Water snake habitat. Water snake (Natrix tesselata) - chess snake

The water snake, or as it is popularly called the “chess viper,” is often found in the vicinity of the common snake and lives near both flowing and non-flowing water bodies. His appearance on the beach quite often causes real panic among vacationers. People immediately crawl onto land, and the fate of the troublemaker, alas, is sometimes unenviable. I suggest you find out a few interesting facts about this snake.

“Are you taking a picture of a viper,” I heard a voice behind me, “Make sure it doesn’t bite.”

“No, not a viper, but a snake,” I answered, without looking up from the camera viewfinder and taking another close-up.

- Yes, vipers are now crossing with snakes: they turn out to be black, and gray, and checkered, and all terribly poisonous!

Something like this conversation happens every time someone sees me catching or photographing water snakes

The notoriety of these snakes is just the fruit of the fear of people who are not familiar with reptiles. Water snakes are deprived characteristic feature non-venomous snake, familiar to everyone - the yellow-orange spots at the back of the head that common snake(Natrix natrix). For this reason, unknowing people classify all snakes without such spots as vipers and consider them poisonous and dangerous. Many divide all legless reptiles into snakes and simply “snakes,” meaning vipers. So they say: “Is this really or a snake?”

There are many different names for water snakes: “hybrid of viper and snake,” “chess viper,” “chess viper.” When shouting " chess snake“On the beach, swimmers jump out of the water and wait for the snake to swim away, or until a “dared person” is found and kills the snake with a stick. You often hear stories from fishermen about “meter-long vipers” that swim across rivers or climb into cages with fish.

All these stories are not actually related to vipers, they are about water snakes. The specific name of the water snake N. tessellata is indeed translated from Latin as chess snake, but the water snake has nothing to do with vipers. It belongs to the genus Natrix sp., just like the common grass snake.

For humans, the merman is already harmless. This snake's defenses include loud hissing and foul-smelling excrement when threatened. Unlike an ordinary snake, a merman almost never pretends to be dead.

The main food of water snakes is fish, which they catch among aquatic plants, snags, or lying in wait, lying on the bottom. The snake cannot swallow the caught prey under water, so it rushes to the shore, where it swallows the fish, having first turned its head towards itself.

If the prey is too large, the meal can drag on for an hour or even longer. Some snakes die without calculating their strength and choosing too large a fish.

“The water snake is quite widespread: from southwestern France, the valley of the river. The Rhine is in the west, the southern border of the range runs along the eastern part of northern Africa (to the Persian Gulf, Pakistan), in the east it reaches north-west China, and the northern limits of the occupied territory pass through the Volga-Kama region,” says Candidate of Biological Sciences, employee Volgogradsky state university, herpetologist Dmitry Gordeev.

“This species belongs to the class Reptilia, the order Serpentes, the family Colubridae, the genus Natrix, and the species Natrix tessellata. The water snake is a relatively large, non-venomous snake, like all representatives of this family. Moreover, females, as a rule, are longer than males and can grow up to 1.1 m. Despite its impressive size, it is somewhat smaller than the familiar and easily identifiable common grass snake, which can reach up to 1.14 m.

The muzzle of a water snake, compared to an ordinary one, is more pointed, and there are no yellow-orange spots on the sides of the head. Because of the latter circumstance, it is often confused with such poisonous snakes as the common viper and the steppe viper. Adding fuel to the fire is the pattern on the back of the water snake, which vaguely resembles the zigzag stripe of vipers. I have repeatedly come across dead snakes, which, apparently, the local population mistook for poisonous and mercilessly exterminated. On one of the expeditions, I came across a “mass execution” site, where I counted 25 killed “chess vipers.”

However, the water snake has a number of external signs, by which it can be easily distinguished from poisonous vipers. The most recognizable head is that of vipers it is triangular in shape and most of the scutes (scales) on it are small, while in the water snake it is oval and all the scutes are large. If you pluck up courage and look into the snake’s eyes, you will see that vipers, like real predators, have a vertical pupil (like a cat’s), while snakes have a round one. In addition, vipers are much smaller than snakes: the largest common viper reaches a length of up to 0.73 m.

