Post #14181

Sandy faff: The most terrible snake of the USSR. Nervous, she goes to people and likes to bite This is one of the deadliest snakes in the world, but you almost certainly haven't heard of it. And she doesn’t live somewhere out there, far from civilization, but right next to a person’s side. Even in the USSR it was found! Meet the sand ephas, a reptile that claims tens of thousands of lives per year. Our heroine is one of the “deadly Indian four”. The king cobra, common krait, Russell's viper and sand epha are the reptiles that account for the majority of fatal venomous snake bites in the subcontinent. Every year from 45,000 to 60,000 people die from the disgusting quartet! Of these, by the way, our heroine is the smallest - the length of the scaly beast is no more than 75 cm. Which once again proves: size does not always matter. As the name suggests, snakes like to live where there is a lot of sand: in deserts, steppes and sometimes on rocky plains. And while you are dripping Corvalol into a glass with a trembling hand, I hasten to tell you the good news - this creature is not found here. In the USSR, yes, that was the case. Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have harbored such a terrible snake on their lands. Africa, the Middle East, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were equally unlucky. But the Russian Federation is a territory free from sand effects. Unlike most snakes, ephas are extremely mobile. They move by the so-called lateral move: the snake first throws its head to the side, then its back part is sent there, and then everything else is pulled up. As a result of such movement, “tractor tracks” remain in the sand - separate strips with hooks at the ends. Moreover, even when they are full, these snakes continue to crawl forward in search of small rodents, lizards, frogs and large insects, perhaps slowing down a little. - Baby, won’t you burst? - Go away! This love of movement is one of the reasons why ephs do not live long in home terrariums. Know this in case you are a fairly crazy person and dream of having such a pet. And this is also the reason why the reptile’s connection with people is a solid D. In search of food and shelter, ephs crawl in the grass, under the branches of bushes or in rock crevices. And if there are none nearby, they invite themselves to visit people. Residents of the above-mentioned unfortunate countries should always be prepared after a hard day to find a snake lurking in their barn, backyard, or even in the house itself. And they will greet you as if you had broken into someone else’s house, and not vice versa! Of course, the snake will not be the first to respond to trouble - it will try to sit out in cover if there is such an opportunity. But the efa will also not tremble with fear like an aspen leaf in front of two-legged creatures. First, she takes an aggressive pose: she curls herself into a double curved loop, making sounds reminiscent of oil sizzling in a frying pan. Translated into