Snakes (Serpentes) - one of the most peculiar inhabitants of the planet Earth. They, like no other animals, are subject to the persecution of people who have been pursuing them for a long time and killing poisonous and non-poisonous indiscriminately, and the latter, I must say, the majority: of the 3200 species of snakes known to science, only about 410 species are poisonous, and in the former USSR and even less - out of 58 species, only 11 are poisonous.
External features and structural features of snakes
The elongated body of snakes can reach a length of 10 cm to 9 m, weight ranges from 10 grams to 100 kilograms. Males are usually smaller than females, but have a longer tail. In shape, the body can be short and thick, long and thin, or flattened, resembling a ribbon (in sea snakes)
The skin of snakes is dry, covered with scales or scutes formed by the keratinized layers of the epidermis. On the back and on the sides, they are small and overlap each other in tiles; the belly is covered with wide semicircular plates.
The immobility of the fused eyelids creates the impression of a kind of unblinking gaze, which seems to have hypnotic powers.
There is an opinion that frogs, hypnotized by a snake, themselves crawl into its mouth, rest, scream, but cannot escape. When meeting with a snake, the frog really freezes, but this is only one of the ways to preserve life: pretending to be dead, freezing is a consequence of the instinct of self-preservation. But she herself, of course, does not climb into the mouth. The snake turns out to be more agile than the victim, and grabs it before it can hide.
The skull of a snake is arranged in a special way: the bones of the upper jaw are connected to each other and to adjacent bones in a flexible manner; the left and right halves of the lower jaw are connected by a stretching ligament. These properties allow, for example, a gyurza, whose head does not exceed 5-7 cm, open its mouth enough to swallow even a small rabbit whole.
The internal organs of snakes are also unusual. Their heart is small and significantly removed from the head. So, in cobras, for example, it is located in the second half of the body.
The skeleton consists of 200-400 movable vertebrae connected by ligaments. When moving, the snake slides along the ground with shields. Overlapping each other, like shingles, the shields, taking alternately at right angles, help the reptile move easily and quickly. In this case, the movements of the vertebrae, and ribs, and muscles, and scutes are strictly coordinated: they occur only in the horizontal plane.
Some people think that a snake can jump or roll with a wheel, but this is not the case. Raising her head slightly, she lowers it to the ground and pulls the front of the body in a loop, then raises her head again, lowers it and, making a forward movement, pulls the whole body along. If the snake is placed on an absolutely smooth glass surface, it will make useless movements, since the abdominal shields will not be able to find support on the surface devoid of protrusions and there will be no forward movement.
Snakes see and hear poorly, but they have a well-developed sense of smell and touch. And their forked tongue, which is sometimes mistakenly called a sting, helps them in this. Particles of substances from the air adhere to the tongue, snakes bring the tongue to a special place in the mouth and thus feel the smell - as if tasting the air.
What do snakes eat?
All snakes, without exception, are animal-eating. Their diet includes various types of animals, the size of which depends primarily on the size of the predator itself. The main food of snakes is frogs, rodents, lizards, their own relatives, including poisonous ones, as well as some types of insects. The ability to climb trees gives snakes the ability to ravage bird nests by eating chicks or eggs.
Snakes do not feed every day, and if it is not possible to get prey, they can starve for a long time. If water is available, snakes can go without food for up to several months.
All snakes hunt down their prey patiently, hiding among the leaves of trees, or on the ground, along the paths leading to a watering hole. The prey of the snake is swallowed from the head, and not from the tail, fearing the sharp teeth of the victim, which may still be alive. Non-venomous snakes, before swallowing a victim, squeeze it with the rings of their body so that it cannot move.
The duration of the digestion of the victim depends on its size, the state of health of the snake, the temperature of the environment and usually lasts from 2 to 9 days. Digestion requires higher temperatures than other vital processes. To speed up the process, the snake exposes the full belly to the sun, leaving the rest of the body in shade.
Hibernation
With the onset of cold weather, approximately in the second half of October - early November, snakes go to winter, climbing into holes of rodents, under stones or tree roots, into haystacks, into cracks and crevices. In settlements, they gather in basements, abandoned wells, and are arranged along pipes with heating and sewerage systems. Winter numbness can be interrupted at times, and then they can be seen on the surface. In the tropics or subtropics, snakes may not hibernate, or sleep for a short time.
