This snake belongs to the family of snakes and therefore can not be poisonous. Yellow-bellied snake is also called yellow-bellied or yellow-bellied. In Europe, there is no larger snake; it can reach a length of two and a half meters. The yellow-bellied creeps very quickly, has a graceful body and a relatively long tail. The upper body is painted in a plain color: olive, brown or almost black. On the back of young individuals passes one, and often two rows of spots
dark in color, in places they merge to form transverse stripes. On the head, dark dots merge into the correct geometric pattern. A number of small spots are also placed on the sides of the snake. Her belly has a grayish-white color with yellow stains located along the edges of the abdominal scutes.
Habitat
The yellow-bellied snake prefers to settle in dry places, basking in the daytime in areas exposed to sunlight. It shows activity only in the daytime. It can hide in bushes, in gardens, vineyards and ruins of buildings. It is found in the mountains up to a height of 2000 meters, where it hides among the rocks on rocky slopes. The yellow-belly is hiding not only among the stones and thickets of bushes, but also in the burrows of rodents or in hollows of trees. He climbs branches well, but he does not climb to great heights. Although, in general, he is not afraid of heights and, if necessary, can jump down from a tree or a cliff.
The snake is often found on the banks of ponds, not because it likes to swim, but due to the presence of a large amount of food in the coastal thickets. Sometimes a yellow-bellied snake creeps under a stack wall or in a farm building.
The hunter and his prey
With sharp eyesight, quick reaction and high speed of movement, the snake is a successful hunter. Small mammals, lizards and large insects, such as locusts or its relatives, most often become prey snakes. The snake ruins the nests of birds located on the ground or not high on trees and shrubs. The yellow-bellied snake menu is quite diverse, it includes lizards, snakes, birds, rodents.
He even hunts for vipers, sometimes getting bites from them, but, apparently, he does not suffer much from this. Given the intensity of the yellow-bellied hunting, it can be argued that where he lives, there are no rodents or poisonous snakes in sight.
Protective aggressiveness
Usually, when faced with a person, the yellow-bellied snake tries to quickly retreat. But after some time he will surely return to his former place, especially if his shelter is there. If there is nowhere to retreat or a man came close to his shelter, the snake boldly stands up for his defense. At the same time, he not only demonstrates his aggressiveness, but also makes jumps towards the enemy. Wide open jaws, loud hissing and bold attack impress. A snake can even bite for some weak spot. The bites are pretty strong, but they are not poisonous. The yellow-bellied snake is essentially a harmless creature, its aggressiveness is compelled, and its evil temper serves as a defense against encroaching on its territory.
