Aspic viper
| Aspic viper | ||||||||||||
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Aspis viper ( Vipera aspis aspis ) |
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| Vipera aspis | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The aspis viper ( Vipera aspis ) belongs to the family of vipers (Viperidae) and to the genus Vipera within snakes . It reaches a length of up to 90 centimeters and is next to the adder the second venomous snake species found in Germany and Switzerland, although in Germany it is only native to the southern Black Forest . In addition to the extreme southwest of Germany, the distribution area includes Spain , France , western and southern Switzerland , Italy and a small part of Slovenia .
features
The total length of the aspic viper is usually 60 to 85 centimeters, up to a maximum of 90 centimeters. The males grow larger than the females. The aspis viper appears stocky and has a short, thin tail. The head is triangular and clearly set off from the body. The tip of the snout is more or less clearly turned up, but without a snout horn, as is typical for the European horned viper ( Vipera ammodytes ). The pupil is vertical and the iris is yellowish to brownish. The entire head is covered with many small scales, the over-eye shields , also known as supraocularia , form a sharp edge over the eyes. Between the lower edge of the eye and the upper lip shields lie two rows of under eye shields, the so-called subocularia .
The basic color can range from light gray, gray-yellow, brown, red-brown, orange or rust-red to a complete black. The black basic color ( melanism ) is rare and occurs mainly in individuals found in the Alps. Males are generally more contrasting in color than females.
The drawing of the upper side varies considerably and can be used for individual recognition. It shows two rows of dark cross bars from the neck to the tail, also called "bars" in herpetology . The bars on the two sides of the body are offset from one another, but can also merge individually to form a wavy line or a zigzag band. It is characterized by a broader, dark brown to black band that begins at the rear edge of the eye and extends to the back of the head or the sides of the neck. It is also known as the temple ligament. There is another row of bars or spots on the sides of the body. The snakes have a total of 21 to 23 rows of back scales that are clearly keeled. The underside can have different shades of gray or brown and be speckled dark, on the underside of the tail the color is often yellowish to orange.
Karyotype
Together with that of the European horned viper , the karyotype of the aspis viper is unique among European vipers. There are clear differences both in the number of chromosomes and in their shape. These two species have a total of 21 chromosome pairs (2n = 42), 11 of which are very large (macrochromosomes). For comparison: the adder and most other species have only 18 pairs of chromosomes with only 8 sets of macrochromosomes. The sex chromosomes are of different sizes. The males have a pair of metacentric chromosomes of the same size, whereas in the females the second sex chromosome is only half the size of the former, so heterogamy occurs here in the females.
distribution and habitat
The aspis viper is widespread in Europe from north-east Spain to France , Switzerland , Italy and north-west Slovenia . It is particularly common in the higher altitudes of the Alps and the Pyrenees at altitudes of up to 3000 m . In Germany there is only one occurrence of the species in two deeply cut valleys in the southern Black Forest at the northern limit of distribution of the species. The maximum eight kilometers long and five kilometers wide area there is interpreted as a remnant of a spread in the postglacial warm period, when the Rhine valley crossed and the southern outposts of the Black Forest were settled.
Warm, dry and stony biotopes such as scree, stone quarries and vegetation-free gravel areas on south-facing slopes are preferred as habitats.
Way of life
The aspis viper is mostly diurnal, but sometimes also nocturnal and very faithful to its location. Often she starts her daily activity early in the morning with a first intensive sunbath. It avoids wind and strong solar radiation and flees in the event of disturbances. However, if it is surprised or cornered, it attacks the disturber with bites. A warning behavior always occurs first, in which the animals curl up, lift their front bodies and usually hiss clearly audibly. Small animal structures, root caves or hiding places under stones and in bushes are mainly used as daytime hiding places.
The solenoglyph- toothed snake mainly eats small mammals, but lizards and birds are also preyed on. The aspis viper is a stalker hunter . Prey animals within reach are bitten and then pursued. The dead prey is then devoured head first. Various species of marten ( polecat , stone marten , badger ) as well as hedgehogs , carrion crows , common ravens and buzzards come into question as predators . The smooth snake ( Coronella austriaca ) and some other snake species are also believed to attack and eat primarily young aspis viper.
During the winter months - in Central Europe from mid-October to mid-March - the animals remain rigid in winter , which usually takes place in underground hiding places at a depth of eight to ten centimeters. The average temperature in these hiding places is around 8 ° C and the animals usually hibernate individually.
Image series
- A wild Tuscan aspic viper eating a lizard
Reproduction and development
After the hibernation, the animals mate in April to May, and another short mating season can take place in autumn between September and October. To do this, the males look for traces of smell left by females, which are recognized by specific pheromones . The smell is absorbed by the tongue and Jacobson's organ in the palate of the snake , as in the pursuit of prey . Once the male has found the female, mating occurs, whereby the male first tries to establish physical contact with the female and lies next to it along its entire length. Then it wraps its abdomen around the female and introduces one of its spiked hemipenes into the cloaca . In this position, the female often tries to reach a shelter and drags the male along with it. Mating takes one to two hours, after which the animals separate again.
During the courtship season there are an average of six pairings for each animal; the partners can be the same or can be changed. If the male encounters another male animal in the female, a commentary fight ensues in which the individual animals try to push the other person to the ground and drive them away.
The male's sperm remain in the female's body until ovulation , which usually does not take place until four to six weeks after mating, and only then does fertilization occur . This is followed by the wearing time, which can take two to four months depending on the ambient temperature. The aspis viper is ovoviviparous , so the female gives birth to her young animals alive or these hatch out of their thin egg shells directly during and after birth.
