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Vipers are a family of venomous snakes. You can meet them almost everywhere except Australia, the islands of Oceania, New Guinea and Madagascar. In the fauna of the countries of the former USSR, there are about 9 species of real vipers, not to mention copperheads and giant vipers.

Common vipers in black and normal colors

All vipers have two relatively long fangs, hollow inside, through which venom comes from the poisonous glands located behind the upper jaw. Each canine is placed on a maxillary bone that rotates back and forth. Most of the time, the fangs are folded back and covered with a filmy membrane. The fangs can rotate autonomously from each other. When attacked, the viper opens its mouth at an angle of up to 180 degrees and protrudes its fangs on a bone rotating forward. Upon contact, the jaws close and the strong muscles that surround the venom glands contract, stimulating the release of venom. All this happens so quickly, almost instantly, that it is more of a blow than a bite. Vipers act in a similar way both to immobilize the victim and for self-defense.

How to protect yourself from a viper bite

In most cases, you can protect yourself from the bite of a viper or any other snake by following basic rules of behavior in potentially dangerous places:

1. Unless you are a specialist snake catcher and don't understand the types of snakes, it is best not to touch them or allow children to play with them.

2. In areas where snakes live, give preference to durable high shoes.

3. Stay vigilant in thick grass and overgrown holes. Before you set foot there, check for vipers lurking there.

4. Never chase a snake.

5. When picking mushrooms or berries, feel the grass around them with a stick. This will allow the viper to crawl away and at least detect itself by hissing

6. If you see a snake crawling, do not move until it crawls away.

7. If the snake has taken a threatening pose, slowly step back without making any sudden movements. Do not put your hands forward in defense. Do not turn your back to the snake. If you have a stick, hold it in front of you towards the snake. Do not run from a snake you encounter; you may step on another one that was previously unnoticed.

8. Use a flashlight at night, as some snakes are especially active on warm summer nights.

9. Promptly destroy rodents in your homes, outbuildings, and garden plots, since mice and rats are very attractive to snakes.

10. If you live in areas where poisonous snakes live, as a preventive measure, coat the threshold of your house with mustard every day. Snakes are very sensitive to it and, as a rule, do not crawl over objects treated with it.

11. Do not spend the night near trees with hollows, near rotten stumps, caves, or garbage heaps. In steppe conditions, carefully inspect your bed or sleeping bag before going to bed. If you see a snake in your bed in the morning, do not panic, do not make sudden movements that could provoke its attack. It’s better to call for help and wait for the snake to crawl away on its own. With some skill, you can try to throw off a snake that is on a blanket or sleeping bag with a sudden sharp movement, while not forgetting about your neighbors in the tent.

What are the consequences of a viper bite?

Bites of common and steppe vipers, which are most common in the middle zone, are accompanied by a certain danger to human health. However, death is recorded in less than 1% of cases and, as a rule, in childhood with untimely treatment. The closer it is to the head, the greater the danger of a bite. In addition, the toxicity of the poison increases with the onset of spring and decreases in summer.

Often the bite falls on a limb. At the bitten site there are two punctate wounds from poisonous snake fangs. After a bite, severe, increasing pain immediately appears. Neurotropic cytotoxins in viper venom affect nerve cells. Other substances lead to a range of blood clotting disorders and tissue death.

With a local reaction, in the very first minutes after the bite, redness and heat are observed in the bitten part of the body, and swelling develops upward from the bite site.

After 15-20 minutes, and sometimes immediately, signs of a general reaction appear:

headache,
dizziness,
lethargy,
nausea,
in some cases vomiting,
labored breathing,
heart rhythm disturbances.

As a rule, a viper bite is not accompanied by clouding of consciousness. However, the bitten person may still have a sluggish, “drunk” appearance.

Complications after a bite can last for weeks. In most cases, this is caused by improper self-medication methods.

What not to do if bitten by a viper

Firstly, you cannot cut the wound crosswise or completely cut out the affected area. Such cuts are fraught with infection, damage to veins and tendons.

Secondly, you should not cauterize the bitten area with objects heated on fire, coals, or gunpowder. The length of snake fangs reaches a centimeter, which helps the venom penetrate deep into the muscle tissue.

Thirdly, you should not cauterize the bite site with caustic potassium, nitric, sulfuric and carbolic acids or kerosene.

Fifthly, it is forbidden to apply a tourniquet above the bitten area, as this can worsen the victim’s condition, develop gangrenous phenomena and increase the risk of death. The tourniquet leads to stagnation of blood and even tissue necrosis, but it does not affect the spread of poison.

