Move like a snake: this means inexplicably fast. Can a snake swallow a person (Don't watch if you're sensitive!) Everyone loses consciousness trying to find a snake

The doctor began to examine Hecate. When the Doctor finished the examination, he approached Kaydem.

She's a vampire, isn't she? - Asked the Doctor. Kaydem nodded. - Apparently, she has been spending a long time in the human world. So she needs to go back to the world of demons, or something else... - The Doctor fell silent.

What does she need? I'll get it! - Kaydem exclaimed. Suddenly the atmosphere changed. The doctor smiled secretly.

There is a special plant growing in the forest nearby. It’s called... - The doctor looked at the ceiling, trying to pretend that he remembered the name of the plant. - Red Flower. - “Red Flower. - The plant is completely red. Legend has it that this flower was grown in a pot full of the blood of the hero who killed the dragon. "Red Flower" helps vampires in drinking blood if he does not have his own person giving it."

I'll get him! - Kaydem said confidently.

Once the Doctor explained to Kaydem where to find this flower. Then Kaydem immediately headed to this place.

Three hours passed. Kaydem reached the place where the flower grows. This place was located east of the village. The flower grew underground. Near the place where the flower grew there was a huge crater. Kaydem went down into it and began to look for the flower.

20 minutes later, the moon set. Moonlight illuminated the clearing, and the flower became visible. Kaydem joyfully walked up to it and dug it out by the roots and put it in his pocket.

Suddenly a huge snake appeared from the ground.

“This... This is Koboa! “Kaidem remembered.”

Coboa. - Huge Snake. Its length can be 260 meters and its weight is about 3 tons. If her strength is compared to a person's rank, then "Coboa's" rank would be equal to rank 4. Coboas usually live in caves where they guard their prey or children. It is almost impossible to meet "Coboa" on rough terrain. "Coboa" acts only on its instincts. She has no intelligence at all. She will kill with ease, whether you are a child or an old man.

Koboa instantly rushed towards Kaidem. Without using energy, Kaidem dodged.

“It looks like I entered her territory. Or are they a loner? - Kaydem began to think. - I think it's worth running away. Or not... Will she follow me...? “While Kaydem was thinking, the snake rushed at him again.”

Kaidem dodged again, but this time the pocket in which the “Red Flower” lay was slightly hit.

Hey. Snake! - Kaydem looked at Koboa angrily. - Get into the fog. Otherwise you will die! - Kaydem looked at the snake. She did not move, as soon as Kaidem relaxed, the snake rushed at him again. - I warned you! - Dodging a snake's lunge. Kaidem put in "Ki" and jumped up, creating a red energy seal on his hand. - Seal of the Lord! - Instantly the seal became larger. Kaydem used the technique, and the seal pressed “Koboa” to the ground. Instantly, the seal began to press even harder, and small drops of blood formed on the snake. The seal completely squeezed out the blood and turned the insides into mint juice. - Die! - The snake lost consciousness. Kaidem immediately stopped using the technique, remembering his promise.

As soon as Kaydem defeated the snake, he immediately headed to the village.

The journey to the village took two hours, since Kaydem already knew where to go. Entering the village, he immediately went to the room.

When he entered, he saw that Hecate was not there. Suddenly Kaydem's head began to spin and he lost consciousness.

Having woken up, Kaydem looked around. He was in some kind of prison. The grilles had blades on them to make it impossible to knock or grab them. The room was red, as if covered in blood. A seal was painted on the ceiling; upon closer inspection, Kaydem realized that the “seal” was written in blood.

A few hours later, the door opened. Hecate was thrown into Kaydem's room. She was all wounded and in very bad condition. Kaydem immediately ran up to her.

What's happening? - He asked. Hecate looked at him with empty eyes and tried to say something, but immediately lost consciousness.

Two days have passed. No one entered the room. They just threw some food through the opening.

Hecate. What's happened? - Kaydem asked. Only a few minutes ago Hecate woke up.

They. Chapter. Lock. Vampire. - Hecate was able to utter only a few words. She was too tired. Kaydem took the food, and the one who approached her began to feed her from a spoon. After some time, Hecate was able to speak better. - The head of the Castle, and the ruler of the village, a vampire. It feeds on the blood of its inhabitants. And when he found out that I was also a vampire, and also Hecate herself, he decided to take my place.

Two more days passed after that. Hecate was taken away again and returned only a few hours later. She was again covered in blood, her eyes were empty again.

Crap! - Kaydem shouted. - It's time to get out. - Kaydem went to the grate and tried to open it, but cut his hands on the blades. - Impossible. If I could use energy... - As Kaydem understood, the seal on the ceiling takes energy and it is impossible to use “Ki” or “Qi”.

Blood. - Hecate said with empty eyes.

Hecate is a vampire. They have been pumping blood out of her for many days now. For a long time, Hecate has been in the human world. Her strength is almost gone.

