Japanese Rat Snake

A Japanese Rat Snake reaching up to 2m.

Scientific name	Elaphe climacophora
English name	Japanese Rat Snake
Japanese name	青大将
Class	Reptilia
Order	Squamata
Family	Colubridae
Genus	Elaphe
Species	climacophora
Full length	100-200cm
Distribution	Inhabits all of Japan.

Japanese Rat Snake Characteristics and Morphology

The largest snake in mainland Japan, with large individuals reaching a total length of about 200cm. The entire body is a dull green or olive color, with dark brown longitudinal stripes.
The head is angular, and there are black streaks behind the eyes.

Juvenile

The body color of juveniles is close to gray.
They have brown lattice patterns and resemble the Japanese Pit Viper (Mamushi).

Japanese Rat Snake Ecology

Habitat

Forests, parks, and grasslands throughout Japan. Also seen in irrigation canals and warehouses near human dwellings.

Food

Diurnal; feeds on rodents and birds in trees or on the ground surface.

Life Cycle

Breeds from spring to summer and is said to live for over 10 years.

Japanese Rat Snake Photos

Japanese Rat Snake Photos are introduced.
Tap the photo to open the detail page.

It was climbing a wall from the Yudono River.

Dark brown longitudinal stripes run faintly along the body.

The tongue ranges from flesh-colored to purple.

It raises its head to move to a distant branch.

Japanese Rat Snake Behavior

They skillfully climb trees and walls by hooking their ventral keels (lateral ridges on the belly). They also occasionally swim in water.

Japanese Rat Snake Information

Naming

The scientific name "climacophora" means "bearing a ladder/lattice," which is thought to derive from the patterns on the backs of juveniles. The Japanese name "Aodaishou" represents its large, "blue" (which meant green in old Japanese) appearance. The English name "Rat Snake" comes from its diet of rodents.

Relationship with Humans

They have had a long relationship with humans. They were considered beneficial animals because they eat rats, while also being feared for occasionally eating domestic birds.

The White Snakes of Iwakuni

In Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, albino versions of the Japanese Rat Snake are protected as objects of faith known as the "White Snakes of Iwakuni" and are designated as a National Natural Monument.

Japanese Rat Snake Found Locations

Yudono River, Hachioji City

I discovered one inside the Yudono River in Hachioji City. Watching from above, it skillfully climbed the concrete wall along the river by following a groove. It was a large individual about 150cm in total length. It flicked its tongue occasionally.

In the sun by the edge of a forest

I found an individual about 150cm long in a sunny clearing within a forest in Hachioji City. It quickly slithered away into the bushes and coiled around a tree. It hooked its body onto a branch and raised the first few dozen centimeters of its head to survey the surroundings.