In late March - early April, snakes crawl out of their shelters. The vital activity of snakes, as cold-blooded animals, depends on climatic factors: temperature, sunlight, humidity, etc. In this regard, the daily activity of reptiles also changes in different seasons of the year. In the spring, they spend all days in the sun, and in the summer, the period of activity falls on the morning, evening and night hours.
Reproduction
Snakes have 2 breeding methods. Some species, for example, gyurza, reproduce their own kind by laying eggs with underdeveloped embryos, the further development of which is carried out outside the body of the female. Ovoviviparity is characteristic of vipers and shitomordniki, that is, the eggs remain in the mother's body until the embryos are fully developed in them. Pregnant females lead a half-starved lifestyle, they are inactive and very careful. Overweight reptiles cannot make a lightning throw and tend to stay in secluded places.
For example, cubs are born in the second half of August - September, the number of newborns is from 1 to 8, sometimes their number even reaches 17 or more. Little creatures behave like their parents - they move, hiss, and when defending they bite, releasing a small portion of poison. Vipers feed exclusively on insects - locusts, grasshoppers, beetles, etc.
Molting
Types of snakes
Today there are more than 3200 species of snakes.
Snakes (Serpentes) belong to the class of reptiles, the squamous detachment. In the suborder of snakes, different specialists distinguish from 8 to 20 families. This discrepancy is associated with the discovery of new species and difficulties in their classification.
The most numerous families are:
Shaped(Colubridae) - more than 1,500 species. The sizes of snakes of this most numerous family vary from 10 cm to 3.5 meters. The shape, color and pattern of the already-shaped are very diverse and depend on the characteristics of the habitat. Among them are terrestrial, arboreal, burrowing and aquatic species. Most of the representatives of this family are non-venomous, but among them there are so-called false snakes, which have large poisonous teeth and furrows for poison to drain along them. Chubby snakes are often kept in terrariums.
Aspid(Elapidae) - about 330 species. Outwardly, asps resemble snakes and are often called "poisonous snakes". Body length from 40 cm to 5 meters. The color is varied. All species of snakes in this family are venomous. They live in Asia, Australia, America, Africa. Not found in Europe.
Viper(Viperidae) - about 280 species. Representatives of this vast family are found in Asia, Europe, Africa, North America and adapt to any landscape. The body length varies from 25 cm to 3.5 m. A light zigzag or rhombic pattern on the back and sides is common for them. However, tropical tree vipers are colored bright green.All vipers have a pair of long canines, which are used to excrete venom from the venom glands located behind the upper jaw.
Blind snakes(Typhlopidae) - about 200 species. They are common in tropical and subtropical regions of all parts of the world. In Russia, there is one species - the common blind snake (Typhlops vermicularis).
Snakes have managed to adapt to a wide variety of habitats: they can be found in forests and deserts, in mountains and water bodies. This entailed an amazing variety of forms within the species of families, differing in size, color, scales, etc.
Let's dwell on a few of the most interesting representatives in more detail.
Non-venomous snakes
Ordinary already(Natrix natrix) is widespread in the territory of the former USSR. It lives along the banks of reservoirs, in floodplain meadows, in reed thickets. It happens that an ordinary snake is mistaken for a viper, meanwhile it is easy to distinguish it by two bright spots of yellow or orange on the sides of the head. And in size it is larger and has a different pattern.
Already ordinary
Amur snake(Elaphe schrenckii) is a representative of the already-shaped family. Lives in the Far East. This is one of the largest snakes in Russia, it can reach a length of 2.4 m.
Amur snake Copperhead ordinary(Coronella austriaca) is another snake from the serpentine family. Widely distributed in Europe, also found in western Asia.
Copperhead ordinary The reptile defends itself from enemies, shrinking into a ball, and hissing, throws towards the enemy. Apparently, therefore, many consider it aggressive and dangerous, but in fact, it does not pose a danger to people.
Common blind snake(Typhlops vermicularis) is a member of the snake family. Outwardly, it looks more like an earthworm, and not like a snake. Body length usually does not exceed 30 cm, tail is very short. The upper side of the body is reddish brown, closer to the tail the color becomes darker, the ventral side of the body is light. An interesting feature of the blind snake is that it has a translucent integument, the blood vessels give it a pink tint, and through the abdominal wall you can see the internal organs and food debris. The common blind snake is found in Asia Minor.
