Meadow otter
| Meadow otter | ||||||||||||
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Meadow viper ( Vipera ursinii macrops ) |
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| Vipera ursinii | ||||||||||||
| ( Bonaparte , 1835) |
The meadow viper ( Vipera ursinii ) is a poisonous Eurasian snake , other names for this snake species are pointed-head adder and karst-otter .
features
With a body length of around half a meter, adult meadow otters are the smallest venomous snakes in Europe . Their physique is relatively slim compared to other vipers, their body color is usually brown or gray or dark green or yellow, the back is mostly patterned (similar to the adder ) with a black zigzag band surrounded by a light band. Because of their keeled scales, the meadow otter feels rough to the touch.
distribution
The meadow viper is one of the most endangered species in Europe; it is currently still found in central Italy , the southern Balkans , Hungary and western France . But the populations in Hungary, Bulgaria and France are on the verge of extinction. The cause of danger is the draining of wet meadows by people; as a result, it is also considered to be extinct in Austria : The last reliable evidence was from 1973, several methodical searches in the theoretically suitable habitats in Lower Austria and Burgenland were unsuccessful. While the distribution of the Hungarian meadow otter V. u. rakosiensis formerly extended from Austria via Hungary to Transylvania and northern Bulgaria, today it only occurs in small populations in the Hungarian lowlands between the Danube and Tisza and in the Fertő-Hanság National Park .
Way of life
The meadow otter feeds mainly on grasshoppers and crickets, occasionally lizards, frogs and young mice are also on their menu. The meadow otter is ovoviviparous , i.e. it gives birth to life.
Depending on the habitat, the subspecies can be divided into two groups, which is also reflected in the German names: The meadow otters Vipera u. rakonsiensis and Vipera et al. moldavica prefer warm, moist meadows and alluvial land as habitat. The meadow otter occurs almost exclusively in the lowlands. The karst otters Vipera u. ursinii , Vipera, etc. graeca and Vipera u. macrops live in the subalpine area at 1000 to 2400 meters above sea level and rarely reach a body length of more than 45 cm.
Taxonomy
Within the family of the vipers (Viperidae) the meadow otter belongs to the genus of the real otters ( Vipera ). It was first described by Bonaparte in 1835 as Pelias ursinii . In 1893, Boulenger classified them as Vipera ursinii among the real otters.
After Nilson and Andrén revised the system in 2001, a distinction is made between the following subspecies:
- Vipera et al. ursinii - Central Italy
- Vipera et al. macrops - Balkans
- Vipera et al. rakosiensis ( Hungarian meadow viper ) - Hungary to Romania
- Vipera et al. graeca - Greece
- Vipera et al. moldavica - Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova
The previously differentiated subspecies Vipera u. wettsteini (Central France) is usually the nominate form Vipera u. ursinii assigned. The subspecies Vipera u. anatolica (southern Turkey) is now declared as an independent species Vipera anatolica . The same applies to the subspecies Vipera u. eriwanensis - today Armenian meadow otter ( Vipera eriwanensis ) - and Vipera u. renardi - today steppe viper ( Vipera renardi ). The subspecies Vipera u. Introduced by Knöpfner and Sochurek in 1955 . ebneri is now mostly synonymous with Vipera eriwanensis.
Poison
Due to its small size, the meadow viper has the smallest venom glands of all European vipers. The poison itself has been proven to be extremely effective. It is significantly stronger than that of related species from the European range. Nevertheless, due to the small amount of poison alone, bites from humans lead to relatively mild symptoms of poisoning. The little viper's bite is compared to the sting of a wasp. However, as with this one, a serious illness is to be expected if the organism of the person concerned has an allergic reaction or secondary infections occur.
Species protection and endangerment
The meadow viper is under nature protection in many countries, the trade with this snake is practically forbidden under the Washington Convention on the Protection of Species : All European populations are listed under Appendix 1 and are accordingly specially protected. The Habitats Directive lists the meadow otters in Appendix II and IV, i.e. as a species to be strictly protected, for which special protected areas must be designated. V. u. rakosiensis is classified as a priority due to its acute threat. In Germany it is strictly protected by the Federal Nature Conservation Act.
