Elaphe conspicillata
Encyclopedia
The Japanese Forest Rat Snake, Elaphe conspicillata reaches 70 to 100 centimeters in length. The Japanese
name, jimuguri, roughly translates to "the burrower". The Forest Rat Snake is closely related to Euprepiophis mandarinus, the Mandarin Rat Snake.
, including some smaller outlying islands, as well as Kunashir Island
(territory disputed between Japan
and Russia
).
However, all published taxonomy remains a taxonomic suggestion until ruled on by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN - http://www.iczn.org/), but the body has so far not supported the change and has not addressed the taxonomic suggestion, thus the official taxonomy remains Elaphe.
activity patterns. The Forest Rat Snake may completely cease surface activity from mid-late summer when conditions become too hot and/or dry. Principal prey items are small rodents, and the snakes often use the rodent burrows for shelter.
As the common names suggest, this species is fossorial, and is normally associated with forested areas. Occurs from sea level to at least 3000m.
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
name, jimuguri, roughly translates to "the burrower". The Forest Rat Snake is closely related to Euprepiophis mandarinus, the Mandarin Rat Snake.
Distribution
Elaphe conspicillatus is native to all four main islands of JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, including some smaller outlying islands, as well as Kunashir Island
Kunashir Island
Kunashir Island , possibly meaning Black Island or Grass Island in Ainu, is the southernmost island of the Kuril Islands, which are controlled by Russia and claimed by Japan ....
(territory disputed between Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
).
Taxonomy
In recent years there has been some taxonomic controversy over the genera of rat snakes. Based on mitochondrial DNA, Utiger et al. (2002) argued for a splintering of the genus Elaphe and suggested a reworking of the genera.However, all published taxonomy remains a taxonomic suggestion until ruled on by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN - http://www.iczn.org/), but the body has so far not supported the change and has not addressed the taxonomic suggestion, thus the official taxonomy remains Elaphe.
Natural history
The Japanese Forest Rat Snake can be found surface active at any hour, but they most often show crepuscularCrepuscular
Crepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight, that is during dawn and dusk. The word is derived from the Latin word crepusculum, meaning "twilight." Crepuscular is, thus, in contrast with diurnal and nocturnal behavior. Crepuscular animals may also be active on a bright...
activity patterns. The Forest Rat Snake may completely cease surface activity from mid-late summer when conditions become too hot and/or dry. Principal prey items are small rodents, and the snakes often use the rodent burrows for shelter.
As the common names suggest, this species is fossorial, and is normally associated with forested areas. Occurs from sea level to at least 3000m.