The water snake settles near water: along the banks of rivers and irrigation canals, in flood meadows, where it finds food for itself. Despite its peaceful nature, it is an active predator. It prefers different types of fish - perch, roach, loach, and can even hunt pike. That's why scientists call it an ichthyophage. The snake drags the caught prey to the shore, where it eats it. Much less often it includes frogs and their tadpoles in the diet.

In the literature there is information about the discovery of even a baby in the stomach common viper! The size of the victim can exceed the size of the snake’s head, and the movable connection of the lower jaws and some bones associated with them helps to swallow it. Swallowing occurs by alternating movement of either the left or right half of the lower jaw. This gives the impression that the snake is “crawling” onto its prey.

The active season lasts almost 9 months, emerging from winter shelters in April. Soon after this, mating begins, and snakes are then found in large numbers. One female can lay from 4 to 20 eggs, from which young animals will appear in July, under favorable circumstances. Refuge for them are reed thickets, tree roots, substrate crevices, rodent holes, stumps and snags. They leave for the winter at the end of October in large groups, sometimes together with the common grass snake. They prey on snakes: hedgehogs, muskrats, muskrats, foxes, and some birds: osprey, gray heron, kites, snake eagle, crow, rook and some others.”

Every time I hear mention of the “terribly poisonous checkerboard,” I talk about water snakes, their way of life, and try to convince them that these snakes are absolutely not dangerous. But every time I come across misunderstandings, it is easier for people to be afraid of the “chess viper” than to admit their belief in rumors and stop killing all the snakes that lack the “identification marks” of an ordinary snake.

Water snake (Natrix tessellata) - not poisonous snake about one meter long, which is extremely rare in Europe and more often in Asia. It belongs to the colubrid family. This is a heat-loving species, in general, like all its relatives. Absolutely harmless to people and pets. Although many call it a chess viper or a chess snake. At the same time, they are terribly afraid of her.

And in today’s article you will learn about what a water snake looks like, what areas it lives in, what habitat it prefers, what it eats, and who feeds on it.

The snake can reach a length of 80 cm to 1.30 m. Females are almost always slightly larger than males. On average, the length of a male never exceeds 80 cm.

The water snake has its own characteristic appearance: His entire body is covered with some kind of “cubes”, which creates a harmonious square pattern. It is to this pattern that the snake owes its name (tessellata translates as “covered with cubes”). Sometimes people confuse this snake with a viper, since it has similar coloring to it.

The upperparts of the snake are often gray or brown, but more exotic colors such as olive green and even black are also found.

The lower part is white and has a slight reddish tint. There are also irregular dark spots on the underside.

The water snake's head is short and narrow. The nostrils and eyes, which have a round pupil (in the common viper it is vertical), are clearly visible. The head is clearly separated from the body.

Main regions of residence

The water snake lives mainly in Central and South-Eastern Europe, and is also common in Asia in western China and north-western India. Reptiles are most common in the Balkans, southern Russia, Turkey, Afghanistan, and the Nile Delta. In Central Europe, parts of Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic have large populations these snakes.

Preferred habitat

They prefer areas where there is water in the surrounding area. The snake most often settles near rivers, but also feels good on lakes. In particular, it even lives in coastal waters, for example, on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria and Ukraine.

They are not suitable for steep areas, when the shore abruptly ends and then there is water behind it. They need smooth slopes with gravel, sand or dirt surfaces.

It prefers waters where there are a lot of fish, because fish is the main food in the reptile’s diet.

Although most They spend their lives in water and lay eggs on land. To do this, they choose warm but humid places. For example, in a pile of humus, in rotten straw, in leaves, etc.

For sunbathing, the snake likes to use stone slopes of roads, embankments or even railway embankments. They use dry stone cracks as shelter and a home to roost at night.

