Graceful creatures settled on all continents of the planet. There are no snakes only among the ice of the Antarctic and in the harsh white silence of the Far North. They are all different, but in all zoological science knows about more than 2,500 species of snakes. We will try to understand this diversity and find out why the smallest snakes in the world are interesting. In our review, the poisonous and completely harmless smallest representatives of the snake genus will also be presented.
The smallest snakes in the world:
15
Viper / Vipera berus
A small snake lives almost throughout Europe, in Russia, as well as in China and the steppes of Mongolia. Perhaps the only snake on the planet that is found beyond the Arctic Circle.
It grows to 65 cm, only in Scandinavia individuals were identified, the size of which reached 90 cm. The head from the body is separated by a narrow neck interception, which makes it easy to identify this type of viper.
They are long-livers in the family of creeping scaly reptiles, able to live up to 30 years. The poison contained in the glands is quite toxic. When it gets into the human body during a bite, the poison causes edema, severe inflammation, but rarely leads to death.
14
Sand Efa / Echis carinatus
The photo shows a beautiful but dangerous inhabitant of deserts and river cliffs, the poison of which can cause significant harm to human health.
It hunts frogs, lizards, small birds, but the main diet is small rodents. It moves in a peculiar lateral course, leaving fancy stripes in the sand. When meeting a person or large animal, it makes rustling sounds.
Adult individuals do not grow more than 70 cm, and on average the length of the efa is 50-60 cm. These are viviparous snakes. The female hatches and gives birth to up to 15 cubs per season.
Do not miss the fascinating article on our site thebiggest.ru about the largest snakes in the world.
13
Sand Choke / Eryx miliaris
The representative of the pseudopod family chose the life of the desert and semi-desert of Central Asia, the southern regions of Russia. It is found in the steppes of Mongolia, in Iran and Afghanistan.
Females reach a length of 80 cm, and males only 60 cm. Despite its small size, he, like all boas, has a muscular massive body. It allows him to cope with rodents, turtles, small birds and lizards, which make up the main diet of a sand strangler.
They are non-toxic and cannot kill a person, therefore they are often kept in apartments and houses as pets.
12
Steppe Viper / Vipera ursinii
The distribution area of this type of viper is very wide. They are found from the southern regions of Europe to the southern Urals. In Crimea they live not only in the steppe regions, but also in forests and rocky slopes.
Due to the characteristic color of alternating white and dark spots on the Kerch Peninsula, they are called chess. They grow no more than 60 cm. The species is protected by the Berne Convention as disappearing.
The bite is not fatal, but causes a sharp headache, the site of the bite turns red, sometimes a strong swelling occurs. The poison is used to produce drugs.
By the way, on thebiggest you can learn about many beautiful animals that are on the verge of extinction.
11
Peaceful Eirenis / Eirenis modestus
The snake with an unusual species name lives on the islands of the Mediterranean Sea, in the countries of the Middle East and Central Asia. In length no more than 60 cm.
There are beige, light brown and gray body colors. The abdomen and tail are slightly lighter than the back. In young individuals, a speck in the form of the letter "M" is clearly visible on the head. Over time, the speck disappears, acquiring a body color.
It hunts at night, and during the day prefers to hide under the stones. But sometimes you can see how Eurenis warms in the sun during the day. Zoologists distinguish three subspecies that differ in size and color.
10
Common Copper / Coronella austriaca
The genus of copperfish includes only 3 species, and the smallest is the common copperfish. It grows all its life, like most snakes, but does not grow more than 60–70 cm.
Males are slightly smaller than females, but both have a short tail and a small head. You can recognize it by the characteristic dark strip stretching between the eyes. There are several rows of transverse spots on the body.
Depending on the habitat, different colors are found. The copperfish leads a daily life, hunting mice, lizards and other small vertebrates.
9
Japanese Already / Amphiesma vibakari
The poisonous snake is the smallest reptile of all that live on the Japanese islands. The total length of the Japanese snake does not exceed 50 cm. The coma of the islands of Japan lives in the Far Eastern regions of Russia, China and Korea.
They have a magnificent brown color with a bright olive tint. There are no patterns on the whole body, and the abdomen is already slightly lighter than the back. They belong to a large family of forest snakes. They hunt amphibians and insects.
Quite a rare species. It is difficult to detect them, since it leads a secretive lifestyle. Hiding under fallen leaves or in the grass, they know how to swim superbly. It can bite when defending itself, but it's a non-poisonous snake.
8
Already ordinary / Naririx natrix
The most common species is already found, which is found in the European part of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Eastern and Southern Europe.
Adult females and males grow on average 50-60 cm in length. You can recognize them by the characteristic orange spots on the head. And so in the general color, they can easily be walked with representatives of the viper family. Although the color of the snakes is quite diverse, and depends on the habitat.
