Will the snake die from its venom. More and more snakes! Zmeelov's advice: how to protect yourself and what to do if you are bitten

In nature, it happens that a snake suddenly stings itself or begins to swallow its own tail. There are also cases of cannibalism and eating offspring. Let's try to figure out if these reptiles are so stupid that they eat themselves.

What happens if a snake bites itself

By biting itself on the tail, the snake usually does not receive any harm, except for blood loss. It is extremely rare for venomous species to die from such bites, as they are not susceptible to their own toxin.

This rule also applies within the same species, that is, snakes have developed immunity to the toxin of animals with a similar composition.

Moreover, some non-poisonous species are able to protect themselves from the poison of dangerous reptiles living with them in the same ecological niche. For example, royal snakes are immune to all poisons of snake neighbors. It is known that king snake even feeds on rattling reptiles. A similar situation with a viper: if it is bitten by another viper, then the first one can die from injury, but not from the toxin. But if the viper stings black Mamba - fatal outcome inevitable. In some cases, deaths were recorded, but they can be attributed to exceptions.

Important! To prevent fights between reptiles, feed them singly in separate tanks. If two individuals have the same food preferences, then the first, having felt the aroma of a favorite delicacy on the second, can attack it.

Why do snakes eat themselves

Reptiles attack not only in the process of obtaining food, but also defending themselves. And sometimes they inadvertently bite themselves - for example, missing when attacking a potential victim. This phenomenon has several reasons.

Attractive scent of prey

Snakes rely entirely on their sense of smell. They turn into completely uncontrollable creatures when they smell food. If in the process of feeding in the nursery tail section the animal turned out to be stained with food, the reptile can mistake its tail for prey.

Similar situations also occur in wildlife: if a mouse runs along the tail of the reptile, the snake will first of all react to the aroma, it will become very excited, and it will take itself for a food object.
Sometimes “self-eating” is a manifestation of some kind of brain pathology: the animal can be discoordinated in space (sees real prey, throws itself at it, but hits a little to the side and injures itself).

Important! Always lower the feed into the snake home with long tweezers. Even submissive individuals can become insane if they smell food.

Eating offspring as a source of energy

There is also an explanation for eating one's own offspring. During the courtship period, the female is very weak in order to hunt. To restore vitality, she has to eat her own offspring. The reptile eats the cubs that did not manage to survive, as well as some of the individuals that died in the egg. Sometimes live serpents who did not have time to crawl away from their mother come across a tooth. It has been established that snakes, on average, eat up to 11% of their offspring.

The history of the "self-eating" of the snake from antiquity

The tendency to "self-eating" among snakes was noticed even by our ancestors. Egyptian archaeologists discovered an ancient drawing - a reptile curled up in a ring, holding its own tail in its mouth. The creature depicted in the picture is called ouroboros and is on a par with the most ancient symbols of mankind.
It was not possible to determine the specific date and place of origin of the image of the suicide snake, but it is known that the drawing is at least 1600 years old. Let's try to compare a number of ancient writings and interpret the meaning of this archaic sign.

If we take into account the fact that snake venom is one of the most dangerous substances on the planet, then, of course, it would have to be deadly for the reptiles themselves. But if this were so, then, most likely, these animals would no longer be left on earth at all.

It's all about the main weapon snake venom- neurotoxins. In the body of the victim, they are attached to muscle receptors and prevent them from transmitting certain signals. That is why breathing stops and death occurs. If you introduce poison to the snake itself, then it will not work on it, since the toxins will not be allowed to attach to the cells of the sugar molecule. Thus, reptiles are immune to their own poison.

As for the act of suicide itself in the animal world, this phenomenon has not yet been studied enough. Although cases of suicide among animals are not uncommon. For example, everyone has heard that whales sometimes throw themselves onto land. Nevertheless, it is still unclear whether they are aware of what they are doing, whether they are fully aware of the consequences of their actions.

Neighborhood with snakes in the country is not only unpleasant, but also dangerous. Even a non-poisonous one can bite painfully - he has teeth. What can we say about the much less harmless copperhead and the extremely dangerous viper? Therefore, if you notice the presence of snakes in your area, you need to get rid of them as soon as possible. Under no circumstances should you kill them. They are an integral part of the biosphere of the region in which your dacha is located, and in fact it was you who came to their territory, not they to yours. Therefore, you need to try to ensure a peaceful outcome for them and, most importantly, once and for all discourage them from visiting the site.

