Rattlescent snake, explosive or iamic-headed ones-this is an extensive subfamily, which combines 21-n genus and 224 species.
Description
A distinctive feature of the rattleships are two dimples that are located between the nostrils and the eyes of the snake, playing the role of the thermal imager. They help the snake hunt due to the difference in environmental temperatures and the body of prey. Like all the poisonous snakes, the rattleship has two long hollow fangs.
Gremia snakes grow from 60 to 80 centimeters long. But some species can reach three and a half meters (Bushmeister). And the smallest representative of the family is only fifty centimeters long (ciliated viper). The color of the skin of the snake is very dependent on the kind, but the belly of all species is yellowish-beige with dark spots.
The vision and hearing of explosive snakes are not very well developed and they see only at a short distance, but the snake is sensitive to air and earth fluctuations, as well as to change temperature (even a difference of 0.1 degrees is noticeable to them).
The main feature of this subfamily is a rattle. At the end of the tail (6-8 vertebrae) are keratinized cone-shaped plates, nailed one into one. These are modified tails of tail.
Habitat
Most of the subfamily of explosive snakes live on the territory of American continents. Approximately 70 species live in the southeast of Asia. Three species live in Eurasia, or rather in the Far East. You can meet explosive snakes in India and Sri Lanka. Also in the east in countries such as China, Japan and Korea learned to use these culinary snakes.
What eats
Small warmblooded animals (mice, birds, rats and even rabbits) fall into the main diet of rattles. There are also frogs, small snakes, fish and some insects (caterpillars and cicadas) in the diet of explosive snakes.
Gremisciors kill their victims with poison, attacking from an ambush. Hunts, as a rule, once a week. Eats a snake for hunting about half its own weight.
Natural enemies
As for many types of reptiles, the danger to explosive snakes is primarily a person, killing snakes out of fear or in a hunting excitement.
The explosive snakes have a lot of natural enemies. This is affection, ferret and marten. From birds eagles, peacocks and crows. On these animals, the poison of a snake acts very poorly. Also, some large fish can be dangerous for explosive snakes.
Racets and coyots also pose a danger to both adults and young animals.
But perhaps the most amazing enemy is a pig. Since the skin is thick, and subcutaneous fat is thick, the poison does not even get into the blood with a strong bite, and the pigs themselves will not refuse to eat a snake. Farmers use this (before plowing the fields, they graze pigs on them).
For young snakes, the danger is low temperatures.
Interesting Facts
- Some species of explosives once having chosen a hole for many years live in it. Nora very often passes from generation to generation for many decades.
- Despite your formidable appearance, the rattlesnous snakes are quite fearful animals. They will never attack the first. And if the snake begins to rattle its tail, then this does not mean at all that it is ready to throw. So she denotes her dissatisfaction and nervous, trying to scare away the uninvited guest.
- The explosive snake has one of the most dangerous poisons, capable of killing an adult in a few minutes. But for the snake itself, the poison is not a threat. And even at the moments of panic, when the snake makes random shots and bites everything around him and in particular does not bring her much harm to her.