Sixthly, injecting medicine into the wound is not allowed.

And, finally, seventhly, you should not drink alcohol, since, contrary to popular belief, it is not only not an antidote, but, on the contrary, enhances the effect of the poison and complicates its removal from the body.

What can you do if you are bitten by a viper?

If you are bitten by a viper, you should immediately seek medical help. On the way to a medical facility, it is very important to keep the bitten part of the body motionless. The limb can be fixed using an ordinary scarf or sticks.

If there is no hope for medical help in the near future, then:

1. Move the victim to a comfortable and protected place. Place him so that his head is lower than his body, which will reduce the severity of possible cerebrovascular accidents. Provide the victim with complete peace.

2. Using pressure movements, open the wound and begin to actively suck out the poison with your mouth, massaging the bite area towards the wounds. Intensive suction during the first 5-7 minutes allows you to remove up to 40% of the poison, while after 15-30 minutes this figure decreases to 10%. If a hand is bitten, the victim himself can suck out the poison.

When sucking, you should periodically spit out the bloody liquid, and at the end of the procedure, you should rinse your mouth with potassium permanganate or plain water. It should be noted that if there are wounds in the mouth or dental caries, it is strictly forbidden to suck out the poison with your mouth.

3. When the first signs of swelling appear, stop suction and treat the bitten area with antiseptics. The use of brilliant green is not recommended, as it will make it more difficult for the doctor to examine the wound.

4. Apply a sterile bandage to the damaged area, loosen it as swelling develops to avoid it cutting into the soft tissue.

5. To slow down the spread of poison in the body, minimize the mobility of the affected part of the body. If your hand is bitten, bend it and fix it in this position. You can apply a splint.

6. To normalize the water-salt balance and remove poison from the body, provide the victim with plenty of fluids. Give him plenty of strong tea, broth or water.

7. If possible, give the victim 2-3 tablets of an antihistamine.

8. Do everything in your power to get the viper bite victim to the nearest medical facility as quickly as possible. With absence Vehicle transport the victim on a stretcher.

Many people consider the introduction of a special serum to be a panacea for a viper bite. You can buy it at a pharmacy before traveling out of town. However, doctors do not recommend doing this, since this drug requires special storage conditions, and its shelf life is very limited. In addition, in most cases you can get by with more gentle means.

Vipers behave most aggressively in the spring and early summer months.
Vipers are poisonous immediately after birth.
Viper bites do not always lead to poisoning. In about 25% of cases they do not release venom when attacked.

Fifty grams of vodka inside will help against a reptile bite, but not sucking the poison out

Summer residents and tourists venturing into the forests near Moscow are trumpeting: “There are more snakes,” “The reptiles are literally swarming under our feet,” “We are afraid to let children and dogs into the forest.”

Has the population of poisonous snakes really increased in the Moscow region? What can provoke their aggression? What to do if the snake does bite? In what cases can death occur? - we asked the scientist-naturalist, the most famous snake catcher in the country, a former venom extractor in the serpentarium, Alexander Ognev, and the leading herpetologist of the Moscow Zoo, Doctor of Veterinary Sciences Dmitry Vasilyev.

Usually, encounters with vipers occur at the interface between environments: a swamp - the edge of a forest, a mowed part under a power line - the edge of a forest, garbage in a summer cottage - a vegetable garden. Photo from personal archive.

“The snake is smooth, the viper is velvet”

Alexander Ognev has just returned from the upper reaches of the Volga. On the border of the Moscow and Tver regions, he caught frogs for his pet snakes. His apartment has been reminiscent of a real zoo for four decades now. One room is completely dedicated to enclosures, terrariums, and aquariums. There are about 70 snakes alone. He is especially proud of non-venomous snakes, which with their “shirts” disguise themselves as poisonous ones. While I was getting frogs for my pet snakes, I also caught a couple of vipers for the Moscow Zoo.

“My vision is no longer good, but I feel snakes intuitively,” says the herpetologist. “We caught those who hissed and gave themselves away.” I probably missed another 30 or so that were silent. Now it is no longer the season for catching, the grass has grown, the snakes, having warmed up in the sun, run away quickly.

— What poisonous snakes are found in Moscow and the Moscow region? Who should we be afraid of?- I ask the naturalist.