“She’s a vampire! - Kaydem remembered. “She needs blood.”

Kaydem approached Hecate.

Drink my blood. - As soon as Hecate heard this, she instantly got scared and ran to another part of the room. She was shaking all over.

When Hecate was still a minor vampire, one man gave her blood to drink, and then he used it to satisfy his lust, and not only. Such incidents happened to Hecate very often, until she fenced off her heart from the outside world. Now Hecate has become weak again, and her old fears have returned. But Hecate herself is already losing consciousness, she can barely control herself.

Kaydem approached the bars, and, running along the blade, cut his hand, and again approached Hecate.

Drink. - He said softly.

Move away! - Hecate pushed Kaydem away. But due to the small force, Kaydem only fell on his back. Suddenly Hecate lost consciousness. Kaydem ran up to her. Her pulse becomes weaker and weaker, she dies. Kaydem understood. - “You can’t hesitate.”

Kaydem took his blood into his mouth, and leaning his lips against Hecate’s lips, he forcefully poured his blood into her mouth. At first she spat it out, but gradually began to drink it slowly. Her consciousness gradually began to come to her.

As soon as Hecate's eyes opened, she rushed at Kaidem and knocked him onto his back, sinking her teeth into his neck. She began to greedily drink his blood, as if someone was chasing her.

Drink. - Kaydem hugged Hecate. - Just drink. Take your time. You can drink as much as you want. I won't take advantage of you. I swear. - Kaydem said, stroking Hecate’s head.

As soon as Hecate stopped drinking Kaidem's blood, she realized what she had done and ran to the other side of the room. She drank a lot of blood. Kaydem was dizzy, but he smiled.

Don't worry. - He said, and slowly got up and began to stagger towards Hecate. - I won't hurt you. - Kaidem hugged Hecate again. - Everything is fine! - Slowly, Hecate hugged him too, and suddenly began to cry.

Hecate lived for so long, but no one ever spoke such kind words to her. Usually they used it and did whatever they wanted. Only Kaydem told her the words that she had wanted to hear for so long.

“Even if he uses me for pleasure, for torture, for beatings. Let it be. Let him do whatever he wants with me, if he wants, he can kill me. I don't mind. - Hecate thought. - But I'm so glad to hear these words. “The next second, Kaydem lost consciousness.”

The entire time they were here, Kaidem did not sleep and watched Hecate. Kaydem ate little, and gave most of the food to Hecate, and also gave her blood. All this took its toll on him and he lost consciousness. Now he is sleeping peacefully.

Sleep. - Hecate kissed Kaydem on the cheek. - In the meantime, I’ll take care of them! - Hecate put Kaydem on the floor and, approaching the door, knocked it down. Unlike Kaidem, Hecate does not need to use energy to break down the door, she just needs to use her physical strength, which has just been restored. All of Hecate's power was restored thanks to Kaydem's blood.

Spring has come and many lovers of forays into nature with the first rays of sun are already heading into the forest to get a portion fresh air And pleasant impressions, often forgetting that the spring forest is fraught with danger in the form of snakes, which you won’t immediately notice. Proof of this is a photo from the forest, which, when it appeared on the Internet, caused a huge resonance. I wonder if you can find the snake in this photo.

The other day, Florida biologist Helen, who studies reptiles, posted a photo online in which, at first glance, nothing but grass and fallen leaves are visible. But the girl invited users to find a snake in the photo.

“I received this photo from a colleague this morning. The goal is clear: find out if you can find the snake in the photo,” Helen captioned the photo posted on Twitter. Helen herself admitted that it took her a long time to spot the dangerous forest dweller in this photo.

Still haven't found it? Then we will help you!

And be careful! When going into the forest, do not step on the grip of any snake.

And just recently the Internet blew up. Will you see him?

By Chinese horoscope the protection of the Snake endows the woman of this sign with wisdom and the ability to predict future events. It is quite difficult for men to win her affection, much less to make her fall in love with him. The Snake woman is too smart to mindlessly rush into the arms of her lover; it is important for her to make sure of his decency. But a man who manages to arouse interest in her will find not only an excellent lover, but also a faithful life partner.

IN love relationships The Snake woman behaves calmly, carefully watches her chosen one, her keen eye notices any little things. Moreover, he rarely shares these observations; even a strong feeling will not force the mysterious woman to reveal all her thoughts. But she knows what a man needs, has good intuition, and subtly senses the desires of her partner. The Snake woman is able to give pleasure to her lover, he will receive not only physical pleasure, but will also feel a surge of mental strength.

Behavior of a Snake woman in bed

The intimate horoscope characterizes the Snake as a reserved, slightly cold woman. Of course, she is capable of experiencing strong emotions, but not every lover will be able to awaken a volcano of passions in her. It requires a special approach, and standard actions of a man, tested on other women, will not be successful. For all her equanimity, she awaits ardent confessions, she enjoys hot caresses, but the lover must observe reasonable measures. She will reject a rude man capable of harsh actions and vulgar jokes. An intimate relationship with such a narrow-minded, aggressive partner is humiliation for the sophisticated Snake woman.