Blind Snake Pythons(Pythonidae), of which there are currently 22 species, are found in Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and the Sunda Islands. These are snakes ranging in length from 1.5 to 10 meters and weighing up to 100 kg. Pythons are non-venomous, but extremely dangerous, especially the large ones. They unexpectedly attack the victim, wrap their body around it and strangle it. A large python can swallow a jackal, a young boar and even a leopard whole.
Royal python Poisonous snakes
Of the venomous snakes, the most recognizable cobras(Naja) - representatives of the family of aspids. They are known not only for their toxicity, but also for their specific "hood", which they inflate in a state of irritation. In total, about 16 species of cobras are known. They live throughout the African continent, as well as in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.
The spitting cobra shown in the photo is capable of shooting poison into the eyes of the enemy at a distance of up to three meters. When this method of protection is ineffective, the cobra pretends to be dead.
Spitting cobra In India alone, in the last century, about 10,000 people died annually from cobra bites! However, this does not bother the snake charmers at all and does not prevent them from organizing performances on the street, the main participants of which are cobras. The exotic appearance of the tamers, the accompaniment of the performance with special music, the significant size of the snakes attract crowds of people eager for spectacles. Witnesses to such performances claim that these performances are very convincing, especially for the uninitiated. The secrets and techniques for taming snakes have a long history and are based on a deep knowledge of both animal habits and the psychology of the audience. Under the impression of what they saw, people do not notice that the fakir performs especially dangerous tricks either with non-poisonous species of snakes, deftly substituting one for another, or with individuals whose poisonous teeth have been pulled out.
Gyurza(Macrovipera lebetina) is the most venomous snake in Central Asia. The length of the gyurza can reach two meters, and the thickness of the body of a large individual can be the thickness of a man's hand. You can read more about gyurza in the article.
Efa(Echis carinatus) is found in Asia. In length, it reaches 80 cm. It is very afraid of people, and if it does not see a way to retreat, it warns of an attack with a hiss. Does not lay eggs, but gives birth to live young. Sandy Efa, although not very large - 60 cm in length, is very poisonous.
Sandy efa Viper(Vipera) is the only venomous snake that lives in the European part of Russia. Common and steppe vipers, although not as dangerous as cobra or gyurza, are more numerous.
Taipans(Oxyuranus scutellatus) are Australia's most venomous and aggressive snakes. Belongs to the asp family.
Australian taipan Rattlesnakes or pit-headed snakes(Crotalinae) - members of the viper family, one of the most venomous snakes in the world. In total, there are 32 species of rattlesnakes, most of which are found in the deserts and semi-deserts of Mexico and South America. Warning about themselves, rattlesnakes begin to rattle with their "rattle" - a special organ at the end of the tail.
In contact with
For thousands of years, people have been watching snakes, fearing, hating and ... admiring their beauty, wisdom, grace. And all the same, these creatures remain one of the most mysterious. A poison that can kill or save, the characteristics of reproduction and lifestyle make mankind associate snakes with witchcraft and witchcraft.
Physiology of male and female
One of the first "serpentine" riddles that a person encounters is the sex of a reptile. It is difficult to describe the horror experienced by everyone who is faced with a ball of hissing, intertwining individuals, ready to sting from all sides. It is unlikely that in ancient times people could realize that the snake ball is just a search and an attempt to fertilize females ready for mating.
The physiology of snakes is fraught with a lot of interesting things, ranging from the number of lungs, the asymmetric arrangement of internal organs, the ability to “see” heat, kill prey with poison or eat it alive. Even sex determination is a difficult procedure, and not every specialist can handle it with confidence.
External signs by which one can distinguish between a male and a female are reliably hidden. The hemipenis - the organ for fertilization - is located in the tail, in the so-called pockets on the abdominal part. They increase in size sufficient for release from the body cavity, only if there is a partner nearby, ready for fertilization. Females have paired hemiclitors that are almost impossible to see.
Important! Some snakes are hermaphrodites, parthenogenesis is a phenomenon that occurs in the families of Blind and Warty snakes.
Visually, the sex of an individual can be determined very approximately. Males (except for boa constrictors) are usually larger and longer than females, the tail looks more powerful, thicker due to the paired genitals. They are more beautiful, brighter colored. Some snakes (pythons, boas) have retained rudimentary remains of limbs in the back of the body, more like hooks or spurs. In males, these processes are longer and more powerful, they often serve to excite females.