— The only poisonous snake that lives in the Moscow region is the common viper. It is also called fire viper and marsh viper,” says Alexander Ognev. — Among all the snakes in the world, it has the most extensive range - the area of distribution: from Great Britain and northern Spain to Lake Baikal. Most of range falls on the territory of Russia. We can say that this is the most “Russian snake”. The common viper can also be found in Siberia. The rivers there flow from south to north and are a carrier of heat.

— Can a viper be confused with any of the non-venomous snakes?

“In the same territory, perhaps a little to the south, there lives an ordinary one. It is black or dark gray. At the base of its head it has two spots - yellow, gray, white, orange or pink flowers. There may be snakes without spots. Sometimes they are such a dark gray color that the spots blend into the general background and are not visible. The grass snake has smoother scales, so it shines in the sun. And the viper is like velvet, it has a comb on every scale.

The grass snake is a fast-moving snake; when in danger, it curls up into a tight ball and hisses. If he sees that the danger has not passed, he can pretend to be dead. At the same time, it emits a terrible odor reminiscent of garlic. For this purpose it has special anal glands.

“Vipers and snakes prefer different biotopes - habitats, vipers - the edges of swamps and clearings, and areas near rivers and lakes,” says Dmitry Vasiliev, in turn.

- What about the copperhead?

— This snake belongs to the family of colubrids. It is not dangerous for humans,” explains Alexander Ognev. — The place closest to our strip, where it is very rarely found, is the south Tula region. The copperhead lives in the mountains and steppes. Its diet is based on fast lizards. Unlike the viviparous lizard, which lives everywhere in our Moscow region, the sand lizard incubates its eggs in the sand, and therefore gravitates to forest-steppe and steppe zones.

- You can say that last years Has the population of snakes in the Moscow region increased?

— On the contrary, there are fewer and fewer snakes in the Moscow region. These are people who are “creeping away”. More and more so-called inconvenient land is being distributed for summer cottages - land unsuitable for agricultural work. These are tall, mixed forests, sphagnum swamps - exactly the places where vipers live. They simply have nowhere to go, which is why they catch people’s eyes more often. And the snake population is decreasing. Roads are being built, construction is actively underway, forests are being cut down, thereby reducing the places suitable for wintering snakes.

— What places should you avoid to avoid encountering a viper?

— In the spring they are close to their wintering areas. And wintering grounds for vipers can be quite widespread. For example, Nikolsky’s vipers overwinter in numbers of 2 thousand,” says Dmitry Vasiliev. - Thus, in the spring there can be a lot of snakes in a small clearing. And then, after molting and mating, they spread out. According to research, females usually migrate close, up to 800 meters, and males can crawl up to 11 kilometers. In the fall, they crawl to the places where they spent the previous winter.

In spring, when there is little sun, vipers can be found in some open places. And in summer they can be seen early in the morning and in the evening. Usually, encounters take place at the interface between environments: a swamp - the edge of a forest, a mowed part under a power line - the edge of a forest, garbage on a summer cottage - a vegetable garden. Vipers do not just like forests or open fields; they are there only as migrants. But the permanent places where they spend the night are associated with shelters; these should be shaded places where they can hide - holes, heaps of branches, and so on.

- So there are no vipers in the dense forest?

“They need to be able to warm up somewhere in the open. If this is a forest, then there should be a clearing nearby.

— What are the most “snake” areas of the Moscow region?

“These are the Savelovskoe and Volokolamsk directions,” says Alexander Ognev. — Near Volokolamsk the viper has now been practically knocked out; near Dmitrov and Iksha they still remain. A sufficient number of outbreaks have been preserved in the area of Taldom and Dubna.

- I will agree. Traditionally, there are a lot of snakes in the Savelovsky direction, near Konakovo and Verbilki,” says Dmitry Vasiliev. — Also in the Shatursky direction, in the Dmitrovsky district. At one time, between the “119th kilometer” and “Temp” platforms, I caught 40 vipers in half an hour.

- Is it true that the viper does not attack a person first?

