Is it possible to meet a viper in winter, explained Volgograd

In winter, vipers fall into torpor and do not hunt en masse. But in warm winters with thaws, individual individuals are able to briefly leave shelters – however, this is only a short-term awakening, and not a full-fledged activity. This was reported by RIA Novosti biologist Dmitry Safonov.

To survive the cold, snakes begin to prepare from the end of summer: actively eat and store fat. Without sufficient supplies, the snake may die. Gradually, they become slow, more often bask in the sun and less often go hunting.

Villains are looking for a variety of hideouts - burrows of rodents, cracks in the ground, voids under the roots, piles of firewood. Sometimes they crawl into basements and cellars. They winter in groups, woven into tangles in which you can count several dozen individuals.

According to the agency, the shelter should be dry and not freeze below zero for six to eight months. Therefore, snakes hibernate at a depth of two meters, where the temperature is kept on average at plus two or four degrees.

“In warm winters with thaws, individuals may even briefly crawl out of shelters. But this is not their full-fledged activity, but a brief awakening, this can occur. In winter, vipers do not hunt. That is, if the winter is protracted, cold, they are simply in a torpor until spring, Safonov said.