It is a poisonous species of the genus Habu in the Viperinae subfamily of the Squamata order of the Reptile class. Classification and morphologySnakes of the Viperidae family, to which the Habu belongs, have short maxillae and well-developed fangs. The abdominal plate is almost equal to the diameter of the body. Snakes of the Viperinae subfamily have pit organs (buccal cavities) that can sense the body temperature of prey, and the genera Habu and Mamushi are known in Southeast Asia. Members of the Habu genus have large, triangular heads that are clearly separated from the slender neck, and the backs are covered with fine scales. The bodies are cylindrical or somewhat flattened, and can be quite elongated like the Habu, or thick and short like the Himehabu. There are about 40 known species in this genus, distributed mainly in Southeast Asia. In Japan, well-known species include the Sakishima Habu of the Yaeyama Islands, the Tokara Habu of the Tokara Islands, and the Himehabu of the Amami and Okinawa Islands, while in southern China, Taiwan and other areas, the Blue Habu and Taiwan Habu are well known. The habu's head is very large and long, triangular, with a blunt snout. Its body is yellow with irregular black-brown markings. However, there are individual and geographic variations in the markings and body color, with some individuals showing silver or red mutations. It is a large species that can reach a total length of 2 to 3 meters. [Asahi Yasutetsu] distributionThe habu snake is found in the Amami and Okinawa islands of the Ryukyu Islands (the Nansei Islands), but it does not live on all islands and is not continuous. It is found on 26 islands, including Amami Oshima, Tokunoshima, Iejima, Okinawa Island, and Kumejima. From the middle of the Tertiary Period onwards, snakes of the genus Habu migrated from Taiwan to the Ryukyu Islands via a land bridge and were widely distributed there. However, because the Tokara Strait had already been established, they were unable to distribute further north. It is believed that after this, crustal movements in this distribution area caused islands to sink below sea level, and that on mainland islands with relatively low mountains, Habu snakes were unable to live there, leading to their current distribution. Thus, the strange distribution of Habu and Habu snakes in the Ryukyu Islands stems from the geological history of the Ryukyu Islands and the ecological distribution of snakes in the past. [Asahi Yasutetsu] EcologyThey are nocturnal, hiding in stone walls, holes in rocks, old graves, etc. during the day, but become active from dusk onwards. Their habitat seems to be particularly limestone areas with many holes that can be used as burrows. They are often active in trees and invade human dwellings, and are most active from around March to November, when they often emerge from their burrows and are often bitten. In winter, they may be found hiding in sugarcane fields, and bites have been seen during harvesting work. It mainly feeds on mice, but occasionally eats birds, lizards, frogs, and non-venomous snakes, and 65 species of vertebrates have been recorded to date. It has the aforementioned cheek cavities on its head, which allow it to accurately detect