The common viper is one of the most famous poisonous snakes in our country. Distributed widely throughout the forest zone. Occurs after hibernation, in late April and early May, in various places well warmed by the sun: on stumps, fallen trees, on hummocks, slopes along roads. They have a warming-up period of about 1 to 4 weeks, and during this time the snakes are slow and often catch the eye of others.
The color of the viper can be different, but the black form is most often found. Gray, with a zigzag pattern along the back, the color comes across less often and is more characteristic of young snakes. The female viper lays up to 14 eggs in August, of which young individuals immediately appear. The length of newborns is 17-19 cm. The length of adult snakes is 80-90 cm.
The common viper hunts various vertebrates: small rodents, shrews, lizards, frogs and even chicks of birds nesting on the ground. Before swallowing it whole, it kills its prey with poison. Vipers have a complex venom-dental apparatus. Their poisonous fangs are large and fit in a closed mouth only in a supine position. Poisonous glands are modified salivary glands. The poison flows into the victim's wound through hollow teeth resembling a syringe. Cases of human viper bites are relatively rare and are more often associated with careless human behavior. Therefore, when picking mushrooms, berries, haymaking in places where vipers live, you need to be careful and attentive. Snakes themselves are not the first to attack and only bite during defense. Snakes do not have good hearing, but they have a tactile sense and therefore hide before being noticed.
If you are bitten by a snake, you must:
- suck the poison out of the wound, this must be done within the first 20 minutes;
treat the skin around the wound with alcohol, iodine or brilliant green;
- to ensure the rest of the affected limb;
- drink plenty of fluids (preferably tea or coffee);
- it is permissible to take medications that support cardiac activity;
- As soon as possible, take the victim to a medical facility for examination by a doctor, where, if necessary, an antidote will be administered.
Pulling the bitten site, incisions and moxibustion are not recommended, they not only do not help, but are also harmful. Fatalities are very rare and after a bite, in most cases everything ends well. The viper is used to obtain medications. In serpentariums - special nurseries for keeping snakes - pharmacologists “suck off” the poison and produce serum from the bites of especially dangerous poisonous snakes - gyurza, cobra, efy.
Steppe viper
The steppe viper is in many ways similar to the common viper, but somewhat smaller in size and, moreover, lives in the forest-steppe zone. The color of the telesteppe viper is lighter, gray-brownish, brown tones prevail in it, with a zigzag black stripe along the back. The habitats of this snake are the slopes and valleys of steppe rivers, forest clefts among the fields. Snakes feed on small rodents, lizards, large insects (Locust).