— First of all, I would like to note that Russia has a very safe environment. It greatly discourages our compatriots,” notes Alexander Ognev. “That’s why I’m not at all surprised that in Cambodia only Russian tourists are pricked with sea urchins, because not a single European would think of stepping on one.” sea urchin. Or stick your fingers into the crevices of the coral to see if a moray eel is hiding there. Great amount dangerous animals live further south. Take Turkey, where there are not only poisonous snakes, but also poisonous spiders, fish, and jellyfish. In central Russia it is necessary to take usual rule: Do not go barefoot or in shorts into the forest. And the worst thing there is not a viper, but a tick, which can give you a whole bunch of diseases. And the mortality rate from the viper is very low. She doesn't chase people, she never attacks herself. This is a rather cowardly creature; in case of danger, it will try to run away. The only thing is, if you come across a pregnant female, it will be difficult for her to quickly disappear, she will curl up into a ball, begin to hiss and defend herself. What are our people doing? They start hitting her in the face with a slipper, and the snake, accordingly, bites their leg. Then they say, “A snake attacked me.” In fact, they were the ones who attacked the viper.

I know several places in the Moscow region where local residents and vipers coexist perfectly. Snakes have their own “patch”, they do not leave this territory, there is an excellent food supply there, full of rodents and frogs. And the villagers, accordingly, do not interfere in their snake “state” and do not disturb the reptiles.

You have to be careful when picking berries and mushrooms. Before you step into the grass, move a stick across it. But there is no need to hit the bush with a stick. There were many cases when mushroom pickers accidentally picked up a snake, lifted it with a stick to their face, then were horrified: “A viper jumped on me.” She can't jump 1.5 meters! The viper can throw upward a maximum of 10-15 centimeters. Sneakers, high boots or boots can serve as protection. The snake does not bite through them; the length of its teeth is 4-5 millimeters.

- If a viper sees a person, it will follow him. Before he steps on her, she will make her presence known by hissing,” says Dmitry Vasiliev, in turn. - If the viper is heated, you won’t even see it, it will run away so quickly, it will only rustle the grass. Bites occur when people try to play with the viper, pick it up, or accidentally step on it or sit on it.

— At what time of day are snakes active?

“They usually go out half an hour before dawn and take positions where they can bask in the sun. “They sunbathe” until 9 am, and when they warm up, they go into hiding, says Alexander Ognev. — A snake can be seen during the day. These are so-called fattening snakes that are in search of food. The second peak of snake activity begins after four o'clock in the afternoon and lasts until sunset. My latest discovery of a viper was around 10 p.m.

“No tourniquets or immobility: let the poison dissipate”

— What to do if the viper does bite?

- Firstly, when you go into the forest, you must remember that you are the enemy there and that you are going into someone else’s territory. And you need to dress appropriately. Secondly, you need to put at least suprastin in your pocket. The fact is that the danger from a bite, according to my observations, is to a greater extent due to allergic reaction for poison The poison is protein, and different people they react to it differently. Death is usually associated with anaphylaxis. Swelling of the mucous membranes of the mouth and nasopharynx can develop within 2 minutes - and the person dies.

I don’t have any allergies to viper venom; some of my snake-catching friends had swelling in their face and nasopharynx, and some had difficulty breathing. To avoid this, you need to take some kind of antihistamine with you to the forest: tavegil, claritin, cetrin, pipolfen. For example, I always had diphenhydramine with me. This medicine, in addition to everything, also has a powerful sedative effect - it relaxes and relieves pain, which is important when bitten by a snake.

If you not Small child, but as an adult or teenager, a viper bite is unlikely to be fatal for you. Yes, it hurts, you will get sick. Teenagers or women can spend a week in bed. Men, being more massive creatures, cope with a viper bite in three to four days.

(Alexander Ognev knows what he’s talking about. Poisonous teeth sank into him 91 times. 20 years of work in the serpentarium had an effect. Plus, during the capture, the herpetologist was touched by: green rattlesnake, copperhead, steppe viper, Caucasian viper, common viper, bamboo keffiyeh, etc.)

— How correctly do those who try to suck out the poison from a wound act?

- This has more likely psychological effect. It’s not a bad lesson, but don’t forget about placebo (from the Latin placebo, a substance without obvious medicinal properties, used as a medicine, the therapeutic effect of which is associated with the patient’s belief in the effectiveness of the drug. - Author). Of course, you won’t suck out any poison there, but your mouth has occupied itself with something and is already distracted from the perception of the bite. We have to hear a warning - the main thing is that there are no wounds or caries in the mouth. All this is nonsense! I remember how a colleague of mine, who was present at a performance by visiting guest performers in Sochi, volunteered to drink snake venom that was milked right on stage. Everyone around, including the fakir, was speechless. And Igorek, a professional with a capital P, knew well that poison only works if it gets into the blood. Even if there are sores or cuts in the mouth, it is difficult to imagine the rapid absorption of protein into the body. Viper venom is not an ointment that is absorbed into the skin.

