The snake is one of the types of snakes that do not belong to the poisonous group. However, the bite of a snake that attacks a person when its life is threatened causes the development of a complex symptomatic picture.
The most common cause of a snake attack is inappropriate behavior a person pestering a snake - touch the reptile with a stick, try to anger it in every possible way.
Sometimes it happens that, being in the habitat of reptiles - a pond, in swamps, a person does not look at his feet, stepping on a snake. Children are often bitten when they try to grab the snake, and in defense of itself, the reptile bites its offenders.
The only species of snake that is poisonous is the tiger snake; its bite can cause death without timely assistance.
The habitat of the tiger species is Korea, Japan.
Snakes are fairly peaceful snakes. They calmly coexist with people, will never attack first, preferring to crawl away or pretend to be dead. The only thing a snake can do to scare you is its feces, which it releases when threatened, which is characterized by a foul odor. Often this reptile releases its feces onto humans.
Warning that it may attack, the snake begins to hiss loudly, sticking out its tongue. If you leave her alone at this moment, the matter will be limited to such threats.
The poisonous tiger snake behaves in the same way, with the only difference that when it bites, it releases a toxic substance, which is a rather dangerous toxin for the human body.
Many people often confuse a harmless snake with a viper, the bite of which provokes severe symptoms. If a snake has bitten and the victim is not sure what it was, it is recommended to take the victim to the hospital as quickly as possible and describe to the doctor exactly what the reptile that attacked the patient looked like.
Having seen on my summer cottage or a snake in the water, many begin to panic, thinking that they are about to become a victim of a poisonous bite. There are a number of characteristics that can be used to distinguish snakes from other species of reptiles. These include the following:
- oval head shape;
- shiny scales;
- presence of yellow or orange spots on the head;
- round eye shape.
Despite the presence of teeth in the oral cavity, there are no sacs with poison there. The bite of this type of snake does not pose a danger to humans; the only thing that can happen is that if the wound after the attack is not properly treated, an infection can get into it, causing an extensive inflammatory process. Most often you can encounter a snake during the day, since the reptile sleeps at night.
The main source of food is frogs and small lizards.
Your name this type The snake got its name thanks to its color similar to the fur of a tiger. Along its entire length, the reptile has muted orange stripes. Lives in China, Japan and Korea. At its core, it is not an aggressive type of snake, but if it feels threatened, it will attack. The degree of poisoning depends on which teeth the reptile used to bite the skin.
If the skin is pierced with short teeth of the front row, there will be no particular intoxication, since in this case the secretion, which contains toxic substances, does not appear. As in the case of a simple snake attack, the only thing that can happen is that the wound from the teeth gets infected.
If it is grabbed by the teeth located in the back jaw, the poison begins to rapidly enter the wound along the grooves from the teeth. Intoxication in this case will be very strong and without treatment will lead to death.
Symptomatic picture with poisonous bite tiger snake is the same as in most cases of attacks by venomous snakes.
First of all, the central one suffers nervous system and vegetative functions of the body. Paralysis gradually appears, leading to disruption of the functioning of the heart muscle, causing heart failure, sudden cardiac arrest and death.
The only treatment method is the introduction of a special serum.
If she is not in the hospital, complex drug therapy is carried out to remove the toxin from the body. Anti-inflammatory and painkillers are prescribed medicines, drugs to relieve spasms and normalize the functioning of all internal organs and systems.
In order to avoid becoming a victim of a tiger snake attack, you must follow simple safety measures while in the habitat of these reptiles - look carefully around, do not touch the snake crawling past, do not put your hands in a pile of stones or holes.
Symptoms of a bite that are insignificant in intensity can only be observed if a person has a tendency to allergic reactions.
Clinical manifestations of a snake bite:
- teeth marks on the skin in the form of several reddish dots;
- slight bleeding from the wound site, which, in most cases, goes away on its own, without any assistance;
- itching on the skin, similar to a mosquito bite;
- minor swelling (optional symptom).
People who have been victims of snake attacks compare the feeling of a bite to the feeling of a cat digging into your skin.
A more serious clinical picture is observed when attacked by a tiger snake. A person shows signs of poisoning:
In most cases, complex symptoms after a tiger snake bite appear in children and people prone to allergic reactions.
In this case, the victim must be taken to a medical facility, since complications may develop; medicine knows cases of death.
If bitten, the victim, despite the fact that he was the victim of a non-venomous attack, needs first aid. First of all, you need to take the following actions:
- Rinse the wound thoroughly with running water using soap, preferably laundry soap.
