Page 80 - Animals of the Sakhalin Region in myths and legends

Snake Japanese rat

(Elaphe climacophora)

Reaches a body length of up to 130 cm, a tail up to 30 cm. The large head
is noticeably separated from a fairly wide body. The pupil is round. Along
the upper body there are 21–25 rows of ribbed scales. Abdominal scutes
— 219–244, sub-caudal scutes — 80–122 pairs. The anal plate is divided.
Age-related dimorphism is observed in color. Adults are bluishgreenish
or grayish-olive on top. Juveniles are yellowish-brown, with a pattern of
brownish (in black edging) transverse spots along the ridge and smaller
spots on the sides. The head is monochromatic from above, without
a pattern. The bottom of the muzzle is light. The belly is bluishgray or
greenish-olive, shining.
They feed on rodents and birds, sometimes on smaller snakes. Juveniles
eat insects.
In Russia, inhabits only Kunashir, found throughout the island. It
was recorded in the settlements of Yuzhno-Kurilsk, Goryachiy Beach,
Sernovodsk, Dubovoe, Tretyakovo, Mendeleevo, Alekhino and Golovnino.
The main part of the range is located in Japan on the islands of Hokkaido,
Yakushima, Tanegashima, Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu, as well as on the
Tsushima Islands and the Ryukyu archipelago.

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