Already a snake that can be found near water

Already a large snake, on average, its body has a length of up to ninety centimeters. However, some individuals reach one and a half meters. On top of the body color snakes are brown, black or olive. Above, the reptile is covered with black spots, arranged in staggered order. But the most expressive distinctive feature that it has is two bright orange spots on the sides of the head and neck. Let's take a closer look at it.

Cute snake: really - description and habitat

This reptile is ubiquitous in Europe. It does not occur only in the northern part of England and in some areas of Scandinavia. In Russia, you can find three subspecies out of ten. Oh - a snake that lives in water. Both standing and filled with running water. And also on the sea coasts and on marshy lowlands. The snake swims well, keeping its head high above the surface of the water, dives and is not afraid to swim far into the open sea. No problem, the snake is rising high into the mountains. He well tolerates pressure drops. The reptile hides under the heap of stones and branches, in the hollows of the roots of large trees, in abandoned burrows of rodents. If the soil is soft and loose, then it can make its own moves in it. Already a snake, which is often seen near settlements. It is active most of the year - from late March to November. It feeds on amphibians, lizards and relatively rarely can include small fish in its menu. His victims are already swallowed alive and whole. Sometimes he catches even small birds or mammals. During mating, the snakes gather in large groups, forming congestions. The female lays eggs, and at the end of August young ones appear from them. Dinner is not poisonous. That's why you need to learn and remember their external signs well. Because a snake that looks like a horror can actually turn out to be poisonous. The activity of the snake is shown by day, spending the night in shelters. They hunt more at dawn and at dusk. Often, it can be noticed when it is heated in the sun, lying on hummocks, branches and warm stones. When it really sheds, he feels the need to creep into narrow cracks and rub against hard surfaces. This helps him to lose old skin - it slazit from reptiles, starting with the head.

Wintering horrors, its habits and keeping in captivity

Before the onset of cold weather, the snake begins to fall into a stupor. Previously, she finds herself a secluded refuge and settles in it. The snakes winter one by one, occasionally collectively. Hibernation begins late enough - at the end of October and November. The first weak frosts can not hurt the uzh. He wakes up early - in late March, even in the coldest areas, you can see awakening reptiles. This snake is not aggressive. Seeing a person, more often than not, she flies. Being caught, first actively defends (hissing, dodging and emitting a hideous smell from special glands), and then pretending to be dead. In captivity, the snakes are easily tamed and well tolerated in the terrarium. If you install there a small pond and a few shelters, pour the soil out of a mixture of gravel, earth and sphagnum moss, then it will live long enough.