In total, the mother snakes give birth to between 2 and 15 young snakes, rarely more. The young snakes weigh four to seven grams and are 14 to 24 centimeters long. Depending on the time of birth, they hunt for about a month or go straight into rigid winter. The first pairings take place in the third or fourth year of life. The oldest known animal so far was 14 years old, the age was determined by means of bone grinding.
Snake venom
The venom of the aspic viper is similar to that of the adder ( Vipera berus ), but is only half as strong in the case of intravenous injection. The poison reserve of the aspic viper is 9-10 mg, about the minimum of the supply of an adder. Nevertheless, in extreme cases, a bite can also be fatal for humans; a 53-year-old died in 2013 after several bites from an asp viper despite immediate medical help.
As with other European vipers, the symptoms of the bite are extensive swelling around the bite site and the nerve toxins ( neurotoxins ) it contains can lead to shortness of breath and heart problems. The majority of the viper venom has a hemotoxic effect, i.e. it primarily destroys cells of the blood and the tissues surrounding them with various proteases , which causes bluish discoloration in the area of the swelling due to blood leaking into the connective tissue. Treatment in the hospital with an antivenin that acts unspecifically in all European viper species is usually appropriate.
Systematics
The first scientific description of the aspis viper was in 1758 by Carl von Linné , who described it as Coluber aspis . In 1768 Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti assigned them to the genus Vipera as Vipera aspis .
There are five subspecies. The nominate form Vipera aspis aspis lives in northern and central France and the animals native to Germany also belong to it. Vipera aspis zinnikeri lives in the Spanish and French Pyrenees and Vipera aspis atra in south-east France, Switzerland and north-west Italy . Vipera aspis francisciredi lives in northern and central Italy and Vipera aspis hugyi is an island form in Sicily .
Possible confusion
Four species found in Europe are similar to the aspis viper, so that they can be confused with this species in field observations. The adder ( Vipera berus ) and the meadow viper ( Vipera ursinii ), in contrast to the aspic viper, do not have a bulging snout region. The European horned viper ( Vipera ammodytes ) and the inverted-nosed viper ( Vipera latastei ) have a distinct snout horn in contrast to the aspis viper.
Hazard and protection
The aspis viper lives in a fairly large distribution area and occurs in very different habitats, so it is not an animal with very special habitat requirements. There is therefore no direct threat to the species. This is different in some isolated populations , which also include animals living in Germany. These depend on the habitats being largely preserved in their current structural richness. In Germany, it is classified in category 1 - threatened with extinction - in accordance with the very limited habitat in the red list .
Roads where the animals are run over relatively often are given as the main sources of danger. Another danger to the populations is represented by snake keepers who catch aspisvipers for their home terrarium.
Protection status
- Fauna-Flora-Habitat Directive (FFH-RL): not listed
- Federal Species Protection Ordinance (BArtSchV): "particularly protected" and "strictly protected"
Red list classifications
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Red list of the Federal Republic of Germany: 1 - critically endangered
- Baden-Württemberg red list: 1 - critically endangered
- Red list of Austria: (this species does not appear here)
- Red list of Switzerland: nominate form "Juraviper" ( Vipera aspis aspis ): CR (corresponds to: threatened with extinction)
- Subspecies "Alpine viper" ( Vipera aspis atra ): VU (corresponds to: endangered)
- Subspecies "Rediviper" ( Vipera aspis francisciredi ): EN (corresponds to: endangered)
Like all European snake species, the aspic viper is listed in Appendix II of the Bern Convention ( Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Animals and their Natural Habitats ) and therefore enjoys strict protection within the European Union . The animals may neither be killed nor caught, keepers of this type of snake must submit appropriate certificates of origin and breeding.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b K. Fritz, M. Lehnert: The relict occurrence of the aspis viper (Vipera aspis L.) in the Black Forest. In: Michael Gruschwitz, Paul Kornacker, Richard Podloucky, Wolfgang Völkl, Michael Waitzmann (eds.): Distribution, ecology and protection of snakes in Germany and neighboring areas. (= Mertensiella. Volume 3). 1993, ISBN 3-9801929-2-X , pp. 301-310.
- ↑ AFP / mh: Cardiac arrest: snake expert dies from bite during show. In: welt.de . June 19, 2013, accessed October 7, 2018 .
- ↑ Appendix II of the Bern Convention
literature
- Klemens Fritz, Manfred Lehnert: Aspisocket, Vipera aspis (Linnaeus, 1758). In: Hubert Laufer, Klemens Fritz, Peter Sowig (eds.): The amphibians and reptiles of Baden-Württemberg. Eugen Ulmer-Verlag, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-8001-4385-6 , pp. 693-708.
- Ulrich Gruber: The snakes in Europe and around the Mediterranean. Franckh'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart 1989, ISBN 3-440-05753-4 .
- Rainer Günther (Ed.): The amphibians and reptiles of Germany. Gustav Fischer-Verlag, Jena 1996, ISBN 3-437-35016-1 .
- Axel Kwet: Reptiles and Amphibians of Europe. Franckh'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-440-10237-8 .
- Ludwig Trutnau, Wolfgang Böhme, Ulrich Joger: Vipera (Vipera) aspis (Linnaeus, 1758) - aspic viper. In: Ulrich Joger, Nikolai Stümpel: Handbook of Reptiles and Amphibians in Europe. Volume 3 / IIB: Snakes (Serpentes) III Viperidae. Aula-Verlag, Wiebelsheim 2005, ISBN 3-89104-617-0 , pp. 151-185.
Web links
- photos
- Information about the aspic viper at Amphibienschutz.de
- Vipera aspis in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: Corti et al , 2005. Retrieved on 12 May, 2006.
- Photos of the aspic viper on www.herp.it
- Vipera aspis in The Reptile Database
