Ordinary - description of where it dwells, features

It has long been believed that if you already settled on the local area, you can not chase it and kill it. Otherwise, it can provoke misfortune in the family. However, today snakes are more afraid than before. Therefore, reptiles fear for their lives. Today's material is devoted to ordinary snakes, their features and other distinctive characteristics.

Description

1. The reptile is included in the category of snakes, the family of the like. A distinctive feature is the presence of marks yellowish tone in the cervical region. Pigmentation may be orange, citric, beige, gray or it may not be at all.
2. If you start from the averaged values, then the individual stretches up to 1 m in length. However, in the natural environment, larger members of the family were also found who grew up to 2 m.Individual males are not as large as females.
3. The body exceeds the length of the tail about 4 times. The head is looked through clearly, it is medium or large, it is separated from the cervical region noticeably. The upper part of the body is pigmented with olive, gray or brown. In contrast, there are dark marks in a checkerboard pattern.
4. The coloring of the abdominal section, according to which it is possible to isolate this snake from oneself, is important. The reptile has a dirty white belly, but it can also be light gray. A dark strip stretches along the central part.

Spread

1. Distributed by these members of the family in the northern strip, from Karelia, ending Sweden. They are met in southern climatic zones, for example, Africa. In the western part of the individuals are on the Iberian Peninsula and the British Isles. To the east are found in Transbaikalia and Mongolia.
2. A distinctive feature of reptiles of this species is that they easily get used to any landscape. That is, they may well exist near fresh or saline sources,as well as in mountainous areas without vegetation or dense areas. But the fact that water is needed is a fact. Preferably over.
3. When reptiles choose a place to live in, they prefer river openings, forest belts, steppe areas, swampy edges, mountains and localities. There are also snakes in gardens, on waste grounds and in parks.
4. When the represented individuals settle near the city or within its boundaries, they often creep out onto the roadway and become victims of drivers. This is not surprising, since the instinct of self-preservation is poorly developed. The population becomes smaller because of this, but the disappearance of the snakes are not threatened.

Lifestyle

1. It should begin with the fact that these reptiles exist for about 20 years. For snakes, this period is simply huge. They need an aquatic environment for a comfortable and long life. Snakes love to swim and drink water, they swim aimlessly from side to side. The route is laid near the coast, but they can float to the open sea or to the center of a large lake.
2. With regard to movement in the water space, these reptiles skillfully wield the hull, bending and pulling the neck up.When the hunt begins, it dives into the depths, grabs a snag and rests. Prefers to search for prey in the evening and morning seasons. However, most of the activity falls on the day.
3. When the weather is sunny, the reptile settles down on a stone or stump, resting and basking in the rays. At night, crawls into the hole or other shelter of stones and rocks.

The enemies

1. The creeping thing must be hidden until the sun goes down. If this does not happen, then the enemy will descend and will not give the snake a chance of survival. Among the enemies can be identified about 40 species of large birds, including storks. Rodents, mammals, predators (fox, hedgehog, weasel, etc.) are ranked as natural enemies.
2. When the enemy is nearby, she tries to make sure that he is considered poisonous. He bends and rises, pulls his tail and hisses. Some timid individuals simply crawl away, trying to stay away from danger.
3. If the reptile is in the hands of a person or in the mouth of a dog, it will make the first attempts to scare off the offender. A liquid with an unpleasant and disgusting odor is released from the cloaca. If that doesn't work, the creepy thing hangs with a rope, pretending to be a dead creature.
4. Due to the fact that these snakes are constantly suffering from a lack of reliable shelters, they settle down next to a man. It is unpleasant for people to admit that these snakes are occupied by attics, sheds, former chicken coops, as well as bathhouses and even at home. They develop, multiply, inducing fear in the family.

Comparison with vipers

1. The similarity of the snake and the viper is manifested in the fact that the varieties of reptiles live in the same territories. They like to be in ponds, forest belts, on the lawns. Both vipers and snakes avoid contact with the person and get away.
2. However, this is all, the differences are much greater. For example, snakes cannot boast of the presence of poisonous fangs. They are longer and thinner, the pupils are arranged vertically or have a rounded format, the head is rounded, there are yellow markings on it.

Diet

1. As for gastronomic preferences, they are pretty monotonous. Most often, the diet of the fish in question includes fish or frogs. It may also be other animals that are similar in size.
2. Snakes can hunt lizards, toads, newts, newborn rat pups, chicks and insects.These reptiles do not eat food of plant origin. As for the carrion, they simply disdain it. It remains interesting that when kept in a terrarium, they eagerly enjoy milk.
3. Such individuals when hunting for fish are almost always guided by waiting tactics. As soon as the victim comes close to the snake, the last one immediately grabs it. As for the frogs, the snakes are pursuing them right on land, which are trying to escape and jump aside. Frogs do not see a potential danger in a snake.
4. The small reptiles represented by the reptiles are swallowed without any problems. As for the frogs, the snake can stretch the meal for several hours. The problem is that the snake is not always able to capture prey right behind the head.
5. Like most reptiles, these individuals are also able to widely stretch the mouth. The problem lies elsewhere. The angular-shaped frog is in no hurry to be eaten. Therefore, during the struggle she manages to escape. However, not one of those who give up. Therefore, he attacks her again until swallowed.
6. If the reptiles in question had a fairly nourishing meal.It can easily do without food for 5-6 days. Sometimes these snakes can even go hungry for several months. At the same time, after a hunger strike, you can eat well. What is most interesting there are no problems against the background of the digestive tract of the snake.

Breeding

1. With regard to puberty, it comes to about 4 years. It is worth noting that the mating season for such reptiles lasts only one month in the spring. Females start laying in the middle of summer.
2. However, the periods of mating games in reptiles may vary slightly depending on their habitat and climatic conditions. But such a time always begins after the first seasonal change of skin passes. There are even autumn mating. The female lays eggs after wintering.
3. During mating, snakes are woven into a ball. In it there is a female and many males. After such actions, the snake lays leathery eggs, the number of which, from several clutches can reach 100 pcs. Reptiles protect future offspring from cold and drying out.

Snakes are quite an interesting type of reptile. The surprising fact is that with a small number of secluded places, the females unite and create one collective incubator. In it, eyewitnesses numbered more than 1,000 eggs. The bottom line is that eggs need a warm and moist incubator. Only in this way the young will be born healthy. After a couple of months, small snakes hatch.

Video: ordinary (Natrix natrix)