The black snake [1] , or the black echidna [1] ( lat. Pseudechis porphyriacus ) is a type of poisonous snake from the family of asps ( lat. Elapidae ).
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The total length reaches 1.5–2 m [2] . The head is elongated, short. The body is strong, slim. The brilliant black color of the upper side of the body is effectively combined with the reddish color of the belly.
Loves moderately humid lowlands, river valleys. Active at night. It swims and dives well. It feeds on frogs, lizards, snakes. Juveniles prefer to eat insects and other invertebrates.
When danger or irritation slightly spreads the neck ribs, flattening and extending the neck.
The poison of this snake contains neurotoxins that do not pose a threat to human life.
Males often fight with each other. Raising their heads and bending their necks, they step on each other, trying to cover their opponent’s head with their heads. When one of the opponents succeeds in doing this, he swings the body of the opponent with his body in a sharp movement. Violently hissing and wriggling, both snakes squeeze each other. Suddenly, as if on cue, they stop fighting and disperse in order to prepare for the next fight. Each of these "rounds" lasts about a minute, they are repeated until the wrestlers are completely exhausted. Snakes are so passionate about the tournament that they do not unravel, even if they are lifted from the ground. The cause of such battles is territorial instinct combined with sexual arousal. It is characteristic that during the tournament the rivals do not bite each other.
Vivipara snake. The female gives birth to 8 to 20 cubs up to 12 cm long [3] .
Endemic of Australia. He lives in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia.
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Ananyeva N. B. , Borkin L. Ya. , Darevsky I. S. , Orlov N. L. A five-language dictionary of animal names. Amphibians and reptiles. Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / edited by Acad. V.E. Sokolova . - M .: Rus. lang., 1988. - p. 350. - 10 500 copies. - ISBN 5-200-00232-X .
- ↑ Swan, Steven K. Wilson; Gerry. A complete guide to reptiles of Australia. - 3rd. - Chatswood, NSW: New Holland Publishers, 2010. - ISBN 978-1-877069-76-5 .
- ↑ Cogger, Harold G. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia. - Rev. - Reed, 1983. - P. 449. - ISBN 0883590484 .
Literature
- Cogger, HG 2000. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 6th ed. Ralph Curtis Publishing, Sanibel Island, 808 pp.
- Michael, DR; DB Lindenmayer; M. Crane; C. MacGregor; R. Montague-Drake; L. McBurney. 2011. Reptilia, Murray catchment, New South Wales, southeastern Australia. Check List 7 (1): 25-29