In bed, the Snake woman prefers to accept the caresses of her lover; it is quite normal for her to give in to a man in his desires; she is completely devoid of leadership ambitions. She skillfully controls her lover, he is a pliable instrument in her hands, although she does not suspect it. Of course, the Snake woman can be temperamental, spontaneous and unpredictable, with only one amendment: she can reveal her sexual potential only in the hands of an experienced lover. Therefore, a man inexperienced in love will be content with a small amount of her attention and then only for a short period of time.

The Snake Woman is a proud creature; in bed she will not stoop to the role of a slave. Recognizes the superiority of a man within a comfortable framework. Most often she uses her lover for her own purposes, but one cannot accuse her of heartlessness. This is a devoted, loving partner, just too demanding. He doesn’t lose his mind, he tries to maintain his dignity even at the moment of the highest pleasure. The Snake Woman in bed remains a mysterious creature, whose secret desires can only be recognized by a real man. She will not deal with a mediocre lover, but will continue to search for her ideal.

Attitude towards your partner

It is impossible to discern behind the mask of calm the real attitude of the Snake woman towards her partner. Makes almost no effort to attract a man's attention. Nature has generously endowed her with female magnetism and sexuality, so she just manages her data wisely. The chosen one must solve a difficult problem himself: was he able to win the heart of the Snake or she simply allows herself to be loved. If a suitor is allowed to be around and the woman favorably accepts his advances, most likely he is on the right track.

In bed, the Snake woman waits for her lover to take the initiative into his own hands. He must be temperamental, inventive, but tactful in his actions. The slightest mistake and the Snake’s anger cannot be avoided. Even a woman deeply in love carefully accepts a man’s caresses; they must be skillful, passionate and long. The wise Snake skillfully controls her lover, without unnecessary words and fuss, it is important for her to have fun, and sorting out relationships is the lot of stupid people.

What is your role?

No matter how vain a man is, in relations with the Snake he is assigned only one role: serving the woman. In a love relationship, it is she who decides everything, although formally she gives the reins to her partner. Be a generous lover, do not act against the will of the Snake woman, trying to satisfy your passion. Even if you manage to break her resistance by force, the victory will be short-lived. The snake will find a way to take revenge on the unwanted fan.

Of course, a strong, confident man should act as he sees fit, but watch the Snake woman’s reaction. Her dissatisfaction will not be too obvious, she will not sort things out and make comments to you. It’s just that all your efforts will turn into dust: the Snake will calmly kick you out of its life. Moreover, she will not be ashamed that she abused your attention and even your wallet too much. The Snake takes courtship for granted, having received its due, it easily breaks up with the man. Therefore, try to win her love and recognition.

The most important thing: how to seduce a Snake woman?

You have a difficult task ahead of you: to attract the attention of the Snake woman, and then win her heart. Immediately give up the dream of a quick and easy victory, get ready for a long and persistent struggle. A restrained woman will not violently show both positive and negative emotions. You will only have to guess about her mood, not lose your presence of mind and decisively seek reciprocity. Sooner or later, your efforts will be rewarded if you are persistent and irresistible.

The first date should impress her or at least not disappoint her. Anger can prompt the Snake woman to take decisive action, and most likely, immediate separation will follow. Be gallant and generous, she doesn't like greedy men, treats them with contempt. But do not invite the Snake even to the most luxurious nightclub, it is better to visit him on the second or third date. Try to choose a place where you can talk and have a good time: a cozy restaurant, cafe, theater. The snake must understand what kind of person you are, so charm it and demonstrate all your advantages.

Illustration copyright Daniel Heuclin naturepl.com

The snake attacks so quickly that it manages to bite its victim four times in a split second. As the observer found out, if a person moved with the same acceleration, he would simply lose consciousness.

The Texas rattlesnake, lurking among the sands and meadows of southern California (USA), is one of the most patient predators in the world.

These snakes tend to spend their lives alone, hiding in ambush, waiting for their next meal.

They can wait a long time. If necessary, they can go without food for up to two years, but as soon as they get the chance, they become one of the most dangerous and skillful hunters on the planet.

• The Mystery of the Dragons of Borneo
• The most poisonous creature on planet Earth
• Folk remedy for snake bite?

And, like all snakes, their main weapon is not size or strength, but speed.

For clarity, it takes a person about 200 milliseconds to blink. It turns out that during this time a particularly ruthless snake is capable of biting him as many as four times.

This is an almost unimaginable speed: it turns out that snakes bite much faster than we can move.

In fact, if we moved as fast as snakes, we would simply faint.

“In most cases, potential prey has no chance of surviving,” says David Penning, an employee at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (USA).