prey even at night. It has two venom fangs on its upper jaw, which inject venom deep into the skin when bitten. It lays an average of nine eggs every year in July and August. After 40 to 50 days, the young snake uses its egg teeth to make a crack in the egg shell and the eggs hatch. [Asahi Yasutetsu] Habu venomHabu venom is made up mostly of protein and contains many types of enzymes. Its venom is characterized by the intense local inflammation it causes, including bleeding, swelling, and necrosis. In other words, the injured area turns dark purple due to internal bleeding and becomes severely swollen. It also melts muscle tissue, leading to necrosis, so if you are bitten on a limb, it often causes functional disorders. Treatment requires the early injection of "Habu antivenom." In Kagoshima and Okinawa prefectures, there are about 400 cases of snake bites each year, with about 1% of these resulting in death. For this reason, in recent years, outdoor experiments and ecological research have been conducted with the aim of eradicating the snake. In 1910 (Meiji 43), mongooses were introduced as natural enemies in the wild, but there is no clear evidence to date that they have controlled the snake, and rather, there are voices arguing against this. [Asahi Yasutetsu] [Reference] |©Shogakukan "> Clinical signs of snakebite Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend |
爬虫(はちゅう)綱有鱗目(ゆうりんもく)クサリヘビ科の動物。同科マムシ亜科ハブ属に含まれる有毒種である。 分類・形態ハブが属するクサリヘビ科のヘビは、上顎骨(じょうがくこつ)が短く、よく発達した管牙(かんが)を有する。また、腹板はほぼ体の直径に等しい。さらに、マムシ亜科のヘビでは、餌(えさ)動物の体温を感知できるピット器官pit organ(頬窩(きょうか))を有し、東南アジアではハブ属とマムシ属が知られている。ハブ属の仲間の頭部は三角形で大きく、細い頸部(けいぶ)と明瞭(めいりょう)に区分され、背面は細かい鱗(うろこ)で覆われている。胴体は円筒状であるかまたは多少平たく、ハブのようにかなり細長いものと、ヒメハブのように太く短いものとがある。この属には40種ほどが知られており、東南アジアを中心として分布している。日本では、八重山列島(やえやまれっとう)のサキシマハブ、吐噶喇列島(とかられっとう)のトカラハブ、奄美(あまみ)・沖縄諸島のヒメハブなどが、中国南部、台湾そのほかではアオハブやタイワンハブなどが知られる。 ハブの頭部は非常に大きくて長い三角形で、吻縁(ふんえん)は鈍い。体色は、黄色の地に黒褐色の不規則な斑紋(はんもん)がある。しかし、斑紋や体色には個体および地理変異がみられ、なかには銀、赤の変異を示す個体もいる。全長は2~3メートルに達する大形種である。 [新城安哲] 分布ハブは琉球列島(りゅうきゅうれっとう)(南西諸島)の奄美諸島と沖縄諸島に分布しているが、すべての島に生息しているわけではなく不連続になっている。奄美大島、徳之島、伊江島、沖縄島、久米島(くめじま)など26の島々に分布する。 ハブ属のヘビは第三紀の中ごろ以降、陸橋によって台湾から琉球列島へ渡来し、広く分布していた。しかしすでに吐噶喇海峡が成立していたため、それより北には分布することができなかった。以後この分布地域の地殻変動により海面下に沈降した島や、比較的低い山のあった陸島などにはハブが生息できず、現在のような分布の状況になったと考えられている。このように、琉球列島におけるハブおよびハブ属の奇異な分布は、琉球列島の地史、過去におけるヘビ類の生態分布などに由来している。 [新城安哲] 生態夜行性で、日中は石垣、岩の穴、古墓などの中に潜んでいるが、夕方から活発に行動する。生息場所としては、巣穴となりうる穴の多い石灰岩地域がとくに多いようである。樹上で活動したり人家内に侵入することも多く、3月ごろから11月にかけて巣穴から出てよく活動し、この時期には咬症(こうしょう)者も多い。冬季にはサトウキビ畑に隠れている場合があり、収穫作業中の咬症がみられる。 餌はおもにネズミ類であるが、ときに鳥類、トカゲ、カエル、無毒ヘビなどを食べ、これまでに65種の脊椎動物(せきついどうぶつ)が記録されている。頭部には前述の頬窩があり、これで夜間でも餌動物を正確に探知する。毒牙は上顎に2本あり、かまれると毒液が深く注入される。毎年7、8月に平均9卵を産む。40~50日後に、幼蛇は卵歯で卵の殻に裂け目をつけてから孵化(ふか)する。 [新城安哲] ハブ毒ハブ毒はほとんどタンパク質からできており、多種の酵素を含有している。その毒作用は、出血、腫脹(しゅちょう)、壊死(えし)などの激烈な局所炎症をおこすことが特徴である。すなわち、受傷局所は内出血のため暗紫色となり、強く腫(は)れる。また、筋肉組織を融解して壊死に至らしめるので、手足をかまれた場合は機能障害をおこすことも多い。治療には「ハブ抗毒素」を早期に注射する必要がある。 鹿児島、沖縄両県ではそれぞれ本種による咬症が年約400件あり、うち約1%の死亡者がいる。そのため近年、ハブの駆除を目的とした防除の野外実験や生態の研究などが行われている。なお、1910年(明治43)に野外における天敵としてマングースが移入されたが、現在までハブを防除しているとのはっきりした証拠は知られておらず、むしろ否定的な意見が出されている。 [新城安哲] [参照項目] |©Shogakukan"> ヘビ咬症の臨床症状 出典 小学館 日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について 情報 | 凡例 |
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