Life cycle of a snake

In order for the merman to leave his winter shelter, temperature environment should warm up to at least ten degrees Celsius in the shade. That is, this means that the reptile emerges from hibernation only in April or May.

After the snake has come out of its hiding place, it will only get into the water when it warms up to at least 12 C. It really loves to swim and dive. It spends a lot of time in shallow water, leaving it only to bask in the sun or to breed.

At the beginning of summer, water snakes mate. This usually occurs between May and June. Mating occurs in the coastal zone.

They lay eggs in early July. The young appear in early August. They have a body length of 14 to 20 centimeters and immediately after hatching begin to hunt and eat. If they eat well, then by winter young snakes can grow up to 30 centimeters in length.

Already in mid-September, the water snake begins to look for shelter for the winter, into which it will settle no later than mid-October.

This species is active mainly during the day. In the morning they usually bask in the sun, and in the afternoon the snake goes hunting.

What is included in their diet?

The water snake feeds mainly on small and average fish. He likes minnow very much and also different types carp and other fish. Typically, a snake eats its prey in the water. But if its prey is too large, then sometimes the snake crawls ashore to eat it.

They usually catch their prey underwater. While underwater, he either waits for a fish to swim near him and attacks it with lightning speed, or pursues his prey until he catches it.

Natural enemies of reptiles

Predators that can pose a serious threat to grass snakes include small mammals such as weasels and muskrats. In addition, snakes are eaten by birds such as herons and gulls. Sometimes snakes become prey large fish, such as catfish and pike. Also, mallards often catch young animals in the water.

If the snake feels threatened, it begins to hiss. In addition, like the common one, this species can secrete an unpleasant liquid from its gonads. The liquid has an unpleasant odor that repels most predators. If this doesn’t help, it uses the common snake’s favorite tactic and simply plays dead.

State of the world

In Russia this species does not have any special problems. In Europe it is on the verge of extinction. The fact is that Europe has a relatively small territory, which is almost completely populated by people. Swamps are dried out in favor of highways and high-rise buildings, forests are cut down to build cities and obtain building material etc.

In addition, the snake is susceptible to numerous artificial disturbances. These include not only noisy motor boats, swimmers, and fishermen, but also tourist sites such as campsites or marinas. Sometimes animals are simply cut off by ship propellers. From time to time they are also illegally caught and killed, further reducing the population of this species in Europe.

Even in the century before last, an ordinary person could calmly settle in a peasant’s yard without fearing for his life. The villagers were afraid to kill an uninvited guest because of the superstitious fear of bringing disaster to their home.

Appearance, description of an ordinary grass snake

The reptile belongs to the family of colubrids, differing from its friends in the snake kingdom by yellow “ears” - symmetrical markings on the head (closer to the neck). The spots can be lemon, orange, off-white or completely invisible.

The size of the average individual does not exceed 1 m, but there are also more respectable specimens (1.5-2 m each). Males are much smaller than females. The head is noticeably separated from the neck, and the body longer than the tail 3-5 times.

Top snake body can be painted in dark gray, brown or olive color, diluted with a dark “checkerboard” pattern. The belly is light gray or off-white, with a dark longitudinal stripe in the center. In some individuals this stripe occupies the entire lower side. Among the snakes there are both albinos and melanists.

Similarity to a viper

This is interesting! The good-natured snake is related to poisonous viper a little: favorite places of relaxation (forest, ponds, lawns) and the desire to avoid collisions with people.

True, the viper is less likely to maintain composure and attack a person at the first careless movement.

There are many more differences between reptiles:

• it is longer, slimmer than a viper and has a smoother transition from body to tail;
• yellow spots stand out on the head of the snake, and a zigzag stripe stretches along the back of the viper;
• the snake has an oval, slightly ovoid head, while the viper’s is triangular and resembles a spear;
• snakes do not have poisonous teeth;
• Snakes have vertical or round pupils (similar to a cat’s), and vipers have transverse pupils, like sticks;
• snakes eat frogs, and vipers prefer mice.

