Veretenitsa fragile, or the cassock is a reptile. Veretenitsa fragile: content

Do you know which class the fragile bristle belongs to? This animal is a reptile. It is very easy to confuse with a snake. However, the spindle brittle (class Reptiles) is a small lizard, similar to a snake. The length of her body reaches 45 cm. Of these, 2/3 is her flexible tail.

Body structure

Veretenitsa fragile is an example of the most complete reduction of limbs. She does not have a sternum at all, only one sacral vertebra with extended short ribs is preserved. As for the belts of the hind limbs and fore-limbs, only a small bone was left from each side. There is no noticeable transition between the tail and the body of this lizard. If you look at it from above, it is difficult to determine where the body ends and the tail begins.

Coloring

Smooth scales cover the body of this lizard. It is located in longitudinal even rows. In gray or brown colors, having a characteristic bronze outflow, the upper side of the scale is colored. Thanks to this, the spindle was called a "copper". However, do not confuse it with a snake with a similar name. Medyanka and spindle brittle are different species.

The ventral side and sides of the lizard of interest are bright. On the back, adult males have 2 rows of spots. They are usually bluish, but sometimes they can be dark brown. These spots are more noticeable in the shed on the front of her back. To distinguish the female from the male by other external features is very difficult.

Young spindles, barely born, are painted quite differently. These lizards are very beautiful. They have a golden-cream or silvery-white back. A narrow longitudinal strip passes through it (there may be two of them). This color contrasts with the underside of the body. It is also shiny, maybe either almost black, or dark chocolate. Two contrasting colors on the sides are clearly delineated. The cubs of the spindle are so fragile that they differ so much from adults that in the 19th century they were considered an independent species.

Albinos and melanists

Complete albinos among the spindles occur more frequently than among other representatives of scaly reptiles. Obviously, their survival is facilitated by the hidden lifestyle of these lizards. The body color of albinos is grayish-white, with a pink outflow, and the eyes are red. Sometimes there are melanists. This is the name of the black spindle.

Distribution of lizards

Practically throughout Europe this lizard is common. It is found in Asia Minor, Algeria, the Caucasus and Northern Iran. Veretenitsa and viviparous lizard together constitute the "outpost" of reptiles living in the north of Europe. In our country, it is found mainly in the regions of the European part. The border of the lizard's range in the east is the West Siberian Tobol. In the north, it occurs in Karelia, and in the south it lives in Ciscaucasia.

Favorite habitats

This lizard prefers to settle in the forests. It is found both in mixed and broad-leaved forests. In addition, it can be seen in meadows and fringes. Veretenitsa fragile goes into the gardens and fields. In the Caucasus, this lizard lives in mountain forests, on slopes with low vegetation, in forest meadows, and in the open steppe, where shrubs grow. She can climb mountains up to 2.3 km. Veretenitsa fragile loves damp, shaded places. However, she sometimes creeps out into a dry place or in the sun. Nevertheless, the lizard does not go far from the shelter.

Activity of the medinae

The time of activity of the spindle brittle is morning and evening twilight. She spends the rest of the clock under the rocks. The lizard climbs into the loose soil that surrounds the roots of the plants. Also, it can choose with its shelter densely intertwined grass, fallen ashes, rotten stumps, burrows of small mammals. Veretenitsa herself is able to make her own move in a loose ground. To this end, it "digs" and pushes it with its head.

Like most lizards, she prefers a sedentary lifestyle. Slight individual portions of the spindle are fragile. Their radius is only a few meters. Young specimens that appear on light are also dispersed over short distances.

Features of movement and hunting

Veretenitsy, despite the snake-like appearance, is a bit awkward and sluggish. They move in the following way - their tail and body flex wave-wise. However, the movement of lizards makes it difficult for the bone carapace. It serves to protect animals from damage if they climb in heaps of fallen trees or among stones. In an open and level place, their crawling is difficult because of it. Like a snake, a spindle can swim. But she does not like to do this, quickly gets tired, so only when necessary enters the water.

Because of slowness and weak vision, the spindle is fragile - a reptile that is a bad hunter. She is not able to distinguish colors, as do other lizards. Moreover, the string brittle hardly recognizes even shades of gray. However, this does not play a big role in the semi-underground hidden lifestyle that it leads. Veretenitsa fragile, or a medina compensates for the weakness of sight with developed sense of smell. She catches smells, like snakes, with the help of a bifurcated tongue, which she often pokes out.

Food

Its constant food is the same slow earthworms and slugs. They also prefer a semi-underground way of life. In a humid place to find them is not difficult, so there is no need to crawl much, and a large size of an individual plot is also not required. There is no need to examine and pursue prey to the spindles. Mednyanka, finding the victim, does not hurry. First she "sniffs" her tongue, and then starts to swallow. About half an hour, and sometimes even longer, the eating of large prey can continue.

Veretenica fragile also extracts snails from shells, pulling them out with the help of their teeth bent back. On occasion, it can also profit with mochrits, centipedes and caterpillars. Like snakes, this lizard is able to swallow a large prey, so occasionally other lizards, young meds, become its victims. It happens that snakes become its prey.

Protection from enemies

The protection of these animals is a hidden way of life, as well as bone mail, located under the scales. In addition, they can throw off the tail, as well as "shoot" excrement. Unusual protective behavior is observed in young individuals. In case of danger young young women turn over on their backs, showing a dark abdomen. Apparently, a similar color change produces the effect of surprise.

Nevertheless, this arsenal is not enough, so the spindle often becomes a victim of various predators. And beetles (predatory beetles), and various snakes, and toads eat young lizards. Marten, foxes, hedgehogs, badgers, night and day birds (there are more than 25 species of birds that feed on sheds) - here is not a complete list of enemies of the kind we are interested in. It is curious that a copper snake is especially often swallowed from snakes. People also very often destroy these lizards. In different states there is a strange superstition about their "terrible virulence", although in reality the spindles are absolutely harmless.

The lizard, taken in hands, does not even bite.

Veretenitsa fragile: content

In order to arrange a comfortable place for a pair of lizards, a small terrarium of 30 liters capacity will suffice. It is best to do the upper ventilation. Veretenitsy fragile suffer from stagnation of air less than from drying out. This is understandable - these lizards are digging animals.

Primer can be peat, coconut, sphagnum. You can also use forest litter. The pieces of moss are best suited as decorations and shelters. However, it is possible to plant unpretentious plants such as Tradescantia into the terrarium.

A temperature of 20 to 22 ° C is optimal, in which lizards show the highest activity. UV lamps are not required, since we are dealing with a digging animal, which avoids ultraviolet irradiation.

What to Feed the Sicklings

It is best to feed the lizards with earthworms and small snails. You can also give larvae zofabas or flour worm. Occasionally you can feed the spindle with a large bloodworm. They also eat moving animals (crickets, cockroaches), but only if they are very hungry.

Reproduction and feeding of cubs

Lizard brittle spindle at home usually does not breed. However, pregnant females, which were caught in nature, often give birth. The ginseng are viviparous, the egg stage proceeds in the maternal womb. Feeding newborn spindles is not easy, because they need small sedentary objects. The easiest way is to go to the wasteland and find a plant that is strongly affected by aphids. Tear off the twig with the aphid and place it in the terrarium. Veretenitsy will pinch off parasites. Slightly grown lizards begin to eat small worms, bloodworms, small woodworms. They grow quite quickly and double their size in six months. The lifespan of the medlids is 9-12 years, but often in terrariums they live up to 20-30 years. The record age of the lizard, which was in captivity - 54 years.