He spent several months observing rattlers, as well as a wide variety of venomous and harmless snakes, using a high-speed camera.

“These predators are able to reach their target and strike before the prey even realizes it is under attack.”

It's not just rattlers that can move that fast. Total number There are an estimated 3.5 thousand species of snakes on the planet - from tiny vipers to huge pythons - but very few of them have been studied.

However, even if we take only those species that have already been studied, it is obvious that very many are capable of developing such amazing acceleration.

This is due to the unique physiology of snakes, which has been perfected over millions of years.

Firstly, snakes are extremely muscular. While the human body has 700-800 muscles, snakes - even the smallest ones - have from 10 to 15 thousand.

How this abundance of muscles allows the snake to move at such breakneck speeds is still unknown.

Some people believe that they compress and accumulate energy to throw, and then straighten out like a spring.

However, snakes have even more interesting feature, which baffles scientists.

Because these reptiles attack at such speed, enormous forces are applied to their bodies - ones that would completely immobilize almost any animal.

Penning discovered that at the moment of throwing the snake experiences a force 30 times greater than the force of gravity.

At the same time, the most trained fighter pilots feel that their arms and legs stop obeying them even under an overload that is 8 times greater than the force of gravity, when they perform rapid stunts in the air.

Under the influence of an overload of 10 times the force of gravity, they quickly lose consciousness.

“Chameleons and some salamanders are known to rapidly extend their tongues towards the prey when attacking, and the acceleration can be much greater than that of a stinging snake,” explains Penning. “However, the main difference is that in this case only the tongue moves, not the brain."

The brain is simply not able to withstand high acceleration.

"The brain is an incredibly delicate organ that is hypersensitive to acceleration and impact," says Penning. "That's why American football players wear helmets and why concussions are considered serious injuries."

When a fighter pilot is exposed to high acceleration, blood flows to the legs, depriving the brain of vital oxygen.

If this happens too quickly, the blood does not have time to return back to the brain, and the person loses consciousness.

However, snakes manage to cope with this difficulty and maintain complete control over the situation, while moving with much greater acceleration and striking their prey with crushing force. This is partly due to the structure of the snake's skull.

“The snake’s skull is incredibly dynamic and flexible,” says Penning. “Having a lot of different joints gives the snake flexibility and maneuverability.”

Penning believes the difference is the same as "hitting a bag or hitting a brick wall."

According to him, “the wall stands still and takes the entire blow, and the bag moves, as if distributing the shock.”

Scientists are now trying to figure out how the skeleton and nervous system snakes.

They are going to use the knowledge gained to protect a person in situations where his body is subjected to a large overload.

The idea that studying snake attack tactics will help us design cars that better protect people from impact may seem funny. But it is much closer to reality than one might expect.

"We're now trying to figure out exactly what happens when a snake strikes its prey," Penning said.

“Snakes are able to extend their heads, freeze, immediately shift into a defensive position, and then repeat these movements over and over again.”

“The question is what helps them endure such stress relatively painlessly, and whether their secret can be used in the future for the benefit of humanity,” he concludes.

• Read on English possible on the website

Original taken from irnella V

I kept thinking that a boa constrictor (or some other snake) CANNOT SWALLOW a person purely by physiological reasons. All films about this are fiction and horror films. But what does it turn out to be? Here's yesterday's news.

In Russia, a drunk can freeze, but it turned out that in hot India it is also dangerous to get completely drunk. A man lying in the cold on the street near a store in the Indian state of Kerala was devoured by a huge man-eating python.

A snake that swallowed a man. Photo: India, Kerala state.

The incident happened in the Indian state of Kerala, which, like Goa, attracts large number tourists.

In India, a careless man decided to have a pleasant evening, but did not bring any alcohol home and drank the purchased drinks right next to a liquor store. The drunkard settled down there for the night.

And in the morning, local residents found a bloated snake on the threshold of a shop. It turned out that the python was crawling past the liquor store and saw the “food”. He strangled the man and then swallowed his victim. After such a hearty “lunch,” the reptile was unable to crawl away and lay down at the scene of the emergency.

The bloated snake was subsequently discovered by local residents, LOTD reports.

This example can serve as an edification to numerous tourists who go to India on vacation and often forget about moderation in relation to alcohol and other relaxing substances.

Here's a case like this:

A huge python, according to the children's stories, suddenly grabbed their friend when they were collecting fallen mangoes in the garden. The snake quickly wrapped itself around the child, tightly squeezing his arms and legs. The boy was so scared that he didn’t even scream or cry.

“The python squeezed him more and more until the boy closed his eyes and threw his head back,” said 11-year-old Cave, an eyewitness to the tragedy. “I realized that he was dead or unconscious. Then the snake opened its mouth wide and began to swallow him all at once, starting from the head.” For three hours, the children silently watched what was happening, afraid to move or call for help.

