Are non-venomous snakes harmless?

Snakes (in Latin Serpentes ) belong to the suborder of reptiles squamous. Their habitat is quite extensive: they live practically on all continents (except Antarctica and a number of large islands such as Ireland, Greenland, New Zealand, Malta, some islands of Oceania), in all climatic zones and ecological conditions (forests, steppes, deserts , Foothills, mountains). But still they prefer to settle in places with a hotter climate. Usually, snakes lead a terrestrial way of life, but some of them can live in water, on trees or underground.

Of all the variety of these reptiles, numbering more than two thousand species, most of them are non-venomous snakes. The list of poisonous ones does not exceed three hundred.

By their nature, snakes are predators. The basis of their diet consists of a variety of species of animals, both vertebrates and invertebrates. However, there are snakes that specialize in eating a certain type of prey (the so-called stenophagus). Unlike poisonous, killing their prey with the help of poison, non-poisonous snakes can swallow it alive or pre-strangled. In this case, all the snakes absorb their prey entirely due to the specific structure of the lower jaw, consisting of the right and left halves, making them alternating movements and, as it were, pulling themselves into prey.

The main types of non-poisonous snakes inhabiting Russia

• Already. This is known to everyone for sure, as this is the most common we have a non-venomous snake. They can be found in the forest, and in the meadow, and near the road.
  Usually the snakes do not exceed one meter in length, although there are individual specimens reaching two meters.
  Usually, these non-venomous snakes live in wet places - near water bodies, in thickets of coastal cane, in marshes, etc. It is perfectly floating and diving, overcoming great distances in the water.
  The basis of its diet is made up both by inhabitants of water bodies (frogs, tadpoles, fish chaff), and by land animals (lizards, chicks, small mammals).
• Blade. Distributed in the southern regions (Caucasus, Central Asia, the south of the Far East). These non-venomous snakes, exceeding in length two meters, can move quickly enough (up to 6 km / h), not only by land or by stones, but also by trees where birds are hunted.
  Also, the sticks actively exterminate rats and mice. Bite stance for a person is not dangerous, although it is painful. When the bite appears, all the signs of a bite of a poisonous snake (swelling, pain, dizziness), which usually go through three days.
• Medynica vulgaris. This smooth little snake (usually not exceeding 0.7 m in length) has a grayish or brown color, sometimes with a reddish tinge. Sometimes it is confused with a viper, but it has a narrower head, covered with large scutes and a less noticeable transition to the neck compared to a viper. Being a rather slow creature, the medny usually hunts animals from the shelter. The bite of a copper stick is poisonous for some cold-blooded animals, but absolutely harmless to humans.

Non-poisonous snakes are often planted by people as pets. Well, as they say, the taste and color of friends is not. However, it must be remembered that care for these reptiles is no less complex than for other species of animals. The serpent needs to create conditions that are as close as possible to its habitat in the natural environment - and this is not only the creation of an external environment (branches, sand, stones, etc.), but also maintaining a special temperature and humidity, not to mention feeding. In this case it is necessary to take into account the fact that even a bite of a non-venomous snake may contain a small amount of poison, and therefore, when handling them, certain safety measures should be observed.

Assisting with bites of non-venomous snakes

If you were bitten by a snake, it is necessary to wash the place of bite with water or alcohol-containing liquid, then treat it with iodine or zelenka. It should be remembered that even the non-venomous snakes on the teeth may have the smallest remains of food, and in addition, the teeth themselves can remain in the wound. All this can lead to the entry into the body of pathogens. Therefore, in case of the formation of a bite of pustules, tumors or other inflammatory processes on the site, it is necessary to always seek help from a medical institution.