In fact, there are many more differences (for example, in the shape of scales and scutes), but an amateur does not need this knowledge. You wouldn't look at the scales if there was a threat of a snake attack, would you?

Range, habitats

IN northern latitudes The common grass snake can be found from Karelia and Sweden to the Arctic Circle, in the south - on the northern coast of Africa (all the way to the Sahara). The western border of the range runs along the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula, and the eastern border covers central Mongolia and Transbaikalia.

Snakes adapt to any landscape, even anthropogenic ones, as long as there is a body of water with standing or slowly flowing water nearby.

These snakes live in meadows, forests, river floodplains, steppes, swamps, mountains, gardens, urban wastelands and forested areas. When settling in the city, snakes often end up under wheels, as they like to bask on the asphalt. This is the main reason for the decline in the population of snakes in densely populated areas, although globally there is no need to worry about the number of the species.

Duration and lifestyle

It lives a long time, from 19 to 23 years, and the main condition for its long life is water, which is responsible for scientific name species - natrix (from the Latin natans, translated as “swimmer”).

This is interesting! Snakes drink a lot and swim, making long swims without a specific goal. Their route usually runs along the coast, although some individuals have been seen in the open sea and in the center of huge lakes (tens of kilometers from land).

In the water it moves like all snakes, raising its neck vertically and bending its body and tail in a wave-like manner in the horizontal plane. During the hunt, it dives deeply, and when resting, it lies on the bottom or wraps itself around an underwater snag.

It searches for prey in the mornings/evenings, although the peak of activity occurs during daylight hours. On a clear day, the common snake exposes its sides to the sun on a stump, stone, hummock, fallen trunk or any convenient elevation. At night it crawls into shelter - voids from uprooted roots, accumulations of stones or holes.

Enemies of the common snake

If the snake does not hide before sunset, it will quickly cool down and will not be able to quickly escape from natural enemies, among which are:

• carnivorous mammals including fox, raccoon dog, weasel and hedgehog;
• 40 types large birds(for example, storks and herons);
• rodents, including rats;
• amphibians such as frogs and toads;
• trout (eats young fish);
• ground beetles and ants (destroy eggs).

Trying to instill fear in the enemy, the snake hisses and flattens the neck area (pretending to be a poisonous snake), folds its body in a zigzag and nervously twitches the end of its tail. The second option is to run away.

This is interesting! Finding itself in the paws of a predator or the hands of a person, the reptile pretends to be dead or splashes itself with a stinking substance secreted by the cloacal glands.

Snakes constantly experience a shortage of reliable shelters, which is why they happily take advantage of the fruits of human activity, inhabiting houses, chicken coops, bathhouses, cellars, bridges, sheds, compost heaps and garbage dumps.

Diet - what does the average person eat?

The gastronomic preferences of the snake are quite monotonous - these are frogs and fish. Periodically, it includes other prey of suitable size in its diet. It can be:

• newts;
• toads;
• lizards;
• chicks (fallen out of the nest);
• newborn water rats;
• insects and their larvae.

Snakes disdain carrion and do not eat plants, but they willingly drink milk when they find themselves in a terrarium.

When hunting for fish, the snake uses a wait-and-see tactic, grabbing the prey with a lightning-fast movement when it swims close enough. Frogs are actively pursued on land, but they do not even try to jump to a safe distance, not seeing the snake as a mortal danger.

He swallows a fish dish without any problems, but eating a frog usually lasts for many hours, since it is not always possible to grab it directly by the head. Like other snakes, it already knows how to stretch its throat, but the angular frog is in no hurry to go into the stomach and sometimes breaks out of its supper mouth. But the executioner is not ready to let go of the victim and grabs him again to continue the meal.

After a hearty lunch, he can go without food for at least five days, and if necessary, for several months.

This is interesting! There is a known case when a forced hunger strike lasted 10 months. He was subjected to this test by a German naturalist who did not feed the experimental subject from June to April. The first feeding of the snake after the hunger strike passed without any deviations from the gastrointestinal tract.

