Viper Convent

Viper is a poisonous snake, from 35 to 50 cm in length, which lives in the south of Russia, in its European part, in the Altai Territory, as well as in European countries and in Northeast China.

This viper is of different colors: silvery, light gray, yellow, brown. The belly is dark gray, black. The tip of the tail is lighter, usually lemon. But the distinctive feature of the snake is a broken zigzag line on the back with a series of longitudinal spots.

The head of the adder is flat, which is much wider than the neck, and the tail is short, ending with a hard tip. The adult male has a length of half a meter, the length of the female reaches 70-80 cm. The eyes of vipers are large and rounded, bright, fiery red, and they are slightly darker in females - reddish-brown. Pupils can grow and narrow, which is not the case for reptiles.

Regarding the habitat of the snake, the snake is not fastidious: it can live in deserts and forests, in swamps and in mountains, in fields and steppes. For it, only the presence of bright light and food is essential.

But although an ordinary viper loves light and warmth, it does not belong to those reptiles that show activity during the day. On the contrary, in good weather, it becomes more sluggish, sweets for a long time under the sun's rays, and when it gets dark, it crawls out to hunt.

Especially the viper ordinary adores the marshes and the surrounding area - there can be an unlimited number of them. Vipers live in some hole or crevice in the soil, between rocks, the roots of trees. However, near this shelter must be an open space, so that the reptile can take their favorite sun baths.

As food vipers prefer animals with a stable body temperature (warm-blooded), especially mice. It is small rodents that are essential in their diet. In the process of hunting an adder can get his victim even under the ground. Certain species of birds swarm nests on the ground, so both bird eggs and small birds often fall prey to cold-blooded hunters. Frogs and lizards are food for vipers only in extreme cases.

In winter, an ordinary viper usually sleeps, intertwining with a body in one large tangle with the bodies of its congeners. If you disturb this tangle, then the poisonous reptiles randomly, slowly begin to crawl, sticking out a forked tongue. Summer for these snakes comes in April, but sometimes in March they are already active.

The process of pairing vipers usually occurs when favorable weather is established. The number of cubs that comes into being is determined by the age of the female.

After birth, the little vipers creep. Mother is very concerned about the safety of future offspring, in the literal sense of the word "loses its mind" from the instinct of saving egg laying. Therefore, during the protection of the nest, she rushes at everything that comes to her eyes: from a living creature to a stick and even her own shadow. And, although her attacks are often in vain, the viper will by no means back down, because defeating the enemy is her main task. When attacking, it focuses on the speed of movement, not on accuracy.

During the attack, the snake curls, forming a flat lace. At the same time, her neck is drawn in order to subsequently extend it more than 20 cm. The retracted neck of a viper is an attack signal. Evil, it becomes inflated, although ideally it is rather thin.

Before the attack on the victim, the snake produces a piercing hiss. This sound is done with a closed mouth - so it exhales and inhales air with a stronger sound. During the exit the hissing is strong and low, with inspiration - weaker and higher.

Very often you can hear about the death of a viper bite . This is not a legend or an invention. Usually a person dies a few hours after the attack (or maybe a week). Even if they save the victim from death, then there is a prolonged soreness, even necrosis of the tissues of the affected part.

Therefore, after a bite, immediately draw the limb above the bitten spot and try to suck or squeeze out some of the blood with the poison from the wound. But the most important thing is to transport the victim as soon as possible to the hospital or call a doctor in order to introduce an antidote into the body. It should also be remembered that if you have to face a viper in nature, it's better to leave quickly and unnoticed, leaving it alone. Surely, this will save your life.