But all these signs are very relative, it is difficult to rely on them when determining sex, therefore, during research, blood tests, examination with the help of special equipment, and observation of behavior in a natural or artificial environment often come to the rescue.
Mating snakes
After waking up after hibernation, males crawl to the surface in search of food and a partner for mating... Females wake up later, but not yet getting out of her shelter, she lets know about her readiness to bear offspring with a specific smell, forcing several dozen gentlemen to gather near the entrance to the hole. Trying to achieve the female, to get to her one of the hemipenises that have increased due to the blood flow, the males curl up in balls around her, but very rarely harm each other. As soon as one of them reaches the goal, having penetrated with the genital organ into the cloaca, the rest immediately go in search of another partner.
It is interesting! Sexual intercourse in snakes is one of the longest in nature. Fertilization can last up to 10 days without interruption. Sometimes partners inflict rather severe wounds on each other.
After completing mating, the male leaves a "plug" in the snake's body, which prevents others from mating with it.
Bearing offspring
Among the snakes there are both those laying eggs in the nests arranged in the most hidden corners, and ovoviviparous and viviparous.
Ovoviviparous
Ovoviviparous snakes - boas, tiger snakes - carry their offspring in their own body, but the baby grows and develops in the tail of the mother's body in the egg. It feeds on protein, the mother supplies it with oxygen, and so on until the baby develops so much that it is ready to be born and be completely independent.
Such a unique way of giving birth to offspring is characteristic not only of snakes, but of some fish. When fully formed, juvenile snakes destroy the egg in which they grew, being born and hatching at the same time.
Laying eggs
Most snakes, in accordance with the traditional ideas of people about them, lay eggs. They are very serious about building a nest in which they will be for a long time. Eggs in a dense leathery shell are vulnerable and can become prey for birds, reptiles, and small predators. One female is capable of "bearing" from 4 to 20 eggs.
It is interesting! Snakes have the unique ability to store male sperm for years. One gentleman can become the father of 5-7 generations of baby snakes, which helps to maintain the population in the most unfavorable periods.
Viviparous snakes
In viviparous, after fertilization, embryos begin to feed in the mother's body, food, like everything else, is the yolk formed in the oviduct, but additional nutrition and oxygen are obtained due to special metabolic processes of the mother's body. Cubs are born ready to get their own food, and they can stand up for themselves. Among live-bearers there are vipers, stripes and others.
The development of the embryo largely depends on the weather conditions.... At an optimal temperature (26-32 degrees) and humidity up to 90 percent, a month or 39 days is enough. A cold snap can slow the process down for up to 2 months. Sometimes the female bears babies for 3 or more months.
Of all the many different animals living on Earth, the eyes of the snake are able to distinguish colors and shades. Sight for a snake plays a large role in life, although it is not the main sense for familiarization with the outside world. The serpent on our planet is about. As many people know from school, snakes belong to the scaly order. Their habitat is territories with a warm or temperate climate. ...
How are the eyes of a snake arranged?
The snake's eye, unlike other animals, does not differ in visual acuity. And all because their eyes are covered with a thin leathery film, they are very cloudy, and this greatly affects the visibility. During molting, the snake part with the old skin, and with it the film. Therefore, after molting, snakes are especially "big-eyed". Their vision becomes sharper and clearer for several months. Because of the film in front of their eyes, since ancient times, people have given the snake gaze a special coldness and hypnotic strength.
Most of the snakes living next to humans are harmless and pose no danger to humans. But there are also poisonous ones. Snake venom is used for hunting and protection
Depending on the way of hunting - in the daytime or at night, the shape of the pupil of the snakes changes. For example, the pupil is round, and the twilight-hunting snakes have acquired vertical and elongated eyes with long slits.
But the most unusual eyes have the appearance of a whip-like snake. Their eye is very similar to a horizontal keyhole. Due to such an unusual structure of the eyes, the snake skillfully uses its binocular vision - that is, each eye forms an integral picture of the world.
