The variety of snake snakes is simply amazing! They are found almost everywhere. These are terrestrial and burrowing, wood and water, night and day, poisonous and not very, as well as egg-laying and viviparous species. These are both large (up to 4 meters long) and small (up to 15 centimeters) snakes. I wonder what snakes eat with such a diversity of their species?
The menu
Very many of them "specialize" in any particular food. For example, egg snakes (egg-eaters) feed on the eggs of birds, swallowing them whole. When an egg enters the esophagus, the snake begins to bend sharply, which allows the processes of its vertebrae to crush the eggshell. All the liquid contained in the egg enters the stomach, and the remaining shells burp through the snake through the mouth. What feed snakes, for example, of fish-eating species, probably does not need to be explained. There are individuals that enjoy only frogs or only earthworms.
What the snake eats does not affect their poisonous abilities. The fact is that in itself it is absolutely safe, and in general, snake snakes are considered non-toxic. However, as they say, exceptions confirm the rules. There are species whose bite can be fatal to humans. But nevertheless, the vast majority of poison snake-producing snakes either do not have developed poisonous teeth, or something similar to such a tooth is located in the depths of the mouth, which makes it difficult to introduce their poison into the human body.
Where and how do snakes live
Almost 30 species live in our country. Of these, the most common is, of course, an ordinary one. This snake is common not only in Russia, but also in almost all of Europe, North Africa and Asia. She chooses wet places: lakes, ponds, grass swamps, and sometimes mountains and open steppes. Ordinary snakes are active in the daytime, at night they hide in shelters. The hunting time of these snakes is morning and evening. They mate in late April - May, and in July the female lays up to 30 eggs. The kites that have just hatched already have a length of 15 centimeters and immediately begin an independent life.
Above, we talked about what different species of snakes eat. A concrete ordinary one eats medium-sized frogs, lizards, small birds and their chicks, as well as small mammals (mice, voles).
His brother - watery already - lives only in the south of our country, because he is very thermophilic. Its external difference from ordinary snake is ribbed scales and the absence of yellow spots on the edges of the head. This is a snake of brown, greenish or gray color with spots scattered on the back and sides. The eyes of the water snake, as well as its nostrils, are directed upwards. As the name implies, these snakes live in ponds, both with fresh and with salt water. They are great divers. They feed mainly on various medium-sized fish.
Man is the main enemy of the snake. A lot of these snakes die at the hands of people. This is because we do not know how to distinguish between poisonous snakes (for example, a viper) from safe ones, to which they belong, and as a result we act for sure - we kill harmless representatives. Remember that snoring in the house is not at all dangerous. Bright orange spots located on the back of the head, as well as rather large scutes and a graceful body, markedly distinguish the snake from the massive viper. There are no such spots on the head of the viper, and it is covered with small scales.
