European cat snake
European Cat Snake ( Telescopus fallax )
The European Cat Snake ( Telescopus fallax ) is a species of snakes ( Colubridae ). The distribution area extends from the Southeast European Mediterranean through the Greek Islands and Turkey to southern Russia in the Caspian Sea, the Middle East over Israel and Lebanon to northern Iran and in North Africa to the eastern Egypt. It has the back of the jaw grooves teeth that are connected to poison glands, and is therefore not monophyletic group of snakes associated with deceit. In Greece, this type is referred to as agiofido (Greek αγιόφιδο ), what sacred serpent means'.
Features
The European Cat Snake is a medium sized snake, reaching an average length of about 60 to 70 cm, large specimens can be long up to 100 cm. The body color is gray, gray-brown or yellowish -brown with a dark back drawing of rectangular patches, between which lighter bars arise. In the neck, there is a conspicuous spot and the head coloration can brighten up sharply toward the muzzle. The belly is yellowish white, cream or light pink color and has dark, like a chessboard placed patches. The body scales are smooth, the body acts therefore smooth and shiny.
The head is egg-shaped flat and separated from the body. The medium sized eyes have a vertical slit pupil. The front plate is made very large, the reins shield comes usually at the anterior margin of the eyes. Around the middle of the body are an average of 19 scale rows, whose number can vary 17-21.
Distribution and habitat
The distribution area includes the snake in the Southeast European Mediterranean Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and Greece, the Greek Islands, southern Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey with some islands of the Aegean. From there it moves to Southern Russia on the Caspian Sea, the Middle East over Israel, Syria and Lebanon into northern Iran and in North Africa to the eastern Egypt. A series of subspecies are recognized, some of which are very small, geographically separate from each other to colonize areas ( island forms).
- T. fallax f: The nominate inhabited most of the Balkans, of Croatia on Montenegro, Albania, Greece and Bulgaria and in the western and southern Turkey. The presence in Malta is based in all likelihood on ancient suspensions.
- T. intermedius f: Antikythera island.
- T. f multisqamatus: Island Kufonisi.
- T.F. cypriacus: Cyprus.
- T. f rhodocius Rhodes.
- F T. pallidus: Crete and the neighboring islands of Gavdos, Elasah and Christiana.
- T.F. syriacus: southeastern Turkey through Syria, Lebanon and northern Israel.
- T. f hoogstraali: Sinai and the Negev desert in Israel.
- T. f iberus: Eastern Turkey and Iran to Russia.
The animals inhabit dry and well sunlit, lined with bushes and interspersed with rocks and boulders hanging in the lowlands and in the mountains, they reach altitudes up to 1,500 m. In valleys they live in the area of rivers and in light deciduous forests.
Way of life
The European Cat Snake is crepuscular and nocturnal. The movement is extremely slow and insidious, even on the run she moves very slow. It climbs well in rocks and on house facades, hiding during the day in crevices and crumbling masonry. Your prey spectrum comprises mainly lizards, skinks and geckos as well as smaller snakes and rare small mammals, especially mice. The prey is caught by the snake slowly ( cat-like ) approaches and then zupackt. The trapped animals she holds in her jaws so tightly, until the poison in her home at the rear of the teeth fangs acts and paralyzes or kills the prey.
The Snake is oviparous, the clutch consist of 5-7 eggs. The young snakes hatch in late summer and begin already active after the first moult looking for food.
Snake venom
European cat snakes have an effective for their prey poison that they can bring to a wound on the furrows behind permanent teeth ( opistoglyph ). The snakes can bite people, besides which, however, is for people relatively harmless poison usually by standing far back fangs not used. Bite accidents are also relatively rare.