But the main sense organ in snakes is still the sense of smell. This organ is the main one for thermolocation of vipers and pythons. The sense of smell allows you to capture the warmth of your victims in the pitch darkness and quite accurately determine their location. Snakes, which are non-venomous, choke or wrap their bodies around the victim, and there are those who swallow the prey alive. Most of the snakes are small in size, no more than one meter. During the hunt, the eyes of the snake focus on one point, and their forked tongue, thanks to the Jacobson organ, tracks the subtlest odors in the air.
Snakes are scaly reptiles and inhabit all continents of the globe except Antarctica. These are predatory creatures that feed on birds and mammals, hunting and killing them with their own poison. The mobility and flexibility of their bodies allows them to move without limbs, flatten themselves when passing through narrow cracks and suffocate their victims, twisting around them. The muscular corset is the main body structure of these reptiles, but they also have a skeleton. This article will discuss the principles of movement of snakes, the structure of their skeleton and the features of the venom.
Characteristics of snakes
Snakes differ from other reptiles in their elongated body, devoid of limbs, movable eyelids above the eyes and eardrums in the hearing aid. They resemble worms in body shape - with the only difference that their body surface is dry and covered with scales. The body length of adults varies from 10 cm to 12 m or more. 
The color of their scales almost always has the color of the environment in which they live. Terrestrial reptiles are characterized by green, brown, woody and black tones. Reptiles living in tropical forests are predominantly bright in color - blue, emerald green, yellow, like reptiles living in warm ocean waters.
Important! The poisonous teeth of snakes are not visible when the mouth is closed, and they appear only when the snake opens its mouth and directs them to the enemy. Do not touch these reptiles, even if it seems to you that they do not have long teeth with poison.
These creatures are most common in the tropical regions of South America, South Asia, and. They are slightly less common in countries with temperate and continental climates, at latitudes close to the poles. Snakes are completely absent from New Zealand and Ireland. A hot climate is preferable for them, since they are cold-blooded creatures and maintain a high body temperature solely due to the ambient temperature.
The longer and stronger the reptile, the larger its prey will be. These predators feed on a variety of creatures, from small insects to large mammals. There are individuals that eat only one type of food. So, egg reptiles are able to eat exclusively bird eggs - no other food is available to them for digestion. The prey is always swallowed whole, and then gradually digested in the intestines. 
Skeleton structure
The question whether snakes have a skeleton can be answered in the affirmative. Despite their amazing flexibility, these reptiles have a solid bone skeleton, which is characterized by freedom of articulation.
Diapsid type with reduced temporal arches, kinetic - bones are able to move significantly apart. The bones of the skull are divided into several types: square, pterygoid, palatine, scaly, temporal and maxillary. The jaws are divided in the center by elastic ligaments, and are connected with each other in the same movable manner, which allows the snake to stretch its mouth to the size of the killed prey. 
Snake skull structure
Teeth
Well developed, placed on the upper and lower jaws. They have a thin, sharp shape, convenient for gradually pushing food into the esophagus. Snake teeth are not meant to be chewed. Non-venomous reptiles have only short and thin teeth.
Did you know? The longest living snake is a reticulated python. It is over 12 meters long and weighs about 160 kilograms. This reptile lives in the Tama Zoological Garden in Tokyo. Another snake named Baby surpassed its relative in weight - in 1998, at the age of 25, it weighed 182.5 kg. This record was included in the Guinness Book of Records.
Poisonous species have elongated front teeth, similar to canines bent inward. The poisonous teeth are hollow inside and are connected to the poisonous glands. When bitten, a reptile inserts poisonous teeth into the body of its prey and injects poison into them. In some species, the front teeth can rotate 90 degrees when the mouth opens.
Spine and ribs
Since this creature has no limbs, its spine does not have specific sections. It is flexible, long, uniform, consists of identical vertebrae, to the lower part of which the ribs are movably attached. The longer the reptile, the more vertebrae it has: short and fat reptiles have an average of 150 vertebrae, and thin and long ones - up to 430. Snakes have no sternum, so they can significantly stretch in width, flatten and roll up into as many rings as possible their length. 
Snake skeleton
Front and hind limbs
Completely atrophied. In some species, minor pelvic rudiments are present. Other species have one pair of internal claws on either side of the anus, like the vestiges of the hind limbs.
Features of movement
This reptile moves mainly due to the contraction of the muscles of the body and special mobile scales on the abdomen.
Important! Some snakes are capable of jumping long distances, curling up into a tight spring and then throwing themselves far forward. If you see that the reptile is shaking its tail warningly, opening its mouth and beginning to strain its body, slowly back away from it without making any sudden movements.