- Treat the wound with antiseptic drugs - hydrogen peroxide, Chlorhexidine.
- If swelling develops, you need to apply a cold object to the skin. This can be ice or a piece of frozen product, previously wrapped in a towel, so that there is no frostbite of the soft tissues, which provokes necrosis. If there is no ice, you can use a towel soaked in cold water, it must be constantly dipped again.
After this, the wound can be lubricated with iodine. In the future, if a person works in the garden and constantly gets his hands dirty, the wound can be covered with a bandage soaked in antiseptic and healing ointments or creams.
It is necessary to seek medical help if symptoms such as increased body temperature, severe fatigue and lethargy, extensive swelling at the site of the bite, or redness of the skin appear. These signs indicate that the wound has become infected and must be treated with antibiotics prescribed only by a doctor. In other cases, medical treatment is not required.
How not to behave when bitten by a snake? It is strictly forbidden to cauterize the wound site. Firstly, this is an absolutely useless procedure that will only cause harm by causing a painful burn on the body. Secondly, there is no longer any poison that would need to be pulled out of the wound.
The incision will cause severe swelling and redness.
How to protect yourself from snake bites?
Despite the fact that this type of snake does not pose a threat to human health and life, a reptile bite will not please anyone. Eat simple ways avoid an unpleasant meeting. He will never attack a person who poses a danger to him. When meeting a snake, it will prefer to crawl away; if it is already in the water, it will swim as quickly as possible and further from the person. Often the reptile pretends to be dead so that it will not be touched.
How to protect yourself from the bite of a non-venomous reptile? If a grass snake is crawling nearby, you should not throw stones at it, poke it with a stick, or run after it, trying to grab it. In the best case, the snake will crawl away as quickly as possible, but if you drive it into a corner, it can attack, biting quite painfully and unpleasantly.
You can step on a snake and then you cannot avoid being bitten on the leg. This happens in cases where a person walks near a pond in tall grass or in the reeds, where the snake spends most of its time. When going to such places, you must wear high boots; the shoes should cover your entire foot.
It is best to hold a thick stick in front of you, loudly move the reeds and other vegetation with it, and knock on the ground. Already, hearing extraneous vibrations, he will hasten to retreat.
Snakes are reptiles that are harmless to humans and have many enemies in nature.
They are eaten by hedgehogs and are often attacked by cats and dogs. A snake will never be the first to attack a person and will do everything possible to get away faster. The bite is not dangerous and requires only local treatment with antiseptic drugs.
Any complications after a snake attack are caused by infection or individual allergic reactions, which happens extremely rarely. Only the tiger species of reptile is dangerous; their habitat is limited to Japan and Korea. Meeting them can cause severe intoxication of the body due to a poisonous bite, which often leads to death.
Already- a snake belonging to the class of mammals. Many of us are terribly afraid of snakes, but should we be afraid? common snake? Is it dangerous for humans and does it have poison? Today we will answer these questions, and also touch upon the snake’s habitat and find out what it eats in nature, and we will start with its characteristics.
Description of a common snake
Snake length 1 meter, but some individuals grow up to 1.5 meters. His main and characteristic peculiarity– bright spots on the back of the head. They can be orange, yellow and whitish. Quite rarely, only black snakes or faint spots are found, so it is quite easy to recognize the snake. Leather snakes are dark gray, black or light gray in color. Gray individuals may have dark spots. Belly The snake is light with a dark stripe from tail to neck. Body of a snake slender, and on some individuals you can see paired brushes, but not on all. Eyes the snakes are round, but there are snakes with “cat eyes”. Tail much shorter than the body, about 3-5 times, with a varied shape - sharp, steep, rounded. Visible throughout the body scales, some individuals have smooth skin, others have noticeable ribs. The snake has teeth on the top of its mouth, several teeth increase as the throat opens, some teeth small and motionless, in others they bend, there is also a forked language. Lifespan of a common grass snake in nature about 20 years, at home the figure remains the same.
Is the common snake poisonous and is it dangerous for humans?
Generally, snakes safe for humans. They do not know how to bite, but can scratch the skin, and if there is a bite, it is insignificant. Yes and ordinary When he sees a person, he tries to hide as quickly as possible; he flees rather than attacks. But if they are caught by surprise, they hiss and turn their heads as if they want to bite, but they rarely get bitten, and the bite itself heals very quickly. Already- a calm snake, but for the purpose of protection, it can shoot a white-yellow liquid from its teeth, which has an unpleasant odor, and if it does not scare away the observer, it opens its mouth and relaxes its body, feigning death. At this moment, you can see drops of blood from the throat, or he will simply regurgitate food out of fear. But if snake don't touch it, but you won't have to see all this.