Later, police and snake experts found no traces of the tragedy - the child and his clothes disappeared along with the snake. On the rumpled grass there was only a trail leading to the spring. Herpentologists explained that the African python needed water to better digest its prey.

According to experts, this is the first case of cannibalism for this species of snake. The python apparently woke up after hibernation and was very hungry.

Bloated from human body The reptile was found nearby in the jungle; it could not crawl far. The snake was killed and immediately cut up, but the boy could not be saved - he died of suffocation.

Another case:

It turns out that the plot of the film “Anaconda” has a real basis and in our sinful world there are giant reptiles that can swallow a person whole.

Typically, snakes prefer to attack smaller creatures that they can easily swallow, but despite this, there are many documented cases of these reptiles swallowing livestock, dogs and even baby hippos.

Unfortunately, the diet of these predators is not limited to such a meager set of dishes, and creeping reptiles are not averse to tasting human flesh if possible. It’s hard to believe, but there really are giant giants on Earth for whom humans are just prey.

Four friends: Jose Ronaldo. Fernando Contaro, Miguel Orvaro and Sebastian Forte went to Mato Grosso, Brazil for camping and fishing. The fishing went well, and the alcohol flowed freely. Returning from the river, the friends noticed the absence of the fourth member of their fun company- dentist Jose Ronaldo. The tipsy fishermen looked for their drinking buddy before dark, but Jose seemed to have disappeared into the ground.

The next day, in a cheerful and high spirits, they went in search, hoping to find their friend lying drunk in some ditch. Towards evening they discovered his torn clothes.

“At first we decided that it was a robbery: the ground around was dug up, as if someone had been fighting on it,” says one of the fishermen, Fernando Contaro. “My heart was relieved, because if he was attacked by a person, and not a wild animal, then he could survive!”

After examining the scene of the struggle, they discovered a deep footprint in the ground leading into the forest. Experienced hunter Sebastian Forte immediately said that a snake had left him... a very large snake, at least 10 meters long. The sun was already setting and the men decided to return to camp.

The next morning the men followed the snake's trail. What they discovered at the end of their journey shocked them: lying in front of them was a giant anaconda with an incredibly bloated body. Miguel pressed the python's head to the ground with a stick, and Fernando shot the reptile twice in the head with a revolver. The anaconda was towed to the camp, where they cut open its stomach and removed the dentist’s body, which had already begun to digest.

If a snake swallows a person, which happens relatively rarely, then it is certainly only for the purpose of “eating a little.” Here we could quote lengthy instructions recently published on the Internet on what to do if you are swallowed by a python or anaconda. The basic idea is that you need to let the snake swallow more of its legs, and then, with a sharp movement of a sharp knife, cut its head from the side from the inside. Where to get it sharp knife and what to do if they start swallowing you from the head - this instruction does not tell you.

The only difficulty when swallowing a person should be caused by the shoulders. An adult, broad-shouldered man can hardly be swallowed...

The snake's jaw can, of course, move apart, but only to a certain limit. Only possible way- if the snake manages to swallow a person lying on its side (or it itself turns its head in such a way so that the victim enters it sideways).

So an anaconda may well swallow a child, a woman, a small, narrow-shouldered man...

Case three. Why shouldn't snakes eat hippos?

The answer is simple, hippos have too thick skin that more than one snake simply cannot digest.

(It's an unpleasant sight, think twice before watching)

Video: a stupid python that ate a baby hippopotamus, crawled with this carcass for a week, became terribly hungry and was forced to vomit this delicacy out of itself.

Here is a very recent case in March of this year:

A seven-meter python swallowed an adult man.
On the island of Sulawesi, which belongs to Indonesia, a giant python swallowed an adult man whole, reports the Daily Mail.

According to the publication, 25-year-old Akbar Salubiro disappeared on Sunday, March 26. On this day, he was going to a neighboring village to collect palm oil.

The next evening, fellow villagers, concerned about his disappearance, began searching and found backyard a man's home is a seven-meter bloated python. They decided to autopsy the reptile and found Salubiro's body.

Village council spokesman Salubiro Junaidi said that the night before the snake was discovered, people heard screams coming from the palm grove. He did not specify why no one came to the call.

And now just some interesting information about snakes on this topic.

Bernard Grzimek.

From the book “Animals are my life.”

Can a snake swallow a person?

“There is no doubt that the ancients meant by their dragons our modern giant snakes. The amazing size of these animals, their considerable strength and the general fear of snakes in general make the exaggerations of which the ancients were guilty very clear.<…>Over time, human imagination has endowed dragons even richer and from incomprehensible fairy tales oriental people images gradually grew, for which a reasonable person searched in vain for originals, because information about the giant snakes themselves was almost lost. The more stubbornly uneducated people stuck to the favorite description of a large dragon or a gorynych serpent, spewed onto the earth for the destruction of the whole world" (A. E. Bram)

A giant twenty-meter or even thirty-meter snake, hiding on a branch, lies in wait for its prey. From a blow to the crown of her head, hard as a stone, a man taken by surprise falls almost unconscious to the ground, and the snake, with a lightning-fast throw, rushes at him and wraps him in its coils, breaking all his bones in an iron embrace. This happens in cases where brave liberators who cut the snake into pieces with knives do not arrive in time to help...