Snake breeding

Puberty occurs at 3-4 years. The mating season lasts from April to May, egg laying occurs in July-August. Periods mating games may not be the same in different regions, but always begin after the end of the first seasonal molting(it usually changes its skin after catching and digesting the first prey). Cases of autumn mating have been recorded, when the female lays eggs after wintering.

Coitus is preceded by the intertwining of several snakes (a female and many males) into a “nuptial ball”, which results in the laying of leathery eggs in quantities ranging from a few to 100 (and even more).

This is interesting! If there are not enough secluded places in the population’s habitat, females create a collective egg storage facility. Eyewitnesses told how they once found a clutch of 1,200 eggs in a forest clearing (under an old door).

The masonry must be protected from drying out and cold, for which the snake seeks out a moist and warm “incubator”, which often becomes a pile of rotten leaves, a thick layer of moss or a rotten stump.

Having laid eggs, the female does not hatch the offspring, leaving them to the mercy of fate. After 5-8 weeks, small cones are born, 11 to 15 cm long, and from the moment of birth they are preoccupied with finding a place to winter.

Not all baby snakes manage to feed themselves before the cold weather, but even hungry kids survive until the spring warmth, except that they develop a little slower than their well-fed sisters and brothers.

Snakes tolerate captivity remarkably well, are easily tamed and undemanding in maintenance. They need a terrarium horizontal type(50*40*40 cm) with the following equipment:

• thermal cord/thermal mat for heating (+30+33 degrees in a warm corner);
• gravel, paper or coconut shavings for the substrate;
• shelter in a warm corner (to maintain humidity it is placed in a ditch with sphagnum moss);
• shelter in a cold corner (dry);
• a spacious container with water so that the snake can swim there, soak in water when molting, and not only quench its thirst;
• UV lamp for daylight.

IN sunny days no additional illumination of the terrarium is required. It is sprayed once a day warm water so that the sphagnum always remains moist. The snake's home diet consists of small fish and frogs: it is desirable that the prey show signs of life, otherwise the pet may refuse to eat.

This is interesting! Sometimes snakes are accustomed to defrosted foods. Colubrids are fed 1-2 times a week, large reptiles - even less often. Once a month, mineral supplements are mixed into the food, and mineral water is given instead of regular water. The water in the drinking bowl is changed daily.

If desired, the snake is put into hibernation, for which, with the onset of autumn, the lighting/heating time is reduced from 12 to 4 hours. After you achieve a reduction in the temperature in the terrarium to +10+12 degrees and stop lighting it, the snake will fall into hibernation(up to 2 months). The sleep you simulate will have a beneficial effect on the body of a rested pet.

A snake is a snake that belongs to the class of reptiles, the order Scaly, the suborder of snakes, the family Colubridae (lat. Colubridae).

The Russian name “uzh” may have come from the Old Slavonic “uzh” - “rope”. Moreover, the Proto-Slavic word supposedly comes from the Lithuanian angìs, which means “snake, snake.” According to etymological dictionaries, these words may be related to the Latin word angustus, which translates as “narrow, cramped.”

Types of snakes, photos and names

Below is short description several varieties of snakes.

• Common already (Natrix natrix )

It has a length of up to 1.5 meters, but on average the size of the snake does not exceed 1 meter. The snake's habitat extends across Russia, North Africa, the countries of Asia and Europe, except for the northern regions. In southern Asia, the range boundary includes Palestine and Iran. A characteristic distinctive feature of the common grass snake is the presence of two bright, symmetrical spots on the back of the head, at the border with the neck. Spots with a black border are yellow, orange or off-white. Occasionally there are individuals with faint spots or no spots, that is, completely black common snakes. There are also albinos. The back of the snake is light gray, dark gray, sometimes almost black. There may be dark spots on the gray background. The abdomen is light and has a long dark stripe that stretches all the way to the snake's throat. Most often, the common grass snake is found along the banks of lakes, ponds, quiet rivers, in coastal bushes and oak forests, in floodplain meadows, in old overgrown clearings, in beaver settlements, on old dams, under bridges and in other similar places. In addition, common snakes settle near human habitation. They make their home in the roots and hollows of trees, in haystacks, in burrows, in other secluded places, in gardens and vegetable gardens. They can settle in basements, cellars, barns, woodpiles, piles of stones or garbage. In poultry farms, snakes like moist and warm litter, and they get along well with poultry. They can even lay their eggs in abandoned nests. But snakes almost never settle near large domestic animals that can trample them.