“In the French Legion, for example, soldiers are given a special locking syringe with which they can suck out snake venom,” says Dmitry Vasiliev. - It is believed that in this way it is possible to remove somewhere around 10-15% of the poison. But it should be noted that snake venom contains a special enzyme - hyaluronidase, which instantly removes the venom from the bite point. And it is better not to do any traumatic effects, in particular cuts, treatment with some chemical agents such as potassium permanganate. Because of all this, you can subsequently limp for the rest of your life, lose a finger, and so on.

— Someone tries to apply a tourniquet when bitten by a snake. This is right?

- There is no need to do this. It’s just better if the poison disperses throughout the body,” says Alexander Ognev. “It’s bullshit that the poison can be stopped somewhere.” One of the enzymes contained in viper venom causes tissue necrosis. If you apply a tourniquet, the likelihood of necrosis increases, gangrene begins - and you will have to amputate the part on which you applied the tourniquet. Any intoxication is measured in milligrams of poison per kilogram of weight of the bitten person. I believe that when a snake bites you, the whole body should “work”, and not the part where the snake bit you. Let the poison dissipate. General poisoning will be more noticeable, but overall it will pass much faster and easier. I had a record of four hours.

When bitten by a snake, most guides advise staying still. I did the opposite. Firstly, I drank alcohol, alcohol has a wonderful property, it works as a vasodilator. Secondly, I kept moving. A snake bit me left hand, I worked intensively with a brush, the same way when blood is taken from a person’s vein. My hand swelled very quickly and I began to feel dizzy. After two hours, severe itching began, and this is usually a signal that the poisoning has ended and the body has begun to fight. After 4 hours the swelling began to subside.

- You definitely need to keep this in mind when you sleep. On the first night after a bite, many people cannot sleep due to severe pain. Most often, a snake bites a person on the hand. It swells so much that it hurts even to touch it. At night, you need to build a pyramid out of pillows and place the bitten hand 15-20 centimeters above the heart; if it is lower, it will be much more painful due to the rush of lymph and blood.

— When bitten by a snake, do you need to drink more fluid?

- This is true. I've had too much various options, in first place is watermelon, followed by beer and coffee. All of them have good diuretic properties. If you are in the forest, make tea and throw in a handful of lingonberry leaves. Lingonberries also have a pronounced diuretic property. The fact is that poison is eliminated from the body only through the kidneys. Therefore, we need to write, write and write again. And for this you need to constantly refill your body with water.

— Why do they say: if you are bitten by a snake, never drink alcohol?

“Our people, for the most part, don’t know how to drink alcohol in small portions, and after drinking a fair amount of it, they lose touch with reality and become disoriented. For myself, empirically, I found the right dose, this is 50-70 grams of vodka. No more, alcohol should work as a superficial vasodilator. I also used fresh water with the addition of dry wine. The acidic environment disinfects, you never know what kind of E. coli you pick up from the local pond.

“There are those who apply half a cut onion to the bite site. Does this have any effect?

- There is no use in doing this. There is no more poison at the site of the bite, says Dmitry Vasiliev. — There is such a demonstrative experience. The spots on both sides of the guinea pig were shaved down to bare skin and poison tinted with methylene blue was injected into one point, and saline solution with methylene blue into the other. The area of the spot where the poison was injected was a hundred times larger than the place where the saline solution was injected. That is, the conductors in the venom instantly lead it away from the bite point. It “flies away” to the nearest lymph node.

Unless there is an allergic component, the viper's venom is not strong enough to cause death in an adult. But if within an hour after the bite there is a severe headache, vomiting, diarrhea, bleeding from the mucous membranes, clouding and loss of consciousness, a feeling of flashing light in the eyes, the person must be urgently taken to the hospital.

Herpetologist Alexander Ognev was bitten by poisonous teeth 91 times. Photo from personal archive.

“You cannot use a serum prepared from the venom of other snakes against a viper bite.”

- What do you say to those who, going to the forest, take with them an antidote - ampoules with anti-snake serum?

“The fact is that allergies to serum are more common than to poison,” says Alexander Ognev. — We must remember that this is not a vaccine, this is serum that is obtained in biofactories. To make it, snake venom is injected into the body of a horse or mule. They give an injection containing poison in a dosage significantly lower than the lethal dose. Then gradually increase the dose. Antibodies accumulate in the animal, then blood is taken from it, blood cells are separated, and pure plasma is used to prepare serum. Such horses and mules are worth their weight in gold. I want to warn you: you cannot use serum prepared from the venom of other snakes against a viper bite.