Descriptions of such heartbreaking scenes can be found in many adventure novels and even in other reports of expeditions to the unexplored tropics.

Do giant snakes really attack humans? Are they capable of swallowing us? There are hardly any other animals that are fantasized about as much as pythons, anacondas or boa constrictors. And therefore, it is precisely with regard to these animals that even a specialist finds it very difficult in each individual case to decide what is true and what is fiction.

This starts with determining the length. Even serious travelers have claimed that anacondas 30 or even 40 meters long are found in the Amazon forests. But they, as a rule, kept silent about whether they measured these snakes themselves or know this from eyewitness accounts.

Anaconda is the same boa constrictor, only South American. It is she who is considered the largest and strongest among all the giant snakes in the world. Another South American snake, also no less famous and also a boa constrictor (Constrictor), reaches a length of “only” five to six meters.

It must be said that measuring a snake is not so easy. It is most convenient to do this, of course, when it stretches to its full length. But for a large snake such a position is completely unnatural; some of them are simply not able to accept it - they need to bend at least the very end of their tail to the side in order to have support. Such a strong animal will not voluntarily allow itself to be straightened for measurement. In a dead snake, the body usually becomes so ossified that it is even more difficult to measure. If you judge the length of snakes by their skins that go on sale, then it is very easy to fall into a mistake: after all, this skin is sold by the meter, and therefore, while it is fresh, it can be stretched in length by 20 percent, and some say even by all 50. Snake hunters often use this.

It is interesting that live snakes are also sold by the meter. Snake traders charge zoos for small and medium-sized pythons from 80 pfennig to one mark for every centimeter. The New York Zoological Society announced many years ago that it would pay 20 thousand marks to anyone who brought a live anaconda over ten meters long; however, no one has yet been able to earn this tempting amount.

And yet it is quite possible that such giants exist or existed until very recently. The weight of such an animal should be quite impressive; Thus, the Asian reticulated python measures 8.8 meters and weighs 115 kilograms. It’s no wonder that such a colossus, living in the thicket of a virgin forest, is not so easy to defeat without a whole horde of helpers. And then you still need to be able to deliver it unharmed to the airfield or port.

The record length of the hieroglyphic python (Python sebae), widespread in Africa, is 9.8 meters. The Indian or tiger python (Python molurus) reaches 6.6 meters, the East Asian reticulated python (Python reticulatus) - either 8.4 meters or 10 meters, depending on which source you believe. Slightly smaller than the amethyst python.

So, in fact, we have already listed all six giants of the snake world: four oviparous pythons - natives of the Old World and two viviparous boas - of the New. Among the 2,500 species of snakes that inhabit the globe, there are a number of other species of boas and pythons, but they are much smaller.

Giant snakes are not poisonous. Unlike the fat giants of the snake kingdom, poisonous snakes (for example, the African mamba, sometimes reaching four meters, and the even longer king cobra) are thinner and slimmer.

It takes a snake a lot of time to reach its enormous size. The eight-meter reticulated python living at the Pittsburgh Zoo grew by only 25 centimeters in a year. The older a snake gets, the slower it grows.

By appearance It is completely impossible to determine whether a snake is a female or a male. A pair of hieroglyphic pythons, which arrived at the New York Zoo at the age of one, grew at the same rate for the first six to seven years, but then the female began to noticeably lag in growth. The fact is that during this time she began to fast every year for six months: during the maturation of the eggs and when she warmed them, curled up around them.

We don’t know to what age giant snakes can live in the wild. No one has ever ringed them in their habitats, as has been done for decades, for example, with migratory birds. We can judge their age only from data obtained from zoos. The anaconda lived the longest at the Washington Zoo - 28 years (from 1899 to 1927). One of the boas lived in England at the Bristol Zoo for 23 years and 3 months, and the hieroglyphic python reached the age of eighteen there. A tiger python at the San Diego Zoo (California) lived to be 22 years and 9 months, and two East Asian reticulated pythons - one in London and the other in Paris - died at the age of 21.

The giants of the snake kingdom are the only large animals on Earth that do not have a voice, like, in fact, all other snakes. At best they can hiss. Snakes are not only mute, but also deaf. They do not perceive sound vibrations in the air - they do not have ears for this, like other animals. But they perfectly perceive any, even the slightest, shaking of the soil or litter on which they rest.