WHAT DOES THE COMMON SNACK EAT, WHERE DOES IT LIVE AND KEEPING AT HOME?
What does the common grass snake eat in nature?
Snake's main diet- amphibians and fish. It feeds on frogs, tadpoles, and toads. In addition, snakes eat lizards, their eggs, mice, rats, moles, other rodents, insects, small birds, their eggs and chicks, bats, small squirrels, and even their own kind or other snakes. Already swallows prey whole because it does not have teeth or other devices to tear prey. If the lunch is small, then he will quickly finish the meal, but if the prey is large, he will have to deal with it for several hours, and after such a meal he can go without eating anything for two days. He can do without food for a long time, but without water, and in hot weather, it is easy to find snakes near water bodies. On the land really stalks its prey, can sneak up on it for a long time in the water, and then suddenly pounce.
Habitat of the common grass snake
Snakes can be found near bodies of water, under a bridge, near a lake or pond. In addition, they like to settle next to people, choosing quiet and secluded places such as a basement, haystack, cellar, barn, in the roots or hollows of trees, in the garden, in firewood, in a pile of stones, in a vegetable garden and even in a pile of garbage . Snakes They love warm bedding and live next to poultry, laying their eggs there, but they will never go near large animals.
Habitat of the common grass snake– almost all of Russia, eastern Primorye, the borders of the Komi Republic, the border of Karelia. Almost all of Europe, and some individuals snakes They are also found in Africa, Central, South and North America, Australia, Asia, Cuba, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, and Oceania.
VIDEO: ABOUT THE CONTENT OF THE COMMON SNACK
IN THIS VIDEO, YOU WILL SEE AND LEARN HOW TO CORRECTLY KEEP A COMMON SNACK AT HOME
In chapter Other about health and beauty to the question How dangerous is a grass snake bite? What are the consequences and what first aid? given by the author Yanya The best answer is Is a grass snake bite dangerous? A snake bite does not pose any danger to humans; it occurs if the wound is not disinfected in time, blood poisoning can occur. The snake's bite is not dangerous due to the fact that this reptile does not have poisonous teeth, but the snake's mouth contains pathogenic microbes that can cause infection in the wound. If you are bitten, you must go to a hospital where they will provide the necessary medical care. Snakes are rare in the city. Never try to kill or catch a snake; it will crawl away on its own. When you see a snake, you should stomp your feet as loudly as possible; if you are with a child, you should pick him up in your arms. If a person steps on a snake, then most likely it will attack. When a snake bites, two pinpoint wounds appear on the body, which have redness and possibly slight swelling at the site of the bite. No other serious external disturbances are observed. The danger is nausea, profuse vomiting, numbness of the limbs, and the development of gangrene at the site of the bite. This only means that the bite was caused by another snake. Even if you are bitten by a harmless snake, measures must be taken as if bitten by a poisonous snake.
Already is a fast and agile snake. There are signs by which you can distinguish a grass snake from a viper. Experts and terrarium owners talk about the intelligence of snakes, but advise remembering that not all snakes are harmless.
Common snake, photo by Marek Szczepanek
How to distinguish a grass snake from a viper?
Eyes. The pupils of snakes are round, while those of vipers have the shape of a transverse “stick”. Characteristic feature Most snakes have well-developed eyes:
They have a round oval or vertical pupil, like a cat's, and often have a brightly colored iris, which usually harmonizes well with the overall coloring of the body. Snakes, which search for their prey mainly by sight, have greatly enlarged eyes, adapted to react to moving objects (Animal Life, Volume 5).
So: the pupils of snakes are round, and those of vipers are in the shape of a stick, which is located across the body.
Coloring. The coloring of snakes is varied. Among them there are snakes of dark olive, brown, brown and even almost black color. Some snakes have variegated skin with bright patterns. It is possible that this is the protective nature of the coloring, the desire to imitate poisonous snakes. The snake family is numerous. Therefore, in order not to confuse a snake with a poisonous snake, you need to know the characteristics of exactly those species that are found in a particular area. Let's consider three types of genus Snakes (Natrix) subfamilies Real snakes (Colubrinae).
Common snake “It is well distinguished from all our other snakes by two large, clearly visible light spots (yellow, orange, off-white) located on the sides of the head. These spots have a crescent shape, and are bordered in front and behind with black stripes. There are individuals whose light spots are weakly expressed or absent. The color of the upper side of the body is from dark gray to black, the belly is white, with irregular black spots” (“Animal Life”, volume 5).
