Non-poisonous snakes: really ordinary, watery

Ordinary - this is a large non-venomous snake. Its length can reach one and a half meters, and the average size - from 80 cm to 1 meter. However, when it is quickly creeping, it seems much longer. This snake prefers to settle along the banks of swamps, rivers, lakes, ponds. But you can meet with the snake in small settlements located in the forest area.

When the rainy summer comes, the snows begin to crawl, travel and can travel a very considerable distance from their native reservoirs. They feed on small frogs and fish, lizards, mice, large insects and even small birds.

Ordinary is easily recognized by its typical coloration: the upper part of the body is black or dark gray, without a pattern, and on the sides of the head there are two oval yellow or orange spots. The abdomen of all the snakes is light gray or dirty white.

When this snake meets a man, then, first of all, seeks to crawl away to the side. But grown-up snakes can try to scare - zashipet, rush towards the enemy. As a rule, they do not bite at the same time. And the bites of the horror are completely harmless. The wound should only be rinsed with clean water and disinfected.

The ordinary one still has one active protective agent. If it is caught and not released, it can suddenly release a jet of fetid, yellowish white liquid. As a rule, after this, people often throw a horror and rush to wash themselves off from the nasty slime. But by its nature, it has a very persistent odor, which is absorbed into the skin for a long time. Irritations or burns, this protective fluid does not cause. It is characteristic that the smell unpleasantly affects only the sense of smell of a person. And animals that hunt for snakes and eat them, do not scare away the smell.

This innocent snake has many natural enemies: foxes, kites, storks, mink, raccoon dogs. Rats, shrews and hedgehogs, which destroy the nests of snake eggs, are very harmful to them. Female horus lays eggs for 10-30 pieces, on this her care of the offspring ends. Eggs are glued together by shells, forming formless lumps or chains. Their development lasts about 2 months, and at the end of summer hatching hatch - small snakes 13-15 cm in length.

Like any other snake, it already spends the winter in mink-shelters. And in April-May, after hibernation, he begins a period of reproduction and mating. To do this, the snakes gather in groups and form whole balls of interlaced bodies.

In summer, too, you can find a lot of these snakes on warm stones. But they crawl there not for breeding, but just to bask in the sun.

In the habitats of snakes, you can often find so-called creeps - a thin, almost transparent cuticle, which the snake drops once a year. During moult, the ordinary one sheds the entire skin, including the one that protects the eyes. At this time his body loses its natural coloration, becomes dull and faded. But the pierced snake looks very impressive - all the patterns and colors become accentuated, bright, the eyes - light and transparent. In healthy snakes skin peels most often with one "stocking", and with any deviations - it lags behind with shreds and separate parts.

The common horror has a very close relative - water too. He even more loves warmth and humidity. This snake is well adapted to water - its nostrils are directed upwards and are displaced to the edge of the muzzle. Therefore, she can not expose her head completely from the water, but only bring it closer to the surface, inhale and again dive unnoticed. Water can not come up from the water to half an hour.

On the gray body of this snake is clearly visible pattern of black spots, located in staggered order. On the head there are traditional orange, yellow or pink spots. The abdomen is striped, black and white. But black snakes are also common .

Water snakes are found on the shores of any water bodies in south-east Europe, in Asia Minor and Central Asia, in western China and India. They are very fond of accumulating on fallen trees. They feed on frogs and fish.