In addition, these deaf-mute giants also have poor vision. Their eyes are devoid of movable eyelids, and the transparent leathery film that protects the eye during each molt is separated along with all the skin and removed, like glass from a watch. The snake eye lacks the muscles of the iris, therefore the pupil cannot contract in bright light and dilate in dim light. The snake barely reacts to changes in the lighting of the eyes: the lens in it cannot bend, like ours, which deprives snakes of the opportunity to carefully examine objects located at close or far distances at will. To look at anything, the snake has to move its entire head first and then back. Perhaps all these are very useful properties (necessary, for example, for swimming and especially for looking at various items under water), but, by God, much more advanced eyes are found in the animal world.

Since the python, like other snakes, does not close its eyes during sleep, it is always very difficult to determine whether it is sleeping or awake. Some snake researchers argue that a sleeping snake looks down, meaning its pupil is at bottom edge eyes; others dispute this claim.

The immobility of snake eyes gave rise to the widely repeated fairy tale that snakes supposedly hypnotize, as if paralyzing their prey with their gaze. Frogs, lizards or small rodents do sometimes sit completely still in the presence of a giant boa constrictor, but this is explained for various reasons: sometimes they simply do not notice the danger, and sometimes they freeze with fear; such freezing brings them some benefit, since the snake’s motionless prey is not distinguished. After all, it is only when the frog runs away that the snake overtakes it.

How do these deaf-mute and, moreover, short-sighted giants find food for themselves? It turns out that they have developed sensory organs that we do not possess. For example, they unmistakably sense heat from a long distance. The snake senses a human hand already at a distance of thirty centimeters. Therefore, it is quite easy for silently crawling snakes to find even those warm-blooded animals that are carefully hidden in shelters. So that their own breathing does not interfere with their breathing, some of them (for example, pythons) have nostrils facing upward and backward.

But the sense of smell is most developed in snakes. Quite surprisingly, the organ of smell is located in their mouth, on the palate, and necessary information it is delivered by a tongue that extracts various small particles from the air. Thus, snakes do not need daylight; they can crawl in the tracks of their prey with equal success both day and night.

Once, not far from the Serengeti, my son Michael and I came across a huge hieroglyphic python, reaching three to four meters in length. We decided to take him with us. By the way, giant snakes, if they are not holding on to a tree or tangled in bushes, are not that difficult to catch. In an hour they can travel no more than one and a half kilometers - if they suddenly have the desire to crawl for an hour. Giant snakes move completely differently than their small relatives. They move forward, wriggling with their whole body, while in a giant snake the abdominal scales are used for this purpose. The scales are set in motion by muscles extending from the ribs (the ribs themselves remain motionless), causing it to move forward and backward like the small scoops of an excavator.

At that time we did not yet have much experience in handling snakes and therefore at first we showed extreme caution when guiding the python with spears. But in the end, we still decided to grab the snake by the tail, and it didn’t even try to attack us. We managed to stuff her into a bag, which we tied and put under a cot in our tent for the night. Unfortunately, the next morning the bag was empty. The huge snake still managed to free itself. However, from the trail she left, it was easy to find out where she crawled. This trail was straight, distinct and wide, as if someone had rolled a car tire.

Not a single snake, including poisonous ones, is able to catch up with a running person. But giant snakes can swim well, much better than other land animals. As for the anaconda, it can be classified as an aquatic rather than a terrestrial animal.

Snakes and the sea don't care. Thus, one boa constrictor (Constriktor) was carried by the current 320 kilometers from the South American coast and washed up on the island of St. Vincent, where he arrived in good spirits.

When the Krakatoa volcano erupted in 1888, all life on the island of the same name was destroyed. Biologists observed how, over the subsequent years and decades, various lichens, plants and animals gradually reappeared here. So, the first reptiles to appear there were rock pythons, which by 1908 again took possession of the island.

The giant snakes have not yet completely turned into round ropes, as happened with other representatives of the snake tribe. Boas and pythons, like us, still have a pair of lungs, while in most other snakes the left lung has disappeared, and the right has greatly elongated and expanded noticeably. The giant snakes have small remains of pelvic and hip bones. But only two pitiful claws remained from the outside of the hind legs - to the right and to the left of the anus.

How do such slow giants manage to catch their prey? It should be said from the very beginning that the statement that they knock a person or any animal unconscious with a blow to their head is absolutely false. The heads of these giant monsters are not particularly hard, and in any case softer than ours. The snake itself would not be too pleased to use it for boxing. In addition, the attack of a giant snake is by no means as lightning fast as it is imagined. The force with which a snake weighing 125 kilograms attacks a victim is no greater than the force with which a dog weighing 20 kilograms attacks. Of course, some frail, unathletic European might fall from such a push. But a more or less dexterous man is quite capable of handling a four-meter boa constrictor alone, at least if he manages to stay on his feet; he can pull down the snake coils entwined around him with a few energetic jerks.

For a snake, it is much more important not to hit its head, but to grab the victim with its teeth. To do this, she opens her mouth to the limit. The reticulated python has a hundred back-curved teeth arranged in six rows in its mouth. Therefore, if he managed to grab at least a finger, it is not so easy to pull it back. To do this, you need to try to unclench the snake’s jaws and first stick your hand even further into the mouth, and then pull it out.