Perhaps this advice from a famous snake catcher will help someone:
It was quite simple to distinguish a snake from a viper: the snake has sharp yellow or red spots on its head, similar to ears, and its body is monochromatic - dark gray or black. Vipers do not have “ears” on the head, the body is gray or red, and a zigzag stripe stands out sharply on the back (A Nedyalkov. Naturalist in search).
Water snake painted differently. This snake differs from the ordinary snake, although it often coexists with it.
The color of its back is olive, olive-gray, olive-greenish or brownish in color with dark spots located more or less in a checkerboard pattern or with narrow dark transverse stripes. There is often a dark spot on the back of the head, shaped like a Latin letter V, pointing towards the head. The belly is yellowish to reddish, mottled with more or less rectangular black spots. Occasionally there are specimens completely devoid of a dark pattern on the body or completely black (“Animal Life”, volume 5).
Zmeelov A. Nedyalkov warns that it is dangerous to rely only on the color of the snake’s skin. One day, a viper taught him a lesson that could end in tragedy:
I did not yet know that there were vipers painted solid black, and I almost paid a heavy price for my ignorance.
One day I was walking through the forest after rain and saw that the black body of a large snake stretched across the path. The snake's head was hidden in the grass. The black body means it's not a viper, but... I really needed a big one, so I bent down and, without any precautions, took the snake by the body with my bare hand. The snake hissed. Snakes usually do not hiss when picked up. My catcher’s reflex kicked in, and with my other hand I grabbed the snake by the neck so that it couldn’t reach me with its teeth. I look and her pupil is in the shape of a stick. Viper!
What saved me from being bitten was that the viper was very chilled after the rain, and chilled snakes are rather sluggish and clumsy (A Nedyalkov. Naturalist in search).
Tiger snake , which is found on Far East Russia (as well as in Northern China, Korea, Japan), painted brightly and elegantly:
The back is dark green or dark olive in color (occasionally blue specimens are also found), mottled with more or less clear black transverse stripes or spots, gradually decreasing in size as they approach the tail. In the anterior third of the body, the spaces between the black spots are painted a bright brick-red color. Under the eye there is an oblique black, wedge-shaped stripe, with its apex facing downwards, another black stripe runs from the supraorbital shield to the corner of the mouth. There is a wide black collar on the neck, or there is one on each side of the neck. triangular shape stain. The upper lip is yellow, the eyes are large and black (“Animal Life”, volume 5).
Smell. Snakes have one more difference from other snakes. Alarmed snakes smell disgusting:
The snake waved its tail and doused me with a stream of whitish, stinking liquid. The stench was terrible: a mixture of garlic fumes and some kind of chemical substance. I almost vomited, but I still threw the snake onto the shore. For an hour and a half I rubbed my skin with soap, sand, and alcohol, but I couldn’t remove the smell (A. Nedyalkov “Dangerous Paths of a Naturalist”).
It is believed that in those places where snakes are found there are no vipers. It's a delusion:
In addition to vipers, snakes were also found near the ditches. They say that snakes are at enmity with vipers and kill them. I have seen more than once how a grass snake and a viper lie side by side and calmly bask in the sun. And I never saw them fight (A. Nedyalkov “Naturalist in Search”).
Types of snakes
There are many different snakes, but the most common in our country are these three species.
(Natrix natrix) is found in Europe (except Far North). It is a black or dark gray snake measuring up to 1.5 m (usually 1 m, females are noticeably larger than males) with two yellow or bright orange spots on the sides of the head. The snake can be found in overgrown bushes near water, in wet forests and in the swamps. The common snake sometimes settles near people’s homes: in heaps of garbage in the yard, in sheds, stables, cellars and poultry yards. It often hangs onto chickens and ducks or crawls into stables and barnyards. The snake even lays eggs here that resemble those of a pigeon. A dinner egg is filled with a yolk inside, surrounded by a thin layer of white. The eggs are covered with a leathery shell. The female lays eggs bound into “beads” by a gelatinous substance. Oviposition can be found in manure heaps, in a heap of dry leaves, damp moss or in loose soil. There can be 15 - 17 eggs (less often up to 30 pieces). About three weeks pass, and the cubs are born. The length of a snake that has just hatched from an egg is about 15 cm. It is capable of eating worms, snails and various insects.
The common snake spends the winter on land: it hides in old burrows made by mammals, climbs under the roots of trees, etc.
