The first meaning of the term bastard mentioned by the DigoPaul in its dictionary refers to one that declines from its natural origin, that does not know it or that does not correspond to it.
Derived from the old French bast, the concept usually refers to the descendant of a couple that is not united through marriage. A bastard is also the illegitimate descendant of a known man and the individual whose father is uncredited.
In other words, bastard is an illegitimate child or whose parent is unknown. Traditionally, whether on a social or legal level, bastard children always received worse treatment than legitimate children.
Let’s suppose that Mario is married to Laura and that Rubén is Martina’s husband. Beyond this formal bond, Mario and Martina are lovers. As a result of this extramarital relationship, Claudio was born. It can be said, therefore, that Claudio is the bastard son of Mario and Martina.
A child whose father is not identified is also called a bastard and, therefore, does not assume the obligations inherent in paternity. If a woman becomes pregnant after rape and the person responsible for this crime is never caught, the descendant of the victim is a bastard child.
A snake of great size a boa, the candle they used certain vessels in antiquity, a kind of lime used by locksmiths and a type of sword are other notions that are called bastard or illegitimate.
Bastard, finally, is an insult: “Don’t be a bastard and give me back the money”, “You’re a fucking bastard! I will never forgive you for what you have done to my son ”, “ That bastard José thinks he can deceive us, but he will have no luck ”.
The bastard snake
Scientific name Malpolon monspessulanus, the bastard snake is a scaly reptile belonging to the family called Colubridae. Its teeth, grooved and capable of inoculating venom, are found in the posterior area of the oral cavity, for which this snake is classified as an opisthglyph. It is worth mentioning that it does not represent a danger to our species.
The adult males of the bastard snake can measure more than 2 meters in length, although in general their length is shorter; however, in exceptional cases extensions greater than 2.55 meters have been recorded. This data makes it the largest snake species on the European continent.
Of its total length, its tail represents about a quarter. The color of its back is brownish or greenish, generally uniform, with a series of blackish spots in the anterior third and a yellowish section in the lower parts.
The shape of its head is very particular, since its eyes are very large and have protruding supraocular scales, which resemble eyebrows that make its gaze especially threatening. With respect to the scales on the back, they have arches and are smooth, and form almost two dozen rows in the central part of the body, with a maximum number of 189 scales on the belly.
It is estimated that the bastard snake arose in the Maghreb, the westernmost region of the Arab World, and that it migrated to the southwest of the European continent approximately one hundred thousand years ago (calculations suggest that the most remote date could be 168,000 years ago, while the most recent, 83,000 years ago).
Regarding its behavior, it is not a very climbing snake, but prefers contact with the ground, it is very fast and aggressive. Its diet is based on small mammals, lizards and birds, although it can practice cannibalism. During the breeding period, the female can lay up to 18 eggs.