And it’s better if it’s administered to you in a medical facility. Doctors will first do a test, an injection with a minimum dose and look at the reaction so that there is no redness. Then the serum will be injected subcutaneously, but not with one injection, but eight to ten, in small doses, injected into the bite site. I have never injected serum in my entire life. I repeat: if you are bitten by a common viper, if you are an adult, it is not necessary to do this.

— If you go to the nearest hospital, can you be sure that they will have anti-snake serum in stock?

“I don’t know what their situation is now.” Previously, the pharmacy where you could buy the serum was guaranteed to be located on Tishinskaya Square. The whey was produced in Stavropol and Nizhny Novgorod. Now you can buy it online. (“MK” checked and made sure that there are more than enough offers. An ampoule with serum against the venom of the common viper costs 450-550 rubles. The shelf life is no more than a year, it must be stored in the refrigerator. It is freely sold to private individuals. The courier is ready to deliver the serum to any point.)

“There may not be serum in small rural hospitals, but it is always available at the Poisoning Center of the Sklifosovsky Institute of Emergency Medicine, at the Filatov Children's City Clinical Hospital No. 13, as well as in regional hospitals,” says Dmitry Vasiliev.

— How does viper venom affect cats and dogs?

- About the same as for a person. Dogs of large breeds of the Malos group are sensitive to snake venom, says Dmitry Vasiliev. — Dogs most often receive a bite in the area of the nasolabial triangle, that is, when they sniff a snake. Swelling develops quickly and dogs may have difficulty swallowing food or water. And, for example, hunting dogs and dachshunds tolerate snake bites quite easily. In cops and drathaars, symptoms of poisoning spontaneously disappear after 6 hours, which does not exclude future complications associated with the kidneys. Large breed dogs may experience heart murmurs, wheezing, and pulmonary edema. Therapy for dogs is the same as for humans. In the hospital they are injected with anti-snake serum. And then they carry out symptomatic treatment: if the pressure drops, they raise it, “drip” antihistamines and painkillers.

— Could other types of poisonous snakes appear in the Moscow region due to warming?

“Due to warming, other species may appear, but we must take into account that the formation of a species takes about 5-6 thousand years,” says Alexander Ognev. — The closest point where there is a viper is the spurs of the Talginsky ridge, northwest of Makhachkala. The northernmost point where there is a cobra is the desert and the Ustyurt plateau of the same name in the west of Central Asia, at the junction of the borders of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

—Can a snake bite while in water?

— The viper swims, and quite well. Another thing is that it does not live where there are large bodies of water. And she easily swims across small rivers,” says Alexander Ognev. - In the river, if you grab it with your hand, of course, it can attack. But this is not her native element; in the river she is thinking about how to get away from you.

“I know for certain two cases when a snake bit a person in the water while trying to throw it away,” says Dmitry Vasiliev. - This is despite the fact that in order for a snake to bite, it must take a certain position. In order to throw the front third of the body forward, it needs some kind of solid support. And water is not very convenient for this. If someone mentions a snake in the water, then it is most likely a snake. They swim very willingly.

— Can a water snake be found in rivers near Moscow?

“The closest point to the Moscow region where there are water snakes is the Saratov region,” says Alexander Ognev. — Some diversity appears, starting from the Tula region. Nikolsky's viper, a copperhead that is not poisonous, already appears there. Closer to Volgograd you can meet the steppe viper and yellow-bellied snake. South of Volgograd - Sarmatian and patterned snake. The further south you go, the more species of snakes there are. But still this cannot be compared with the tropics, subtropics, the Caucasus and the Far East.

— How can you protect your garden plot from snakes?

— In the morning, about 8 o’clock, when the sun is just starting to get hot, walk around your territory and inspect everything carefully. Usually snakes warm themselves and are motionless. In order not to encounter a viper at your dacha, ensure hygiene of the area and remove construction waste, says Dmitry Vasiliev. — If you see a faded snake skin, reclaim these places and fill up all the holes.

“It is impossible for the garden plot to have deposits of firewood, piles of boards, pieces of roofing felt left after repairs,” explains Alexander Ognev, in turn. — Few people are interested in neatly stacked firewood. But piled up, rotten boards and piles of garbage are an ideal place to hide rodents and lizards. A viper can also climb there and feel completely safe. Mow the grass regularly garden plot- and it will lose its attractiveness to lizards, shrews, voles, and vipers.