Water snake (Natris tesselata) lives in southern regions Russia, since it is more thermophilic than ordinary. There are many such snakes in the Volga region and on the Don. The water snake is often seen in Crimea (especially on the Kerch Peninsula). These snakes stay near water, not only fresh, but also salty. They swim well (even when big wave) and dive. They feed on frogs, tadpoles, small fish (gobies) and even shrimp. Less commonly, small mammals and birds. To make it easier for the snake to swallow the fish, the snake holds it in its mouth and swims to the shore. There it finds support for its body, sits comfortably near it, and then begins to swallow its prey. These snakes hide from the heat underwater. Snakes sleep in dry grass, in hay, climb into rodent holes, and under stones. In the morning, water snakes slowly crawl onto the banks of rivers and reservoirs. Snakes hibernate under rocks, in crevices and in dense bushes.
Already brindle (Rhabdophis tigrina) in Russia it is found in the south of the Far East (Primorsky Krai, near Khabarovsk) in damp areas near water, in forests and meadows. They are seen even in cities. The length of the snake is about 110 cm. It feeds on frogs, toads, small rodents and fish. This snake is considered conditionally venomous, as its poisonous teeth are located deep in the mouth (on the back of the maxillary bone).
For humans, tiger snake bites, usually inflicted by short front teeth, pass without a trace. However, in cases where the bite is inflicted by enlarged posterior maxillary teeth lying deep in the mouth, and into the wound in large quantities saliva and the secretion of the upper labial glands enter, severe poisoning can occur, not inferior in severity to that from the bite of real poisonous snakes (“Animal Life, Volume 5”).
Snake nutrition
Snakes are excellent swimmers and often get their food not only on land, but also in water. The diet of snakes mainly consists of small vertebrates: amphibians and reptiles. However, there are lovers of rodents, birds and fish. Frogs are a delicacy for snakes. He catches them in the water and on the shore. A hungry snake swallows several small frogs at once. In the water, it also hunts tadpoles and fish.
Watching him eat is unpleasant. He swallows frogs alive, just as some people swallow live oysters. The discrepancy between the sizes of the frog and the snake makes the process of eating a terrible sight - the snake has a large mouth with a small head, thin body, in which a swallowed frog sticks out with a terrible knot... As a child, I was once caught with such a knot on my neck. I poked it with a stick - a live and unharmed frog jumped out from inside, it was still crawling, but it was completely white: gastric juice the snake discolored it (Hans Scherfig “Pond”).
The snake is said to hypnotize its prey. Externally it looks exactly like this. A. Nedyalkov saw with his own eyes how the frog obediently approached the snake:
I have been told many times that snakes hypnotize frogs. But this time the “hypnosis” did not take place. To see everything better, I pulled away a branch of the bush. The frog noticed the movement of the branch and made a desperate leap, turning over its head in the air. He continued to lie motionless. Looking closely, I saw that from time to time he threw out a forked tongue from his closed lips. I did not disturb the snake and returned to my place. About five minutes later, near the same bush, the frog purred again. I approached the bush again. He was already lying in the same place, and the frog was purring again and approaching him. She did not jump, but, carefully moving her paws, crawled the way soldiers crawl on their bellies. This time I did not move the branches, and soon the frog approached the snake at a distance of twenty centimeters. Suddenly it rushed towards the frog and grabbed it by the end of its muzzle with its mouth. The frog struggled, but could not escape. Moving his jaws, he grabbed her tighter and tighter. The frog no longer purred, but desperately scraped the snake’s head with its paws. The snake's jaws kept moving and moving. The frog's eyes were already at the very edge of its mouth. I felt sorry for the frog, and I pushed the snake with the end of the grabber. He didn’t immediately let go of his victim. Only after I squeezed his neck quite hard with my grip, did he open his mouth and the frog escaped. She immediately jumped into the grass, and then slid into the thick of the bush... I don’t think he hypnotized the frog. Most likely, she noticed his moving tongue, mistook this tongue for a worm, wanted to eat this worm and herself became the prey of the snake (A. Nedyalkov “Naturalist in Search”).
Handmade
Snakes have been kept in captivity since the time Ancient Rome. Then they caught mice. Nowadays, there are also hobbyists who keep snakes at home. They advise designing the terrarium as a “forest + pond”. It is advisable to feed snakes with frogs and live small fish. Snakes are considered intelligent snakes that can get used to humans. This is what Hans Scherfig recalls about something he already knew in his book “The Pond”:
He was so sweet and friendly. A real pet snake that was not afraid of people. He even got rid of his old bad habit of hissing and emitting an unpleasant odor when you touch him. Frightened snakes smell like garlic.
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