There are four types of locomotion, the use of which depends on the size of the reptile and its habitat:
- Straightforward. Used exclusively by large individuals such as pythons, anacondas and boas. A snake moving in a straight line pushes itself forward due to the contraction of the skin of the abdomen, and then tightens the tail of the body.
- Parallel. In this way, reptiles that live in desert climatic zones with sandy soils move. They throw the head part of the body to the side and forward, and then bring out the back part of the body after the head. At the same time, a complex pattern is formed on the sand, consisting of parallel stripes bent into hooks at the ends.
- Concertina. Also known as "accordion", this method is typical for reptiles living in trees. They collect the body in horizontal loops, throw their heads forward, straightening the body, and then pull their tail behind them, forming a new accordion.
- Serpentine. The classic way of getting around, known to almost everyone. It is a wavy sliding motion that snakes use to move both on land and in water. An S-shaped movement occurs due to the contraction of the lateral abdominal muscles.
Snake venom
It is produced by the salivary glands, which are connected by a muscular canal with the two largest poisonous teeth. These teeth can be hollow or have a special groove on the front. At the time of the bite, the muscles squeeze the poisonous gland, the poison from it enters the cavity of the tooth and flows down the groove through the wound into the muscle tissue of the prey. Some types of snakes spit their venom while aiming at the victim's eyes.
Did you know? The average lifespan of snakes is 25-30 years, but there are exceptions to this rule. In April 1977, a male python named Popeye died at the Philadelphia Zoo. The unique long-liver at that time was 40 years old, 3 months and 14 days old.
Snake venom causes instant blindness, using which the reptile attacks its prey. The poison can act on the nervous system, causing paralysis, or on the cardiovascular system, provoking spasms and edema. The most poisonous and dangerous reptile is considered to be from the asp family. Its bite is ten times more venomous than that of a rattlesnake. 
The snake is a scaled reptile that lives primarily in tropical and desert regions. It has an elongated muscular body with a simple movable skeleton, moves by crawling and obtains food for itself, strangling prey or biting it with poisonous teeth. The venom of some reptiles is not dangerous to humans, and the bite of others can lead to quick death, so in the wild, you should stay away from snakes of an unknown species.
The snake is an animal of the chordate type, of the reptile class, of the squamous order, the suborder of the snake (Serpentes). Like all reptiles, they are cold-blooded animals, so their existence depends on the temperature of the surrounding air.
Snake - description, characteristics, structure. What does a snake look like?
The body of the snake is elongated and can reach a length of 10 centimeters to 9 meters, and the weight of the snake ranges from 10 grams to over 100 kilograms. Males are smaller than females, but have a longer tail. The body shape of these reptiles is varied: it can be short and thick, long and thin, and sea snakes have a flattened body that resembles a ribbon. Therefore, the internal organs of these scaly ones also have an elongated structure.
The internal organs are supported by over 300 pairs of ribs, which are movably connected to the skeleton.
The triangular head of the snake has jaws with elastic ligaments, which makes it possible to swallow large food.
Many snakes are venomous and use venom as a way of hunting and as a means of self-defense. Since snakes are deaf, for orientation in space they, in addition to sight, use the ability to capture vibrational waves and heat radiation.
The main information sensor is the forked tongue of the snake, which allows using special receptors inside the sky to "collect information" about the environment. Snake eyelids are fused transparent films, scales that cover the eyes, therefore snakes don't blink and even sleep with their eyes open.
The skin of snakes is covered with scales, the number and shape of which depends on the type of reptile. Once every six months, the snake sheds its old skin - this process is called molting.
By the way, the color of the snake is both monochromatic in species that live in the temperate zone, and variegated in representatives of the tropics. The pattern can be longitudinal, cross-annular or spotted.
Snake species, names and photos
Today, scientists know more than 3460 species of snakes living on the planet, among which the most famous are asps, sea snakes (not dangerous to humans), pit-headed snakes, false-legged snakes that have both lungs, as well as rudimentary remains of the pelvic bones and hind limbs.
