In the middle of the trip in Eilat, a snake preyed on a tortoise.

And there is also documentation

As part of a trip to the Eilat mountains, female volunteers collected waste and saw a white spot on a bush.

Only when they got closer did they recognize that it was the predation of a sub-venomous snake of the Egyptian four-line type that swallows a loggerhead turtle.

"We found ourselves captivated," they say, and one of them also managed to record

Ziv Reinstein

25/07/2022

Monday, July 25, 2022, 07:54 Updated: 08:07

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A distinctive four-line snake in Eilat (photo: Naama Ben Ami Fisher, Society for the Protection of Nature)

Olga Rybak, an employee of the Nature and Parks Authority, who is responsible for the day-to-day activities of the volunteers at the Sea Turtle Rescue Center of the Nature and Parks Authority, had the privilege of seeing and documenting the incredible sight of a sub-venomous four-lined Egyptian snake swallowing a sea turtle.

Olga saw the special sight as part of a private trip she conducted in Nahal Shlomo, in the Eilat Mountains Nature Reserve, together with other volunteers from the sea turtle rescue center.

Olga says that "as part of the trip we took to the reserve, we also collected waste from the area for nature conservation and Shaked Ofer, a volunteer at the Sea Turtle Rescue Center of the Nature and Parks Authority who was traveling with me, drew my attention at a certain point of the trip to some white spot on a bush that she saw from afar. At first we thought it was in the debris. We raised binoculars from a distance towards the bush and then recognized that it was a snake that was eating another animal. We approached the bush while maintaining a distance of several meters and then we already recognized the snake trying to swallow the loggerhead turtle. Part of the head of the loggerhead was already inside the snake's body. We found the We ourselves are captivated by the special sight for several minutes in which the snake tries with all its might to swallow the snake whole. Without a doubt, this is a special sight of wild nature that we were blessed with."

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An Egyptian four-line snake swallows the gorse (Photo: Nature and Parks Authority, Olga Rybak)

"Part of the snake's head was already inside the snake's body" (Photo: Nature and Parks Authority, Olga Rybak)

There are not many recorded sightings of the snake

According to Yoel Evron, a snake expert, certified trapper and volunteer at the Nature and Parks Authority, "The Egyptian four-line snake is a sub-venomous snake, one of the nine sub-venomous snakes in Israel. It is quite rare, its distribution is in the Arabah and therefore there are not many documented sightings of it. In the past it has been identified With the four, there is a distinct line, but its body is longer. Its body color is yellowish brown or rusty. It is an agile snake whose diet consists of lizards, rodents and birds that are hunted during the chase."

Evron adds that, "A sub-venomous snake has venom teeth in the back of the jaw, so it is unable to bite and accordingly is not dangerous to humans. The rear venom teeth, through which it injects venom into the body of the preyed animal, are designed to help it speed up the digestion process when the venom helps break down the meat ".

According to Dotan Rotem, an open areas ecologist at the Nature and Parks Authority, "The Egyptian four-tailed snake is a special snake that is found in Israel only in the Eilat mountains and south of the Arava. It is a snake that is active during the day and uses a hunting strategy of fast movement and capturing the prey compared to 'heavier' snakes that use the strategy of Sitting in ambush and leaping, or quickly striking the prey. Its limited distribution in Israel makes it a rare species in our region, although its global distribution also extends to the deserts of North Africa. The snake in the picture hunting a loggerhead turtle is also a species found in Israel only in the Eilat mountains. Such a meal can provide a snake with food for several weeks and under certain conditions even for months."

More in Walla!

Snake season has begun;

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To the full article

An Egyptian snake is one of the nine sub-venomous snakes in Israel (Photo: Israel Nature and Parks Authority, Olga Rybak)

Out of 42 species of snakes in Israel, only 9 are venomous

The Nature and Parks Authority mentions that in Israel there are about 42 species of snakes and all of them are protected natural values ​​that must not be harmed.

Most snakes are not dangerous to humans, while only 9 species of snakes in Israel are poisonous.

The venom is used by them to hunt or to defend against attackers.

Snakes get a bad name and are associated with traits such as cruelty and cunning, but the truth is different: snakes are very important in maintaining the functioning of the ecosystem in which they live, and they are very helpful in limiting the proliferation of rodents and other pests.

If you come across a snake as part of a nature trip, it is important to keep your distance from it, not disturb it and enjoy a safe observation.

If a snake enters your house or yard, contact Moked 106 or order a licensed snake catcher from the list of licensed snake catchers, which appears on the website of the Nature and Parks Authority.

A qualified trapper will make sure to keep the snake alive and return it to its natural place at the end of the capture.

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