Yellow-bellied skid - terrible, but not dangerous

This snake belongs to the family of snakes and therefore can not be poisonous. Yellow-bellied skid is also called yellow-belly or yellow-bellied. In Europe, there is no larger snake, it can reach a length of two and a half meters. Zheltobryuh very quickly creeps, has an elegant trunk and a relatively long tail. The upper part of the body is colored monochrome : olive, brown or almost black. On the back of the young specimens there is one, and more often two rows of spots Dark color, in some places they, merging, form transverse bands. On the head, the dark points merge into the correct geometric pattern. A number of small spots are located on the sides of the snake. The belly has a grayish white color with yellow divorces located along the edges of the abdominal scutes.

Habitat

Yellow-belly skids prefers to settle in dry places, basking in the daytime in the open areas of the sun. Activity manifests only during the daytime. Can hide in bushes, in gardens, vineyards and ruins of buildings. In the mountains it meets up to an altitude of 2000 meters, where it hides among rocks on stony slopes. The yellowtail does not just hide among the stones and thickets of shrubs, but also in holes of rodents or in hollows of trees. He climbs well on branches, but does not climb to a greater height. Although altogether he is not afraid of heights and, if necessary, can jump down a tree or a cliff. The snake is often found on the shore of water bodies, not because it likes to swim, but because of the large amount of food in the coastal thickets. Sometimes the stalks of the yellowtray crawl under the haystack wall or into the economic building.

Hunter and his prey

Possessing sharp sight, quick reaction and high speed of movement, the snake is a lucky hunter. Minor mammals, lizards and large insects, for example, locusts or its relatives, often become the game of the runner. The snake is disrupted by nests of birds, located on the ground or low on trees and bushes. Yellow-bellied menu slides are quite diverse, it includes lizards, snakes, birds, rodents.

He even hunts vipers, sometimes getting bites from them, but, apparently, does not suffer from this especially. Given the intensity of the yellow-stalk hunting, it can be argued that wherever it lives, there are no rodents or poisonous snakes in sight.

Protective aggressiveness

Usually, when faced with a man, yellow-bellied skids try to quickly retreat. But after some time he will necessarily return to his former place, especially if his refuge is there. If there is nowhere to retreat, or if a person comes close to his hiding place, the skid boldly stands up for his protection. At the same time, he not only demonstrates his aggressiveness, but also jumps in the direction of the enemy. A wide open mouth, a loud hiss and a bold attack make an impression. A strop can even bite for some vulnerable place. The bites are quite strong, but they are not poisonous. The pole of yellow-barked, in fact, an innocuous creature, its aggressiveness forced, and spiteful nature serves as a defense against those who encroached on its territory.