SNAKES ARE WAKING UP - WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW [pictures

 Filenews 3 May 2021 - by  Pavlos Neophytou

The months of April and May are the time of year when snakes are more active than ever before. "They wake up from hibernation and seek food and mating. Also the mild temperature during these months help them to move more hours, while in the summer, in the months with very high temperatures, snakes move early in the morning and late afternoon", explains to eyenews the naturalist - researcher and President of the Cyprus Natural Heritage and Biodiversity Association, George Konstantinou, who, among many others, is one of the few experts in Cyprus on reptile issues.

We turned to him to help us solve reasonable questions about snakes and how we should react when we encounter them. In addition to knowledge, he also shares with us interesting photographic and audiovisual material, a product of thousands of hours devoted to the study of flora and fauna. Moreover, the reptiles of Cyprus are included in his very author's work, which is now in the process of being written.

Hemorrhoids nummifer – coin snake

In Cyprus we find 22 different species of reptiles: 11 species of lizards, two species of sea turtles, one freshwater turtle and eight species of snakes. According to Giorgos Konstantinos, snakes are found from the altitude of the sea to the highest peaks of Troodos.

The naturalist - researcher and President of the Cyprus Natural Heritage and Biodiversity Association, Giorgos Konstantinou.

"Of the eight species of snakes in Cyprus, three are poisonous, but only one is dangerous to humans, fine. There are two poisonous ones that are not dangerous.  They are posterior glyphs, i.e. they have their teeth in the back of their mouths and with harmless poison for humans. The reason they have the teeth in the back of their mouth is to put their poison in their victim while they swallow it and paralyze it, so in case of a bite they can't channel the poison," he says.

Macrovipera lebetina - Blunt nosed viper

All snakes are active from spring to autumn. According to the researcher, this is because all reptiles are cold-blooded, i.e. they do not have their own body temperature, such as mammals or birds, and draw the heat they need from the environment to be active. In winter, they go into hibernation. But in Cyprus, due to the mild winter we have, we can meet snakes even in the heart of winter, when it is sunny day.

Typhlops vermicularis – Worm snake

"If we encounter a snake in the fields we don't have to kill it or panic," stresses George Konstantinou. "All we have to do is walk away and leave it alone. Snakes do not attack humans unless they feel their lives are threatened. To get bitten, you have to catch them, accidentally press them or get too close to them. For bite protection it is good, when we are in the fields, to wear tall boots and be careful where we step. When we get too close to a snake, it takes a defensive stance by pulling out a syringe, warning us not to come any closer. But usually the snake with the sight of a man flees. If a snake bites us, and we don't know if it's poisonous, we can look at the bite site: if the snake is non-poisonous at the bite site it will leave a red clock-shaped mark and all we need to do is disinfect that part. On the other hand, if the snake that bit us is poisonous, we will see at the point of biting one or two small holes. In case of such a bite we do not panic and with calm movements, so as not to give the poison a chance to circulate in the blood, we tie the spot above the bite, not too tight not to cause circulation problems, and we go to the nearest hospital. Wherever we are in Cyprus, we have plenty of time to get to the nearest hospital," he says.

Natrix natrix cypriaca - Cypriot water bottle snake

"In case we see a snake in our yard or even in our house there is no need to panic," recommends the naturalist. "If we recognize that the snake is non-venomous and see it in the yard of our house, ignore it and it will leave on its own. Snakes found in populated areas enter from yard to yard in search of food. If the snake enters the house, we notify the Fire Department. The Fire Department has the phones of private individuals who undertake the removal of snakes. However, it should be stressed that snakes rarely enter homes. They come in once, in case of high temperatures, looking for coolness or when they are afraid with the sight of a man, and then they happen to find a door open and get inside. To prevent snakes from entering our backyards, we must keep them clean, i.e. we must not have rubbish, such as stacks of stones, wood, grasses or other objects where reptiles or rodents can find refuge. Also, if we have premises with chickens or other birds, because of the food rodents are attracted, which in turn attract snakes, because, as is known, rodents are food for snakes".

Malpolon insignia - shuttle snake

Snakes are very beneficial for agriculture because, according to George Konstantinou, a large part of their diet consists of rodents, which cause immeasurable damage to humans. That's how they keep the balance of nature. In addition to rodents, they also feed on lizards, birds, frogs, even with other snakes. There is also cannibalism between them, i.e. they also eat snakes of their own kind.

Snakes mate at the end of spring early summer and lay their eggs in mid-summer and hatch in autumn. "In their mating they are immobile with their bodies joined together. Many times we see two snakes behaving strangely, wrapping themselves in each other and rising from the ground, as if dancing. Most people think that what they see is a mating ritual, but that's wrong, in fact what they see is an altercation between two males on territorial territory. This battle is not violent and results in the prevalence of the strongest and the flight of the impossible," he says.

Hierophis cypriensis - Cypriot Whip snake

None of the snakes of Cyprus have a maternal instinct; they lay their eggs in the right place and then leave. As George Konstantinou has observed, their eggs are oval in shape and white in colour. They are soft with membrane, without shell, and hatch with the temperature and humidity of the environment. Immediately after hatching, the snakes can sustain themselves.

"All snakes in Cyprus are protected by law but this law does not apply," says the naturalist, "since we often see on the internet many posing in pictures with killed snakes, which they themselves killed, pretending to be 'heroes, without any consequence'. In general in Cyprus there is a very great phobia about snakes, so people kill them wherever they meet them, observes George Konstantinou. "Of course, this is the fault of many absurd myths, which circulate from generation to generation. We must finally learn to respect the environment and all the animals on the planet. All living things have their purpose and role, as well as the right to life," he stresses.

European cat snake 

The eight species of snakes we have in Cyprus:

1. Macrovipera trobetina (blunt-nosed viper) poisonous – viper

The only danger to man, with wide spread from the coast to the highest peaks of Troodos.

2. Malpolon insignitus (Geoffroy in Savigny, 1827) Eastern Montpellier snake

Rear glyph, carries poison in the back teeth, is harmless to humans, with wide spread from the coast to the highest peaks of Troodos.

3. Cyprus Whip Snake – Hierophis cypriensis (Schatti, 1985) Cypriot snake

We find it in forested areas of Troodos but it seems to have a wider spread. It is an endemic species of Cyprus, i.e. it lives on our island and nowhere else in the world.

4. Grass snake – Natrix natrix cypriaca (Linnadeus, 1758) water snake

It is an endemic sub-species of Cyprus, which is threatened with extinction. It is found in Lake Paralimniou and in a small area at the foot of Troodos.

5. European cat snake - Telescopus fallax (Fleischmann, 1831) 

Rear glyph, carries poison in the back teeth, is harmless to humans with wide spread from the coast to the highest peaks of Troodos.

6. Black Whip Snake (Dolichophis jugularis)  

With wide spread, from the coast to the highest peaks of Troodos.

Black Whip Snake 

7. Hemorrhois nummifer - Coin Snake (Reus, 1833) 

Wide spread from the coast to the Troodos.

8. Typhlops vermicularis (Merrem, 1799) Worm snake

It's a blind snake, living under rocks and dirt. It feeds on ant eggs. It is found mainly in lowland areas.