Consider several representatives of the snake suborder:
- King cobra (hamadryad) ( Ophiophagus hannah)
The most gigantic venomous snake on earth. Some representatives grow up to 5.5 m, although the average size of adults usually does not exceed 3-4 m. King cobra venom is a deadly neurotoxin that is fatal in 15 minutes. The scientific name of the king cobra literally means "snake eater", because this is the only species whose representatives feed on their own kind of snakes. Females have an exceptional maternal instinct, constantly guarding the clutch of eggs and completely doing without food for up to 3 months. The king cobra lives in the rainforests of India, the Philippines and the islands of Indonesia. Life expectancy is over 30 years.
- Black Mamba ( Dendroaspis polylepis)
The African poisonous snake, which grows up to 3 m, is one of the fastest snakes, capable of moving at a speed of 11 km / h. The highly toxic snake venom leads to death in a matter of minutes, although the black mamba is not aggressive and attacks a person only in self-defense. Representatives of the black mamba species got their name due to the black color of the oral cavity. The skin of a snake is usually olive, green or brown with a metallic sheen. Eats small rodents, birds and bats for food.
- Cruel snake (desert taipan) ( Oxyuranus microlepidotus)
The most poisonous of the land snakes, the poison of which is 180 times stronger than that of a cobra. This type of snake is common in the deserts and dry plains of Australia. Representatives of the species reach a length of 2.5 m. The color of the skin changes depending on the season: in extreme heat - straw, with a cold snap turns dark brown.
- Gabonese viper (cassava) ( Bitis gabonica)
A venomous snake that lives in the African savannas is one of the largest and thickest vipers up to 2 m long and a body girth of almost 0.5 m.All individuals belonging to this species have a characteristic triangular head with small horns located between the nostrils ... The Gabonese viper has a calm character, rarely attacking people. Belongs to the type of viviparous snakes, breeds every 2-3 years, bringing from 24 to 60 offspring.
- Anaconda ( Eunectes murinus)
Giant (ordinary, green) belongs to the subfamily of boas, in former times the snake was called so - water boa. A massive body with a length of 5 to 11 m can weigh over 100 kg. The non-venomous reptile is found in low-flowing rivers, lakes and backwaters of the tropical part of South America, from Venezuela to the island of Trinidad. It feeds on iguanas, caimans, waterfowl and fish.
- Python ( Pythonidae)
The representative of the family of non-venomous snakes is distinguished by gigantic dimensions from 1 to 7.5 m in length, and the females are much larger and more powerful than the males. The range spreads throughout the eastern hemisphere: rainforests, swamps and savannahs of the African continent, Australia and Asia. The diet of pythons consists of small to medium sized mammals. Adults completely swallow leopards, jackals and porcupines, and then digest for a long time. Females of pythons lay eggs and incubate clutch, increasing the temperature in the nest by 15 -17 degrees by contraction of muscles.
- African egg snakes (egg-eaters) ( Dasypeltis scabra)
Representatives of the family of snakes, feeding exclusively on birds' eggs. They live in savannas and woodlands of the equatorial part of the African continent. Individuals of both sexes grow no more than 1 meter in length. The movable bones of the snake's skull make it possible to open the mouth wide and swallow very large eggs. In this case, the elongated cervical vertebrae pass through the esophagus and, like a can opener, rip open the eggshell, after which the contents flow into the stomach, and the shell is coughed up.
- Radiant snake ( Xenopeltis unicolor)
Non-venomous snakes, the length of which in rare cases reaches 1 m. The reptile got its name for the iridescent tint of the scales, which have a dark brown color. Burrowing snakes inhabit the loose soils of forests, cultivated fields and gardens in Indonesia, Borneo, the Philippines, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and China. Small rodents and lizards are used as food items.
- Blind-snake worm ( Typhlops vermicularis)
Small snakes, up to 38 cm long, outwardly resemble earthworms. Absolutely harmless representatives can be found under stones, melons and watermelons, as well as in bushes and on dry rocky slopes. They feed on beetles, caterpillars, and their larvae. The distribution zone extends from the Balkan Peninsula to the Caucasus, Central Asia and Afghanistan. Russian representatives of this species of snakes live in Dagestan.
Where do snakes live?
The range of distribution of snakes does not include only Antarctica, New Zealand and the islands of Ireland. Many of them live in tropical latitudes. In nature, snakes live in forests, steppes, swamps, sultry deserts and even in the ocean. Reptiles lead an active lifestyle both during the day and at night. Species living in temperate latitudes hibernate in winter.
