Desert snake ef: description, habitat and danger to humans

The poisonous snake efa is rightfully considered one of the most dangerous inhabitants of our planet. Her bite is fatal in every fifth case. In addition, she is absolutely not afraid to use her teeth even against the biggest opponents. Therefore, it is better for people to know what this deadly predator looks like. In what regions does he live? Also what it is necessary to do at a meeting with it?

Snake ef: description

Efa (Latin Echis carinatus) is a sand snake of the squamous group, the Viper family. This species prefers to live in an arid climate. In particular, a large number of these snakes dwell in the vastness of African wasteland and deserts. Also, some of its subspecies can be found in the southern regions of Asia and in Indonesia.

As for the near territories, the snake of the efa can meet on the territory of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. And although here their population is not as large as in Indonesia, yet they pose a significant threat to people who dare to enter the desert lands of these regions.

Appearance

Over the years , the serpent has adapted well to living in the desert. This is seen not only in its habits, but also in its appearance. So, on the body of a reptile, light colors prevail, most often of a golden hue. From the tail to the head goes a dark zig-zag pattern, which stands out strongly against the background of multi-colored spots, located chaotically on the back of the snake.

In addition, the epha is a snake with a variety of ribbed scales. They help reptiles regulate body temperature, which is extremely important for life in arid climates. Scales themselves are ribbed and are best seen on the back and sides of a predator.

But the size of the nature of the snake cheated. So, even the largest individuals rarely exceed the threshold of 80 cm, and the average representative of this species and does grow only up to 50 cm. But such proportions are completely justified, given the fact that the ef has to exist in conditions with limited resources.

Habitat

To begin with, the efa is a very active snake. It seldom lingers in one place, and therefore you can meet it both on the open planes of the desert, and among dense thickets of the steppe. In addition, some representatives of this species are quite comfortable on a rocky terrain. The benefit of their small size allows them to easily slip into even the narrowest holes and crevices.

However, snakes themselves prefer to live among dense thickets and shrubs. First, it allows the eph to hide its presence from prying eyes. And secondly, on such sites there is much more food, which is very tempting. In the rest, the predator quickly adapts to any conditions of life.

Potential Victims

Like most of its relatives, the serpent of the ef is a born hunter. The basis of her diet is insects, as they are easy to catch. In addition, larger prey can become a real problem for a reptile, because it just does not fit into her mouth. But this does not mean that the snake can not kill it - the poison of the epha is enough to knock an adult horse off its feet.

In addition, the predator likes to hunt small rodents. For them, they are an important source of energy, because, unlike insects, they are warm-blooded. If the food becomes very tight, the efa starts to attack everything that can be swallowed.

Features of behavior

The snake efa is active both during the day and at night. This is extremely unusual for reptiles, who prefer to divide the day into periods of hunting and rest. However, our predator does not stop its cycle of travel, even after a tight meal. The maximum that she will do is slow her "step", and then not much.

Also this kind of reptile does not fall into hibernation. However, in those regions where they live, the coolness rarely drops to that mark, which can affect the metabolism of the snake. And yet, with a strong drop in temperature, the efa still calms down a little: it stops traveling and settles in the found hole or crevice.

Reproduction

The snake of the efa is noteworthy in that it brings to light the living offspring. Recall that most reptiles are used to laying eggs, and similar metamorphosis for them - a great rarity. But this kind of predators decided to stand out against the background of the other brothers.

Matrimonial games begin at the end of January - the beginning of March. The pregnancy period is a little over a month, and therefore already in early spring the female brings to light the young offspring. At the same time, at one time it is capable of giving life to 16 serpents, who are immediately ready to eat independently.

Danger to humans

As mentioned before, the sandy efa is a very poisonous snake. If you do not provide medical assistance on time, then her bite will be fatal for a person. In this case, the victim herself will experience terrible pain, because the toxins released into the body instantly begin to corrode the blood corpuscles.

The worst thing is that the efa is not afraid of people. She can safely approach their homes and even crawl into them. For example, there is ample evidence that the snake was building its den under the floor or in the closet. Therefore, if a person is in the territory where these snakes live, he must always be on the alert.