Snakes in the Garden: An Invisible Danger

A snake attacks a person only in two cases - if it is frightened or provoked. However, this does not make it any calmer. Not all adults, having heard a suspicious rustle in the bushes next to their bare feet, are able to quickly cope with the adrenaline rush, allowing the snake to crawl its way. If we are talking about children, then their meeting with any of the representatives of this species is highly undesirable. After all, a child can get a serious mental trauma from fright, not to mention the mortal danger of a snake bite for a child's body.

Reptiles are predominantly nocturnal, which complicates their detection and identification. However, the presence of snakes in the area is always noticeable to the trained eye. Their main food is rodents, which are found all the time. Therefore, if no one feasts on the garden crops you have planted, there are no hedgehogs in the vicinity of the dacha, and you yourself do not have a cat or dog, most likely there are snakes in your area. They live in burrows, which they prefer to dig in marshy, shaded vegetation and therefore always cool and slightly moist soil. In addition, snakes periodically shed their skin. Its remains, which are called "creep out", can be found in their habitats and migration - in thick grass, bushes, near water bodies and rivers, in areas with high humidity soil, etc.

The most dangerous time in terms of meetings with the snake brethren is the beginning-middle of summer. It was then that most of the species that are found on the territory of our country begin the breeding season, and they themselves become very irritable.

snake habits

If snakes are wound up in your summer cottage, you should not be especially afraid of them. Their bites are not poisonous, and they themselves are much more afraid of a person, so when they see you, they will most likely try to retreat as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, it is quite common for them to show their snake nature - in case of danger of contact, they can hiss threateningly, take a “stand” and even rush to their feet or other parts of the body in order to bite.

The main food of the snake is lizards, frogs and rodents, and natural enemies are birds of prey, storks and some representatives of the order of mammals. The mating season already falls on April May.

Copperhead, easily recognizable by its characteristic color, loves an open, well-warmed up area by the sun. It is found in regions covered with deciduous, coniferous or mixed forests and even knows how to swim, although it does not hunt in the water, and even more so does not hide from enemies. Copperhead feeds on lizards and other small reptiles, as well as rodents and sometimes insects.

When meeting a person, snakes of this breed curl up into a ball and freeze, hiding their heads, although they may well behave aggressively. The copperhead wakes up not earlier than April, and mates in late April - early May.

The viper lives in marshy-forest zones and transitional zones between rivers or forests and meadows, but for some reason it gravitates towards the area cultivated by man. It is almost impossible to confuse it with another species - the characteristic color with a zigzag stripe along the back will tell you exactly who you are dealing with.

Fortunately, the viper has a rather calm nature and never attacks for no apparent reason. However, its bite is very poisonous and, in the absence of the necessary medical care, may well lead to very unpleasant consequences.

How to get rid of snakes in the country: humane methods

One should not kill snakes, and not only because in nature they perform very useful features. Before death, reptiles emit a special aroma, similar to the one with which they attract their relatives for reproduction. As a result, in the area where you killed the snake, others will appear very soon. Therefore, if this already happened, the snake corpse must be urgently carried away from suburban area. The same applies to the “creeps” discovered by you and your loved ones.

The first thing to do in order to get rid of snakes in the country is cleaning the area. By the way, it is worth doing it regularly, and removing branches and other debris. Large boulders should also be removed from the territory and old stumps, logs and bushes should be removed - the latter form a dense shadow, where, as well as in the coolness under stones and in old wood, snakes like to rest and hunt.

The main points of cleaning the summer cottage in the photo

If your neighbors have appeared at their dachas for a long time, you should remove the thickets and debris behind them - this is the only way you can guarantee the outcome of the reptiles away from your site.

Another effective and peaceful way to exorcise snakes is to scare away with the help of vibration generators or ultrasound that is equally unpleasant for them.

However, the technique is not able to give one hundred percent result, so it is better to use folk remedies. So, snakes do not like natural wool, therefore, by spreading it around the perimeter of the site, at the threshold of the dacha and other buildings, and in any other places where a snake can crawl, you are quite likely to make them go home.

Reptiles do not tolerate the smell of garlic, so they will rush to leave the territory as soon as possible if you plant this plant in sufficient quantities not only in your garden, but also in areas where they are most likely to appear - along the perimeter of the fence, around bushes, etc.

Radical ways to expel snakes

You can drive out the snake team from the summer cottage if you exterminate rodents, lizards, frogs and insects. A strong young cat will cope with this, which will be happy to catch everything that rustles and crawls in the bushes and tall grass, including snakes. You can also get a Jagd Terrier dog. This dog is very difficult to raise and care for, but he is a real thunderstorm of amphibians.

