Red-bellied black otter
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Red-bellied black otter ( Pseudechis porphyriacus ) |
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| ( Shaw , 1794) |
The red-bellied black otter or red- bellied black otter ( Pseudechis porphyriacus ) is a snake from the family of poisonous snakes (Elapidae). She has a shiny black scaly dress and a red belly. It can grow up to 3 m long and eats small frogs, fish, reptiles and mammals .
distribution and habitat
The red-bellied black otter lives in eastern Australia, its range extends from northern Queensland to southeastern South Australia. It prefers wetlands , grasslands and wooded regions and is bound to the proximity of standing or flowing water.
Way of life
The red-bellied black otter is mostly active during the day, but also nocturnal on warm nights. It can swim very well and primarily hunts frogs and fish, which it prey on in the water. It also eats small mammals, lizards (even the giant spiny skink ) and small birds. A litter of this type consists of eight to 40 young snakes.
Snake venom
The poison secretion of the red-bellied black otter contains systemically effective myotoxins . It also contains substances that have an impact on hemostasis and neurotoxins . In the case of a poison bite, 30 to 50 mg of poison (dry weight) can be released. In animal experiments (mouse, sc ), a mean lethal dose of 2.52 mg / kg was determined. The venom of this species is generally not considered to be very dangerous for humans, and the snake is also considered very lazy to bite, although fatal bite accidents are known.
Intoxication occurs in 40 to 60% of bite accidents in humans . General unspecific symptoms are headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting. In a study with 81 patients who were treated for confirmed bites of Pseudechis porphyriacus , systemic intoxication could be observed in 70% of the cases. The following symptoms were also described:
- Local symptoms (96% *)
- Coagulopathy (61% *), with increased partial thromboplastin time
- Mytoxicity, myolysis (12% *), in one case with muscle weakness; non-invasive ventilation necessary
- Ulceration (3.7%)
- no fatal outcome in this study
* based on the group with systemic intoxication
Secondary damage to the kidneys can occur as a complication. Neurotoxic effects are hardly clinically significant in humans, but occur in domestic animals (dogs, cats).
Various antivenins ('Polyvalent Snake Antivenom (Australia - New Guinea)' and 'Black Snake Antivenom' from the manufacturer CSL Limited ) are available for therapy .
Trivia
The females of the shield bird of paradise cover the edge of their nests with the shed skin of this snake. The behavior probably serves to deter predators.
Individual evidence
- ^ DG Chapple: Ecology, life-history, and behavior in the Australian Scincid genus Egernia, with comments on the evolution of complex sociality in lizards . In: Herpetological Monographs 17, 2003, pp. 145–180 (see Table 6).
- ↑ a b c University of Adelaide, Clinical Toxinology Resources: Pseudechis porphyriacus (accessed April 13, 2019)
- ↑ Churchman et al .: Clinical effects of red-bellied black snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) envenoming and correlation with venom concentrations: Australian Snakebite Project (ASP-11) . Med J Aust 2010; 193 (11): 696-700.
- ↑ PJ Higgins, JM Peter and SJ Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks. Oxford University Press, Melbourne 2006, ISBN 978-0-195-55884-5 . P. 638
literature
- Dieter Schmidt: Snakes - biology, species, terraristics. bede Verlag Ruhmannsfelden, 2006; Page 221. ISBN 3-89860-115-3
