eastern muzzle swords crossed rivers and even small sea bays.
They have to overcome such dangers every year, as they look for suitable places for wintering. These snakes in the Primorsky Territory, like many others, prefer to sleep underground or in a shelter that does not freeze and is not flooded with meltwater, so they have to look for suitable caves or crevices in the mountains. Sometimes in one place it collects up to 2000 individuals.
Quite often, the rodent burrows, located somewhere on a hill, whose muzzles were previously eaten, become the wintering place.
These snakes feed not only on birds and mammals, but also on fish, and frogs, and amphibians. Eastern muzzle moth uses poison as well as other poisonous snakes of Primorsky Krai. They do not attack people, and in every way try to avoid them, so if you come across an oriental muzzle, just wait for it to creep. The snake can be located only 5-10 cm from the human foot and crawl away calmly if it feels that it is not in danger.
Rocky muzzle
The venomous snakes of the Primorsky Territory are so arranged that with their coloration they warn a person: “Do not come, I’m dangerous!” So the stony shchitomordnik is the owner of bright brown stripes, which are separated by light inserts.
The venom of these snakes, like others, causes a bitten 2 stages of deterioration:
- firstly, it is a powerful hemotoxin that provokes thrombosis and hemorrhage;
- secondly, it is a neurotoxin that causes paralysis of the respiratory tract and the victim suffocates simply if he has not died of extensive necrosis before.
The most common stony muzzle in the mountains, namely in forest stone screes in the reserves of Ussuri, Lazovsky and Sikhote-Alinsky. Often, various species of snakes in the Primorsky Territory winter in one place. It can be a deep hollow or crevice at a depth of up to 4 meters, where reptiles rush from all sides. In one such pit, there are snakes, and different species of muzzle insects, and vipers, and snakes. They go out of hibernation in April-May.
Sakhalin viper
This beautiful and small snake of a dark gray or brownish shade with a beautiful zigzag pattern along the body may even seem pretty, but it falls into the category “The most dangerous snakes in the Primorsky Territory”. The venom of this viper has hemolytic properties, and if a person or even a large animal, such as a horse, has been bitten, death occurs within half an hour from blood clotting and numerous hemorrhages in internal organs.
The Sakhalin viper prefers to settle along the banks of rivers and lakes, but it can be found in coastal cliffs in the area of ​​Sovetskaya Gavan and on the border of the beach and the forest, therefore, resting on the banks of the river, for example, it is better not to go barefoot into the thickets.
The snake never attacks first and in every possible way avoids the person, but if they step on it, he will answer, of course, with a bite. This snake eats lizards, small rodents and birds.
Tiger already
There are conditionally poisonous snakes in the Primorsky Territory, whose bite does not kill a person or an animal, but delivers many unpleasant moments. The unusually beautiful tiger belongs to this category.
Its length up to 1.1 meters already makes it noticeable, and in addition to this, the back color of the snake varies from olive and greenish to sky blue with transverse black stripes or spots that give it a tiger look.
As they grow older, this type of snake develops orange or reddish spots that “color” its skin even more.
The sting of a tiger snake is not dangerous, and it should be feared if it turns its back on you. In the event of a threat, he lifts the torso and turns his neck to the enemy, on which there are glands that produce a caustic poisonous secret, which is fatal for small mammals.
If this substance gets into a person’s open wound, the consequences can be the most unpredictable - from severe poisoning to death with a weak heart.
Japanese already
This unremarkable small snake, up to half a meter in length, prefers to settle in cedar-deciduous and small-leaved forests, less often it can be found in meadows, near berry bushes. Notice it in the grass and foliage will not be easy. The skin color of Japanese snake varies from a greenish tint to dark brown and chocolate.
It can give out a yellow stripe running from the mouth to the eyes. The abdomen of the snake is olive or yellow. To find her, you will have to try hard, not only is she a great disguiser, she also chooses the most secluded places - rotten stumps, fallen trees, stones, and places to live.
The eater mainly feeds on earthworms, small frogs and mollusks. From the nearest snake species similar to it, it is distinguished by the absence of a pattern on the skin.
Amur snake
This snake can be safely called a movie star, since it is the Amur snake that replaces its dangerous and poisonous relatives in films of various categories. Its black color, which is interrupted by bright yellow stripes, gives it an exotic look, which is what the directors use, shooting another scene with the attack of snakes on people.
Usually reptiles have a color that helps them blend in with the environment, but the Amur snake with its bright stripes is unlikely to succeed, so many people wonder why he needs such an “extravagant outfit”.
In fact, this is his defense, because his enemies do not perceive his body as a whole because of these yellow broken lines that bend when the snake creeps. This gives her an advantage and time to escape.
The Amur snake is not at all afraid of people, and although its habitat is forests and meadows, it often settles in vegetable gardens and near houses, which greatly helps their inhabitants. Even cats do not cope with mice and small rodents like these snakes do.
They determine their habitat and leave it only if they find a pair or a better place for wintering, but always return to their territory after hibernation.
Patterned snake
A variety of these snakes in many countries is included in the category of pets and pets. And this is not surprising. Patterned snake quickly gets used to people and eats from hands, and its smooth, unlike other snakes, skin is very pleasant to the touch. They live in orchards and vineyards, climb trees beautifully, swim and dive.
Their color varies from a grayish back with black spots to a light gray and yellow shade with brownish spots. In the wild, they prefer the slopes of the mountains, the outskirts of the marshes, floodplains and alpine meadows.
They feed on everything they catch - from small mammals and birds to insects, fish and eggs. They pre-strangle their prey, as boas do, and swallow the whole eggs.
On average, they live up to 9-10 years. These are the most common snakes in the border region of Primorsky Krai.
Red-backed snake
This small snake is called so because on its olive-colored back, in 4 rows, reddish spots with a fringing “lined up”. The red-backed snake loves water and always settles near ponds or in very damp lowlands and swamps. He hunts in the water, eating mainly small fish, frogs, and when he is lucky with birds and small rodents.
The amazing thing about this snake is that it belongs to live-bearing reptiles, which is not common. Small snakes appear in a shell resembling an egg, which they immediately tear and begin to hunt. Young growth feeds on earthworms and insects.
Safety regulations
If you are not traveling in nature and are not familiar with the surrounding natural world, then the best advice in this situation is to be vigilant and careful. Seeing that a yellow snake is crawling in the grass (the Primorsky Territory inhabitants can have completely different, sometimes even exotic colors), you should not scream and beat her with a stick.
Snakes are afraid and avoid people, and if a chance meeting did occur, they should be allowed to crawl along their way.