They prefer to settle near ponds along the banks of rivers. Like all original ones, they swim across water obstacles perfectly. Hunt frogs, hedgehogs. They can easily swallow a victim of a much larger size than he does.
7
Strident Wolfhawk / Lycodon striatus
The striped small snake lives in Nepal and India, and adult individuals do not grow more than 45 cm. Belongs to the family of arthropods.
They got their unusual name by their characteristic long fangs. When bitten, they leave sharp wounds on the victim’s body. They are not toxic and do not pose a danger to humans. But after a bite, the wound should be treated so that infection does not begin.
Wolfhawk has an unusual color. On a dark body are transverse light stripes. The closest related species lives in Thailand, and is not much ahead in size. The thai puffer reaches a length of 50 cm.
6
Arizona Asp / Micruroides euryxanthus
The smallest of the diverse aspid families lives mostly in Arizona, but is also found in other southern US states and northern Mexico. Its length does not exceed 40 cm.
He has a very small head and a thin body. These aspids have a rather bright color. Red, yellow, and black transverse rings alternate throughout the body. It feeds on amphibians rodents, ruins bird nests.
At the moment of danger, it gains air and emits often alternating pops. The inhabitant of the deserts is very poisonous, and therefore it is better to bypass it at a meeting.
By the way, on our site thebiggest.ru there is an interesting article about the most dangerous snakes in the world.
5
Common blind snake / Typhlops vermicularis
Due to the similarity with worms, this inhabitant of the stony slopes of Europe and Asia is also called the worm-shaped blind snake. Adult individuals grow up to 38 cm. Females are slightly larger than males.
The muzzle is slightly flattened and stretched forward. The eyes are practically invisible, since they are hidden by shields. There are just two dark spots on the head. This blind snake has smooth, shiny scales, arranged in 22-24 rows.
Hiding under the stones. And on melons, minks are arranged under melons and watermelons. Upon detection, they try to immediately hide underground. They feed on ants and other small insects.
4
Calamaria linnaei
A species of dwarf snakes that lives on the island of Java, as well as on the Philippine and Sunda Islands. You can meet a snake named after a famous scientist in some countries of Southeast Asia.
The length does not exceed 33 cm, and the whole body is of the same thickness and uniform color. Thus, nature made sure that the harmless little creature could escape from its many natural enemies.
Kalamaria hunt for worms and insects. They lead a secretive lifestyle, superbly breaking through passages in the earth. They are non-toxic, and therefore do not pose a danger to humans.
3
Dwarf African Viper / Bitis peringueyi
In the vastness of Africa, a poisonous dwarf viper lives, the size of which does not exceed 20–25 cm. But individuals 32 cm long were caught.
It features a wide flat head, and a characteristic coloring. It perfectly disguises itself as the color of the sands in which it lives. On hot days, hiding in the shade of bushes, burrowing in the sand. Only nostrils and eyes and the tip of the tail remain on the surface.
It is buried in the sand by vibrating movements. This viper has a peculiar lateral course. Where it creeps, fancy patterns remain in the sand.
Hunts for lizards. When captured, it lets in a huge amount of poison, which instantly kills the victim. For humans, poison is not fatal.
2
Brahmin blindman / Ramphotyphlops braminus
A miniature molehill is also called a potted snake, because it loves to settle in flower pots. So in tropical countries you need to be careful, because you can buy a pot of flowers with snakes. The sizes allow, because adults of this species do not grow more than 12 cm.
Like earthworms, they dig the earth perfectly. The structure also resembles an earthworm. It belongs to a large family of mole rats or, as they are also called by science, blind snakes.
In nature, a kind of symbiosis of owls and blind mole occurs. A large bird brings a snake to the nest to feed the chicks. But the chicks cannot handle the shell. The snake settles in the nest, catching insects. In such owl nests it’s very clean. At home, they can be kept in pots filled with earth, without any terrarium.
1
Barbados Snake / Tetracheilostoma carlae
Our leader on thebiggest is a safe little snake living on the island of Barbados. They grow no more than 10 cm in length. Received a specific name due to the special structure of the mouth.
She feeds on termites, and also perfectly catches crawling and flying small insects. Lives in the woods, hiding under the stones, burrows in piles of fallen leaves. Due to its small size, it is very difficult to see.
Discovered by an American Blair Hage. In 2008, when visiting the island, he raised a stone, under which there were several small snakes. It turned out to be a new species previously unknown to science. He named them after his wife Carla Leptotyphlops Carlae. But the second name has taken root in the world.
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Conclusion
Everything in the world is known by comparison, and in order to realize the correlation, let’s say that the largest snake in the world is an anaconda, reaching a length of up to 7 m. This once again confirms that nature is one of the most talented creators who created such diverse species even in one family unlike each other species. TheBiggest expects interesting comments from you on this article. What are the smallest snakes in your life?
Posted by Valery Skiba