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: silver, 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 viper is flat, which is much widerneck, and tail - 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 the 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.

Concerning the habitat of a 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 marshes andthe 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, there must be an open space, so that the reptile can take their favorite sun baths.

As food, vipers prefer animals withstable body temperature (warm blooded), especially mice. It is small rodents that are an essential product in their diet. In the process of hunting an adder can get his victim even under the ground. Certain species of birds swim 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, the viper usually sleeps,intertwined body in one large tangle with the bodies of his congeners. If you disturb this tangle, 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. The mother is very concerned about the safety of the future offspring, in the literal sense of the word "loses her 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 does not in any way retreat, because defeating the enemy is her main task. When attacking, it focuses on the speed of movement, and not on accuracy.

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

Before attacking the victim, the snake producesa 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 fact that the biteadder comes death. 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, there is a prolonged soreness, even necrosis of the tissues of the affected part.

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