• Water snake (Natrix tessellata )

In many ways it is similar to its close relative the common snake, but there are also differences. It is more thermophilic and common in the southern regions of the habitat of the snake genus - from the southwest of France to Central Asia. Also, water snakes live in the south of the European part of Russia and Ukraine (especially at the mouths of rivers flowing into the Caspian and Black Sea), in Transcaucasia (very numerous on the islands of the Absheron Peninsula in Azerbaijan), in Kazakhstan, in the Central Asian Republics, up to India, Palestine and North Africa in the south and to China in the east. Outside of reservoirs, snakes are extremely rare. Water snakes live on the coasts of not only fresh water bodies, but also seas. They swim well, can cope with strong currents of mountain rivers, and stay under water for a long time. The water snake has a color of olive, olive-green, olive-gray or olive-brown with dark spots and stripes located almost in a checkerboard pattern. By the way, Natrix tessellata literally translates from Latin as “chess snake.” The snake's abdomen is yellowish-orange or reddish, covered with dark spots. There are also individuals that have no pattern or completely black water snakes. Unlike an ordinary snake, there are no “signal” yellow-orange spots on the head of the water snake, but often on the back of the head there is a dark spot in the shape of the Latin letter V. The length of the water snake is on average 1 meter, but the largest individuals reach 1.6 meters. With the onset of morning, water snakes crawl out of their shelters and settle under bushes or, literally, “hang out” on their crowns, and when the sun begins to get hot, they go into the water. They hunt in the morning and evening. During the day they bask in the sun on rocks, reeds, and in the nests of water birds. The water snake is non-aggressive and safe for humans. It is not able to bite at all, since instead of teeth it has plates to hold slippery prey. But because of its color, it is confused with a viper and is mercilessly destroyed.

• Colchis, or big-headed already (Natrix megalocephala )

Lives in Russia in the south Krasnodar region, in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Abkhazia. Already lives in chestnut, hornbeam, beech forests, in thickets of cherry laurel, azalea, alder, where there are clearings and ponds, on tea plantations, near streams. Colchis snakes can be found high in the mountains. They are adapted to life in fast mountain streams. This snake differs from the common snake in its wide head, with a concave upper surface, and the absence of light spots on the back of the head in adult specimens. The body of the big-headed snake is massive, from 1 to 1.3 m in length. The upper body is black, the head is white below, the abdomen has a black and white pattern. In spring and autumn, the Colchis grass snake is active during the daytime, and in summer - in the morning and at dusk. Snakes living in the mountains are active in the mornings and evenings. Colchis is no longer dangerous for humans. He escapes from his enemies by diving into the water, even despite the rapid current of the river. The number of large-headed snakes is small and in Lately decreases. This is due to uncontrolled trapping, a decrease in the population of amphibians due to the development of river valleys, and the destruction of grass snakes by raccoons. Conservation measures are necessary to preserve this species.

• Viper snake (Natrix maura )

Distributed in Western and Southern Mediterranean countries, not found in Russia. Snakes live near ponds, lakes, calm rivers, and swamps. Snakes of this species got their name because of their color, similar to that of a viper: on the dark gray back there is a black-brown pattern in the form of a zigzag stripe, with large ocellated spots on the sides of it. True, some individuals have a color similar to water snakes, and there are also individuals with a solid gray or olive color. The snake's abdomen is yellowish, with reddish and black spots closer to the tail. Average length reptiles are 55-60 cm, large individuals reach 1 meter. Females are larger and heavier than males.