Several EU LIFE + projects are currently trying to protect them, for example in Hungary.
The species is classified as "critically endangered" (CR) in the Austrian Red List .
literature
- Benny Trapp: Amphibians and reptiles of the Greek mainland. Natur und Tier - Verlag, Münster 2007, ISBN 978-3-86659-022-9 , pp. 18-21 and 254-257.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Vipera ursinii in the Red List of Endangered Species of the IUCN 2010. Posted by: Ulrich Joger, Jelka Crnobrnja Isailovic, Milan Vogrin, Claudia Corti, Bogoljub Sterijovski, Alexander Westerström, László Krecsák, Valentin Pérez Mellado, Paulo Sá-Sousa, Marc Cheylanousa Juan M. Pleguezuelos, Roberto Sindaco, 2008.
- ↑ Werner Kammel: On the situation of the meadow viper, Vipera ursinii rakosiensis (Méhely, 1894) (Squamata: Serpentes: Viperidae), in Lower Austria . In: Herpetozoa . tape 5 . Vienna August 1992, p. 3-11 .
- ↑ Werner Kammel: On the situation of the meadow viper, Vipera ursinii rakosiensis (MEHELY, 1894), and the Pannonian mountain lizard, Lacerta vivipara pannonica LAC & KLUCH, 1968, in Burgenland (Austria) . In: Herpetozoa . tape 5 . Vienna December 1992, p. 109-118 .
- ↑ Beata Ujvari, Thomas Madsen and Mats Olsson: Discrepancy in mitochondrial and nuclear polymorphism in meadow vipers (Vipera ursinii) questions the unambiguous use of mtDNA in conservation studies . In: Amphibia-Reptilia . No. 26 , 2005, pp. 287-292 ( PDF, 0.1 MB ).
- ^ Kreiner: The Snakes of Europe. 2007, pp. 269, 272ff.
- ^ Paul Edgar, David R. Bird: Action Plan for the Conservation of the Meadow Viper (Vipera ursinii) in Europe . In: T-PVS / Inf . No. November 21 , 2006, pp. 9 .
- ^ G. Nilson, C. Andrén: The meadow and steppe vipers of Europe and Asia - the Vipera (Acridophaga) ursinii complex . In: Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae . No. 47 , 2001, p. 87-267 .
- ↑ Guido Kreiner: The Snakes of Europe - All Species from West of the Caucasus Mountains. Chimaira Buchhandelsgesellschaft, Frankfurt am Main 2007, ISBN 978-3-89973-475-1 , pp. 268-284.
- ^ Kreiner: The Snakes of Europe. 2007, p. 272.
- ^ Kreiner: The Snakes of Europe. 2007, p. 280.
- ↑ Bilal Kutrup, Ufuk Bülbül, Nurhayat Yilmaz: On the Distribution and Morphology of the Steppe Viper, Vipera eriwanensis (REUSS, 1933), from Gavur Mountain (Gümüflhane). ( Memento of the original from February 19, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 196 kB) In: Turk J Zool. 2005.
- ^ Dieter Glandt: Pocket dictionary of the amphibians and reptiles of Europe. All types from the Canary Islands to the Urals . Quelle and Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2010, ISBN 978-3-494-01470-8 , pp. 588-589.
- ↑ The Reptile Database: Vipera renardi ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ The Reptile Database: Vipera ursinii ( Memento of the original from July 3, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Washington Convention on the Protection of Species, Appendix I, II and III . As of May 22, 2009.
- ^ Scientific information system for international species protection: Taxon Information . As of July 2009.
- ↑ Best LIFE Nature Projects 2007-2008. (PDF; 2.3 MB) p. 18.
- ↑ Hungarian meadow otter LIFE program
- ^ Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management (Ed.): Red Lists of Endangered Animals Austria. Checklists, risk analyzes, need for action. Part 2: reptiles, amphibians, fish, moths, molluscs Böhlau Verlag, Vienna 2007, ISBN 978-3-205-77478-5