Even children know that vipers are dangerous. The survival rate after a snake attack is high, but it is better to avoid a collision with this reptile than to urgently look for an antidote later. All snakes of this species are poisonous. However, a viper bite does not always lead to death, although the mortality rate among those bitten is high.

The snake is small in size and widely distributed in Europe and Asia. Viper venom is safe for hedgehogs. These animals are considered enemies of reptiles and even hunt snakes in their natural environment.

Deaths after encountering a viper do not always occur. If you provide assistance to the victim in time, the prognosis is favorable, although complications from the bite of a common viper may persist for a year.

Much is known about vipers; most of them lead a terrestrial lifestyle, but Interesting Facts provided by herpetological scientists. They identified earthen individuals, which live under the surface of the soil, and shrubby individuals, which prefer trees and bushes. The swamp snake, known as the chain viper, enjoys a humid microclimate.

All these species are dangerous, despite the fact that they are small in size compared to cobra or. But they have a long lifespan - 15 years on average. Some individuals live twice as long. The places where these reptiles live are forests, wastelands, and wet meadows. The head of the snakes has a flattened shape, the color varies, but 50% of the individuals are black snakes.

If we talk about the varieties of reptiles, there are 58 species, among which are common:

Levant viper- the largest of the vipers, which is also known as the viper. Can reach 2 m. Weight ranges from 1.5 to 3 kg. It lives mainly in North-West Africa, but is found in Transcaucasia and Armenia. Exterminated in Kazakhstan and Israel. Extremely dangerous, second only to the king cobra in toxicity of venom;
Nikolsky's viper- lives in the southern part of Russia and Ukraine, there are also limited habitats in the Southern and Middle Urals. Prefers mixed forests and is found even in the city. It is black in color, juveniles are lighter;
common viper– common in Europe, found in Belarus and the Russian Federation. This species is most often referred to as Moscow region snakes. Its bites are dangerous, but deaths are associated with the lack of qualified medical care and aggravating factors: childhood or old age, concomitant diseases, etc.;
Gaboon viper is an African snake known as the cassava. It is characterized by slowness and weak reaction to stimuli. Rarely attacks humans, but if this happens, the risk of death is high;
steppe viper– found in Crimea, southeastern Ukraine, Kazakhstan. Prefers plains with ravines and bushes. The venom of the steppe viper is of particular value. In large quantities causes death;
Caucasian viper- lives in the territories of the Greater Caucasus up to Turkey. Prefers forests and meadows;
pit snakes- belong to the viper family, but have a different subfamily. Known as rattlesnakes. A large group that lives in different territories and has different colors.

All individuals can swim, although there are no directly aquatic varieties. Can a snake bite in water?? Until now, such cases have not been recorded, but you should not tempt fate. Snakes swim quite quickly and tend to move away to a safe distance.

ICD 10 code

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD 10) assigns a code according to poisonous bites– T63. It doesn’t matter what poison the victim was exposed to: whether he was attacked by a cobra or bitten by a viper, the encoding will be the same.

Bite symptoms

It is not always possible to recognize the symptoms of a bite in time, since the vipers instantly inject poison, and the person develops shock. What does the bite site look like?? The skin turns red, hemorrhages appear, and punctures in the teeth are visible. The victim remains in a confused state for some time. The shock lasts from 20 to 40 minutes. In the future, symptoms are determined by individual reactions and the amount of injected poison. Severe manifestations of intoxication occur in children and underweight individuals. For the most part, the snake bites on the limbs, but the closer the injury is to the head or heart, the more severe the symptoms.

Characteristic signs of poisoning are:

severe pain at the site of the bite:
hyperemia and rapid swelling;
single red spot or multiple marks;
decreased blood pressure;
cyanosis, gangrene;
nausea, vomiting, loss of consciousness;
violation of swallowing and respiratory functions.

The swelling quickly covers the soft tissues. The victim's condition deteriorates sharply, poisoning reaches its maximum within 12-24 hours. Local hemorrhages are observed, small vessels literally burst, and hemorrhagic blisters appear. Hemorrhage of internal organs is also possible. Without adequate medical care, the likelihood of death is high.

What to do if bitten by a viper

If it is possible to contact doctors or quickly take the victim to the hospital, this must be done. Provide assistance in case of a bite at home poisonous snake, including vipers, is problematic.