Only when the snake has firmly grabbed the victim with its teeth does it begin to wrap its coils around it. Therefore, those who have to deal with giant snakes should always remember to grab them only by the “scruff” - behind the head, so that they cannot bite.

Please take a closer look at the film footage or photographs depicting the “struggle” of a man with a giant snake that is supposedly strangling its victim. You will almost certainly notice that the “victim” has grabbed the snake by the throat. In such cases, the person himself wraps the snake around himself and then plays out the whole scene of a frantic struggle.

But even if the snake managed to grab its victim with its teeth and wrap it in several rings, this does not mean that it can “crush all its bones.” Giant snakes, even if they weigh more than a hundred kilograms, do not have the remarkable strength that is attributed to them. After all, the larger and heavier the animal, the less strength it has per kilogram of body weight. Thus, a louse, given its weight, is 10 thousand times stronger than an elephant. And smaller snakes can squeeze and strangle a suitable victim much more strongly than giant snakes can squeeze their own.

Giant snakes kill not by crushing bones, but by strangulation. They're so tight chest of his victim that he is unable to breathe air into his lungs. It is possible that prolonged compression may paralyze the heart. Snake rings, coiled around the victim's torso, act more like a rubber gut or rubber bandage than a strong<анат. Раздавить таким способом твердый костяк абсолютно невозможно. Поэтому когда в некоторых сообщениях о нападении змей фигурируют раздавленные человеческие черепа, то заранее можно твердо сказать, что это досужий вымысел. Человеческий череп достаточно твердый орешек, и мягкими, эластичными предметами его не расколешь!

My colleague Dr. Gustav Lederer, who directed our exotarium for forty years, carefully examined three pigs, three rabbits and three rats that had been killed but not yet swallowed by giant snakes. No broken bones were found in the victims. But in the already swallowed prey there were broken bones.

Giant snakes are kept in many zoos around the world and generally do not show any aggression as long as they are left alone. They are even quite easy to tame. Pythons living in the wild, when they are attacked or want to be grabbed, defend themselves only by trying to bite, and almost never try to throw their rings at the enemy; they do this only with prey that they are going to swallow.

In zoos, there are sometimes circumstances in which force must be used against a snake (for example, when moving a newly arrived resident into the terrarium or when veterinary intervention is necessary). To hold the snake, people are placed in this way: for every linear meter of the snake there is one person who must hold his part tightly, under no circumstances letting go of it.

I've been asking everywhere about any case where a snake in a zoo killed someone, but until now I had never heard of it. True, I was told that in a Russian animal sales company several decades ago, a seven- or eight-meter reticulated python wrapped itself around the senior servant Siegfried and “broke several of his ribs.”

One former dancer, who once performed dances with snakes, told the servants of our Frankfurt Zoo that one of the snakes once squeezed her so hard that she broke two ribs. But in order for a slender girl to break two ribs, no supernatural forces are required. For example, one day one of my sons, in a fit, hugged his bride so tenderly that something crunched inside her. It turned out that he broke her rib...

Although giant boas, as already mentioned, can rarely be tamed, nevertheless, the snakes with which dancers perform in various variety shows and circuses do not necessarily have to be tame. In order to wrap snakes around your shoulders and waist during a dance without any risk, it is enough to cool them down before the performance, then you can do almost anything with them. These cold-blooded animals become active only after they have warmed up thoroughly.

Of course, dragging snakes around on tour, especially in winter, or keeping them in poorly heated stage restrooms or hotel rooms does not do them any good.

They do not survive such a life for long and die. Therefore, dancers have to frequently renew their supply of pythons.

It is not true that giant snakes have the habit of hanging from a tree by holding the end of their tail to a branch and thus catching their prey. The statement that they pre-wet the dead animal with their saliva to facilitate swallowing is also incorrect. This misconception is based on the fact that snakes are often forced to regurgitate swallowed prey. This happens for various reasons: either the victim turns out to be prohibitively large, or when swallowing it takes an awkward position, or it has horns that prevent it from moving along the esophagus, and sometimes someone simply scared the snake, and this prevented it from calmly coping with the prey. Of course, a burped animal is abundantly moistened with saliva, which led people who accidentally saw it to misinterpret it.

Even very large and heavy snakes are able to crawl into relatively small loopholes, narrow windows or cracks in a fence. In this way, they usually sneak into chicken coops, pigsties or barns where goats are kept. And so, when they, having swallowed their victim whole, try to crawl back into the same hole from which they came, a huge thickening on the body does not allow them to get out, and they find themselves trapped. Here, it would seem, use your ability to regurgitate swallowed prey to free yourself from captivity! But snakes, as it turned out, “don’t have enough intelligence” for this.

Similar cases have been described quite often.
Original taken from masterok V