Tiger snake
| Tiger snake | ||||||||||||
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Tiger snake ( Rhabdophis tigrinus ) |
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| Rhabdophis tigrinus | ||||||||||||
| ( Boie , 1826) |
The tiger snake ( Rhabdophis tigrinus ), also known as Tiger water snake or Yamakagashi referred counts within the family of snakes (Colubridae) for generic Rhabdophis . Was first described in the way in 1826 by the German zoologist Heinrich Boie .
description
The tiger snake is a medium-sized snake and is between 60 and 70 (maximum 130) centimeters long. The pupils are round. The head hardly separates from the body. The body has an olive to gray-brown basic color with black and reddish orange transverse bands, the head is darkly spotted. The underside is whitish. The upper jaw of the tiger snake has elongated poison teeth standing behind (opistoglyph tooth position) with lateral grooves, which characterizes the species as a false snake.
Snake venom
The tiger snake has a hump-like gland in the neck area, in which a poison, which mainly consists of bufadienolides , is stored. This neck gland does not have secretory epithelial cells, so it is not able to produce toxins itself. Rather, it serves as a storage device for toxins, which the snake obtains mainly from the toad species Bufo japonicus , one of its prey, which produces the toxins. Tiger snakes in areas without toads (e.g. on Kinkazan Island) do not have bufadienolides. These are the results of American-Japanese research led by Deborah Hutchinson (Old Dominion University, Virginia).
In addition to bufadienolides, thrombin- activating substances can also be detected, but these are produced by the snake itself. They bring about a procoagulative (blood coagulation-promoting) effect of the toxin mixture, whereby the body's own coagulation factors are used up and thus the coagulation ability of the blood is ultimately reduced. There is a specifically effective antivenin (Anti-Yamakagashi Antivenom, Japan Snake Institute), which acts against the coagulation disorders within a few hours. The poison of the tiger snake may also contain hemorrhagins, which could lead to internal bleeding.
Bite accidents with people are common, but rarely dangerous. Nevertheless, some severe symptoms are to be expected. The symptoms range from local complaints (swelling, pain) to headaches and unconsciousness. Death can result from shock, and rarely from acute kidney failure. At least three deaths can be attributed to the tiger snake.
Way of life
The tiger snake leads a nocturnal and ground-dwelling way of life. It is semi-aquatic, so it spends a lot of time in water. During the day she hides in various hiding places. It feeds primarily on frogs ( anura ). Young snakes in particular also prey on fish . The species reproduces through oviparia (laying eggs). The clutch can contain between 18 and 25 eggs.
Systematics
The genus Rhabdophis was temporarily declared invalid and its species assigned to the genus Natrix , the tiger snake was listed as Natrix tigrina . The genus is now valid again.
Rhabdophis tigrinus is divided into two subspecies:
- Rhabdophis tigrinus tigrinus (Boie, 1826)
- Rhabdophis tigrinus formosanus (Maki, 1931)
Occurrence
The tiger snake is common in southern and western China , eastern Russia , North and South Korea , Taiwan , Vietnam and Japan . Rhabdophis tigrinus formosanus is endemic to Taiwan . The habitat is different wetlands, especially wet meadows, rice fields and vegetation-rich environments near the water.
literature
- Mark O'Shea: Venomous snakes - All kinds of the world in their habitats , Kosmos Verlag, 2006. ISBN 3-440-10619-5 .
- Dr. Dieter Schmidt: Atlas snakes , Nikol-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-86820-011-9 .
- Chris Mattison: Encyclopedia of the Snakes , blv publisher. ISBN 978-3-8354-0360-4 .
- Heinrich Boie: Characteristics of some Japanese amphibians . In: Isis von Oken . tape 19 , 1826, pp. 203-216 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
Web links
- Toxicological Department, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Munich: Rhabdophis spp.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, January 30, 2007, No. 25 / page 32.
- ↑ WCH Clinical Toxinology Resources: Rhabdophis tigrinus
- ↑ a b Rhabdophis tigrinus in The Reptile Database ; Retrieved January 4, 2011.