Habitat: Forests, foothills, high mountains; found from sea level to a height of at least 3000 m: Diet: Mainly small rodents: Venom Fact: Non-venomous: Breeding Season: April-May: Mode of Reproduction: Oviparous (egg laying) Clutch Size: 2 to 6 eggs: Incubation Period: Around 2 months Dawn D. Lopez Garanzuay, thanks! Barns, forests, bamboo thickets, rice fields, dry stone walls, buildings, grasslands, ditches, near water. It is hunted by eagles and raccoon dogs. Rat snakes require a wooden vivarium as their enclosure. Spotted on Jul 11, 2020 Submitted on Jul 11, 2020, and 5 other people favorited this spotting. Other enclosures such as glass terrariums are far too efficient at releasing heat. They come in several color varieties but are typically olive-gray or green, with two to four black stripes running down their body from the top of the head. Rat snakes hibernate for three to four months over winter, and from spring they start mating. The basics: The Japanese Ratsnake is one of the largest and most widely-distributed of Japan’s snakes. It adapts to a wide variety of habitats, including forest edges, marshes, overgrown fields, bamboo thickets, farms, and rocky mountainsides. Japanese Ratsnake(Elaphe climacophora) Housing. Many species also live near human habitation, including urban parks, barns, farms, and more. Distribution of the Rat Snake The exact distribution of these snakes varies based upon the species at hand. We believe that as a really active species, they need big terrariums/vivariums. They can be found near human settlements (sometimes in the ceiling spaces of houses), in barns and in bamboo thickets. Rat snakes are named for one of the things that they like to eat best — rats. This is because wood is an excellent insulator of heat and so a wooden vivarium will make it easier to control the crucial temperatures required inside the habitat. Nature School For Teachers - Fall 2020 Launch! In the central United States, they live in many of the same habitats, but also inhabit grasslands, and the edges of semi-arid desert regions. Rat snakes are not harmful to humans. Hibernate for 3 to 4 months. Rodents, birds and their eggs, lizards, frogs, snakes, squirrels. Hide box. In Japanese it is known as the aodaishō or "blue general". Hibernation Fact. It is a non-venomous snake, and a member of the colubrid family. To be fair, the info is taken directly from the Japan Times website, translated to English. Habitat. The Japanese rat snake (Elaphe climacophora) is a medium-sized snake found throughout the Japanese archipelago (except the far South West). Young snakes have a special scale on the end of their nose called the egg tooth, which they use to break out of their leathery shell. Rat snakes are long and slender; adults grow up to 110-200 cm. Japanese Rat Snake spotted basking on a bamboo pipe in the early morning (5:00 AM), at Zama Yatoyama Park, in Kanagawa, Japan. Housing. * Where to find them: These are the commonest snakes in urban areas all over Japan. Scientific name: Elaphe climacophora. Predators. They come in several color varieties but are typically olive-gray or green, with two to four black stripes running down their body from the top of the head. Scales don’t grow, so snakes have to shed their skin from time to time as they get bigger — you might find the molted skin. We provide at least two hides in... Substrate. Japanese Rat Snake spotted basking on a bamboo pipe in the early morning (5:00 AM), at Zama Yatoyama Park, in Kanagawa, Japan. Although these snakes are very inquisitive they need a suitable hide box. They also eat mice, frogs, birds and bird eggs. These are the common snakes in urban areas all over Japan. a professor of biological sciences at Utah State University who specializes in the biology of snakes Seven to 20 eggs are laid in midsummer and develop for about 60 days before the babies hatch. Diet. They can be found near human settlements (sometimes in the … A global citizen science platform to discover, share and identify wildlife. After eating a large meal, fattened snakes will rest and digest the food over several days. Snakes have special jaws that dislocate when they need to eat really big animals or eggs. Its range extends from the Russian Kurile Islands (Kunashir Island) south through most of Japan to the Ryukyu Islands. Rat snakes are long and slender; adults grow up to 110-200 cm. For this, they are tolerated — even welcomed — by people. They swallow their prey whole, without chewing, often while the animal is still alive. They are most active in the morning and evening, and are as much at home in trees and bushes as on the ground.