• Tiger snake (Rhabdophis tigrinus )

Lives in Russia in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, distributed in Japan, Korea, North-Eastern and Eastern China. Settles near water bodies, among moisture-loving vegetation. But it also occurs in mixed forests, far from bodies of water, in treeless areas and on the seashore. The tiger snake is one of the most beautiful snakes in the world, which can reach a length of 1.1 meters. The back of the snake can be dark olive, dark green, blue, light brown, black. Juveniles are usually dark gray. The dorsal and lateral dark spots give the snake a striped appearance. Adult snakes have characteristic red-orange, red and brick-red spots between dark stripes on the front part of the body. Upper lip of snake yellow color. The snake defends itself from predators by releasing a poisonous secretion from their special neck glands. The brindle snake is capable of, like, lifting and inflating its neck. When people are bitten by enlarged back teeth and poisonous saliva gets into the wound, symptoms are observed, similar to a viper bite.

Taken from: www.snakesoftaiwan.com

• Shiny tree snake (Dendrelaphis pictus)

Distributed in Southeast Asia. It is found near human settlements, in fields and forests. It lives on trees and bushes. It is brown or bronze in color, with a light stripe bordered by black stripes on the sides. There is a black “mask” on the snake’s face. This non-venomous snake with a long thin tail making up a third of her body.

• Schneider's fish snake(Xenochrophis piscator )

It lives in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, some islands of Indonesia, western Malaysia, China, Vietnam, and Taiwan. Lives in small rivers and lakes, in ditches, in rice fields. The color of the snake is olive green or olive brown with light or dark spots forming a checkerboard pattern. The abdomen is light. Length 1.2 m. The head is slightly widened and has a cone-shaped shape. Non-venomous fishing snakes are aggressive and fast. They hunt mainly during the day, but often at night.

• Eastern ground snake(Virginia valeriae )

Distributed in the eastern United States: from Iowa and Texas to New Jersey and Florida. It differs from other species in having smooth scales. A small snake, the length of which does not exceed 25 cm. The color of the snake is brown, tiny black spots may be observed on the back and sides, and the abdomen is light. Ground snakes lead a burrowing lifestyle, living in loose soil, under rotten logs and in leaf litter.

• Green bush grass snake(Philothamnus semivariegatus )

A non-venomous snake that is found throughout most of Africa, excluding arid regions and the Sahara Desert. Green snakes live in dense vegetation: on trees, in bushes growing along rocks and river beds. The body of reptiles is long, with a thin tail and a slightly flattened head. The body of the snake is bright green with dark spots, the head is bluish. Scales with pronounced carinae. Active during the day. Not dangerous for humans. It feeds on lizards and tree frogs.

• Japanese snake ( Hebius vibakari)

One of the species of snakes found in Russia, namely in Far East: in the Khabarovsk and Primorsky territories, as well as the Amur region. Distributed in Japan, Eastern China and Korea. Inhabits forests in these regions, thickets of bushes, meadows in the forest zone, abandoned gardens. The length of the snake is up to 50 cm. The color is uniform: dark brown, brown, chocolate, brown-red with a greenish tint. The abdomen is light, yellowish or greenish. Small snakes are light brown or more often black. The non-venomous Japanese grass snake leads a secretive lifestyle, hiding under the ground, stones and trees. It feeds mainly on earthworms.

Water snake - close relative an ordinary snake. It is more heat-loving and even more moisture-loving.

In size, the water one is practically no different from the ordinary one. The largest known specimen reached a total length of one and a half meters. The water snake has large SCALES located on its head somewhat differently than the common snake. It also differs in color: yellow spots it does not have a head on the back, the pattern on the back is different, the ventral side is pink-red or orange-yellow. The general color background is greenish-gray or brownish; dark spots or narrow transverse stripes are usually located along it in a checkerboard pattern. Sometimes these spots form longitudinal stripes. There are also monochromatic individuals (without a pattern of spots) and even completely black ones - melanists.