Basic actions when attacked by a snake:

take the victim to a safe place;
suck out the poison;
lay him down and give him more liquid to drink;
if you have an antiallergic drug on hand (Suprastin, Diazolin), it is given in a standard dosage.

So, what to do if you are bitten by a viper?? Doctors argue about the advisability of suctioning out the poison. Firstly, the method is effective within 10 minutes after the attack. Secondly, if there are wounds in the rescuer’s mouth, the poison can enter his body. And then first aid will lead to two victims from the viper’s bite. Thirdly, the likelihood of infection increases. However, a correctly performed procedure reduces the concentration of poison in the human body by 30-50%.

You definitely can’t apply a tourniquet above the site of injury, but a pressure bandage that is loosened as the swelling spreads will help. If the victim is sent in an ambulance, then the time when the pressure bandage was made is indicated to the doctors.

This is where the emergency assistance ends. The remaining manipulations are carried out in the hospital. Unfortunately, not everyone knows what to do if they are bitten by a viper, and therefore make mistakes. So, the victim needs rest, he should not be given alcohol, and it is better to treat the wound itself with a non-alcoholic antiseptic. It is not always possible to provide adequate first aid when bitten by a viper in the forest or in nature. The therapeutic tactic is to administer an antidote serum, but it cannot be found in a home medicine cabinet. Therefore, before hospitalization, the first medical aid for a person bitten by a viper in the forest involves immobilization, possibly applying a splint.

To stabilize blood circulation, the limbs (mainly legs) are raised to a height. Cooling the injured area is also part of first aid for a snakebite, but do not pour water or apply soil on the area - this increases the likelihood of infection.

What else you should not do when bitten by a viper is cut the wound to release the poison. Do not cauterize the puncture or actively move the limb. Because of this, the speed of spread of the poison increases. It is difficult to help a pregnant woman or children who have become victims of a snake. They are offered similar manipulations, but without the assistance of doctors it is almost impossible to achieve improvements.

Treatment

Anti-snake serums are designed to neutralize viper venom in the hospital. It doesn’t matter which part of the body the reptile bit, but the type of snake matters. Antigyurza in ampoules helps against viper bites. In medical practice it is also used: “ «.

There are no vaccinations against snakebites as such, but a vaccine with an antisnake component neutralizes the poison and saves internal organs from damage. The antidote for a viper can be a composite one - for example, “Anticobra and “Antigyurza”. After the antidote has entered the body, other consequences of the viper bite are eliminated.

Antishock therapy is carried out. As soon as the antidote begins to act, Prednisolone and Diphenhydramine are additionally prescribed for a viper bite. For mild poisoning, specific treatment is not necessary. The doctor conducts diagnostics and determines the condition of vital systems. Long-term rehabilitation will most likely not be required. But treatment is not stopped, because after a viper bite there can be serious complications. It is recommended to take antihistamine tablets, medications that will help relieve swelling and improve kidney function.

Complications and consequences

The possibility of developing conditions incompatible with life cannot be excluded if the victim is not provided with assistance. A viper bite is always dangerous for humans, but weakened people, children and pregnant women often die. For a child, snake venom is doubly dangerous. If you do not provide prompt first aid, the baby may die on the way to the hospital.

Typical complications of intoxication:

renal and liver failure;
phlebothrombosis;
tissue necrosis and gangrene.

There are also less frightening consequences after a viper bite. Thus, swelling of the soft tissues may persist for several weeks. Associated consequences of a viper bite are infections.

Prevention

A healthy relationship with nature is the best defense against snake attacks. Vipers live in families, so when one individual appears, it can be assumed that up to a dozen snakes live in this place. Safety rules include wearing high shoes and closed clothing.

How to protect yourself from a snake in the forest? There is no need to stay overnight and put up a tent in potentially dangerous places, and if suspicious reptiles appear, you should not check whether they are aggressive. To avoid a viper bite, you need to freeze. Snakes do not like panic and, in defense, can rush at a person.

Dear readers of the 1MedHelp website, if you still have questions on this topic, we will be happy to answer them. Leave your reviews, comments, share stories of how you experienced a similar trauma and successfully dealt with the consequences! Your life experience may be useful to other readers.

Author of the article:| Orthopedic doctor Education: Diploma in General Medicine received in 2001 from the Medical Academy named after. I. M. Sechenov. In 2003, she completed postgraduate studies in the specialty “Traumatology and Orthopedics” at the City Clinical Hospital No. 29 named after. N.E. Bauman.