There is also such a “recipe” for snakes as hedgehogs. They feed on insects and plants, but they do not tolerate the presence of reptiles, destroying them mercilessly. The only but - hedgehogs are quite difficult to attract, and if it succeeds, they need to be constantly fed.

The perimeter of the cottage, areas under the barn or house, and especially under its threshold, can be watered or laid with rags moistened with saltpeter, herbicide or other chemicals. But this can seriously harm your site and significantly reduce the comfort of your stay. Harsh chemistry has a pungent odor and, if used improperly, can literally burn out everything it comes into contact with, excluding the appearance of vegetation in the treatment areas for several years.

The snakes are scared high temperatures and smell the flame and the burning smell from a kilometer away. But burning grass, rubber and other materials based on petroleum products in a summer cottage is a rather dangerous and environmentally harmful solution. Hanging bells, small windmills or rattles on the site will cause much less damage. Only the sounds they make will annoy you more, and as soon as you take them off, the snakes will come back.

Snakes build their nests in compost pits, manure heaps, piles of garden debris, or inside old, rotten stumps. Upon detection, in no case do not try to destroy the snake's lair on your own - let professionals who are well prepared for a meeting with poisonous representatives of the snake kingdom do this.

What to do when meeting with a snake and with a snake bite?

No matter what you do to drive the snakes out of your yard, the guarantees that they will not return by the next spring-summer season are rather weak. What to do if the probability of meeting with amphibians in the territory of your yard, garden, orchard or areas adjacent to the dacha is still high?

In this case, your housekeeping responsibilities should include:

1. Teaching children and the rest of the household to do things that reduce the risk of a chance meeting to zero, and if so, the possibility of direct contact.
2. Mandatory sealing of cracks and holes in the floor and other building structures of a country house and outbuildings.
3. Treatment of old snake holes with naphthalene.
4. Lure and trap snakes with the aim of releasing them into the wild away from the dacha.
5. Organization of a country first-aid kit with a set of medical supplies and preparations for first aid in case of a snake bite.
6. Arrangement of sheds, firewood and other outbuildings so that their design excludes the possibility of penetration and hidden deployment of snakes.
7. Acquisition of high rubber boots and thick protective clothing for work on the site, in particular, in thickets and in marshy or damp areas.
8. Regular site prevention by treating problem areas and the perimeter with agricultural or special chemicals, ash or other repellents.

If you are still bitten poisonous snake, remember that independent attempts to neutralize the poison can have much more unfortunate consequences than intoxication itself. Therefore, in this situation, it is urgent to immobilize the victim and call an ambulance, or deliver him to the first-aid post on his own.

Before the doctor arrives, you need to apply a cold compress to the bite site, remove rings and other jewelry, as well as clothing items that, in case of swelling, can interfere with blood circulation.

Video: Immediate action for a snakebite

A strange incident happened to me today. I'm returning, so from the sea. On a steep section of the road I dismounted, I was driving the bike uphill for a reason. Suddenly a rather large snake crosses my path.

In fact, there was nothing unusual in this. This summer in general was, for me, generous for meetings with snakes. Starting from Svetloyar (post "Invisible city of Kitezh"). Wherever I went today, everywhere I met reptiles. Some even posed for pictures.
But this one behaved in a completely unexpected way. Crawling across the road, she did not even think of trying to hide in the grass. And, stopping on the side of the road, she began to ... rapidly wriggle, rise in rings, ... almost tie in many knots and immediately straighten up. Then twist again, in rapid motion, into rings. Vertical, horizontal…

The sight was downright mesmerizing.
From time to time the snake stopped, took a threatening, attacking posture, and again began to rapidly twist into elastic standing rings.
It was very similar to the dance of the python Kaa in front of the banderlogs, in the cartoon "Mowgli". Only the snake, of course, is much smaller than the python.
The show went on for quite some time. Maybe 10 minutes ... I took out a camera, clicked. (After I looked: it turned out inexpressive. I had to turn on the video mode. I'll return home, I'll post what happened). In the end, the snake turned over with its yellow belly up.

And, having beaten a little, she calmed down with an unnaturally open mouth. She … died. I expected everything, but not such an ending.
... Somehow, of course, consciousness endows this case with a mystical meaning: the Snake crawled across my path and died in deadly beautiful agony, right in front of my great one. And what would that mean?...