Where do water snakes live?

In Europe, the water snake is found only in the south of its central and eastern parts. Also widespread in Central and Asia Minor, the Caucasus, western India and China. In Russia it is known from the Southern Volga region and Ciscaucasia.

These snakes rarely live far from bodies of water. This is where they spend the bulk of their active season; found on the banks of ponds, lakes, streams, rivers and even seas. There are many of them in artificial canals, ditches, reservoirs, and fish ponds. They prefer open, warm, stagnant or slowly flowing waters, but are also found in fast, cold mountain streams. In the mountains they are found at altitudes up to 3000 meters. Because these snakes hunt in water, they avoid muddy, polluted bodies of water. Favorite places their resting spots are branches bent over the water or flat stones on the banks. Snakes swim perfectly on the surface and in the water column, cope with strong currents, and swim from the shore to a distance of up to five kilometers. In addition, the water snake climbs trees and bushes well and often crawls into the crowns of semi-aquatic plants.

Lifestyle of a water snake

These snakes are active during daylight hours. At night, they take refuge under stones and other objects lying on the shore, in burrows of other animals, in various cracks and depressions under plants. They may hide in hay or dense vegetation. Large nocturnal concentrations of grass snakes are observed in reed thickets. On cool mornings they are slow and bask in sunlit areas. Having warmed up, they go into the water to hunt. Well-fed, they also often rest in the sun. But they don’t like intense heat - they hide from it in thickets or in water.

Water snakes spend the wintering period on the shore - in rodent burrows, voids in the soil - at a considerable depth (up to 80 cm). They usually spend the winter alone or in small groups, but massive concentrations of snakes have also been found - up to two hundred individuals of different sexes and ages. Such collective shelters are used by snakes from year to year.

Reproduction of water urchins

Clusters of these snakes can also form during the breeding season. In the spring, soon after leaving the winter, they sometimes move away from the reservoir and gather in groups of 150-200 individuals, where mating occurs. Mating behavior the same as that of an ordinary grass snake.

The female lays at the end June-July from 6 to 25 eggs. Masonry is made under stones, in a loose substrate. Like the common grass snake, collective clutches of up to a thousand eggs are formed in the most suitable places. Incubation lasts about two months, newborns immediately begin to catch small fish. They become sexually mature in the third year of life.

Water snakes also have a pronounced autumn period of mating activity, when they again move away from the water and can mate.

The fertilized eggs are laid the following summer.

The water snake has many natural enemies. It more often than usual becomes prey for large fish and shorebirds.

Nutrition of water snakes

The water snake feeds mainly on fish, which it catches in both fresh and sea ​​water. In one hunt it can swallow up to forty small (2-3 cm) fish, but it also catches larger fish - up to 15 centimeters in body length. This snake uses two hunting tactics - either actively searches for, pursues and catches fish, or lies in wait for it and grabs it in a throw; if the attack is unsuccessful, it does not catch up with the lost prey. Tries to grab the victim by the middle of the body. Sometimes he swallows small fish right under water, but larger ones are more difficult for him to cope with. The problem is that neither kill nor swallow is relatively big catch He can’t do it right in the water: he needs solid support. Therefore, he swims ashore, holding the fish tightly in his mouth and lifting it above the water. Having caught on some stone with the back of its body, it with difficulty pulls the struggling victim onto land, where it swallows it, always from the head. It happens that a snake catches a fish that is too large or wide (for example, crucian carp), which it cannot swallow, and then with such effort the prey pulled ashore has to be thrown away. In addition to fish, they catch frogs and toads in the water, as well as their tadpoles. Occasionally, snakes eat small mammals and birds.

Eating a large number of small fish, water snakes can cause significant damage to fish farms where they have to be controlled.

When in danger, the water snake tries to hide in the water and hide at the bottom. When picked up, it secretes a foul-smelling yellow liquid, just like a common grass snake.