Fun Japanese Rat Snakes Facts For Kids
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Afraid of snakes? Then let that fear fade away with this. This is all about a non-venomous medium-sized snake named the Japanese rat snake (Elaphe climacophora in Latin)
In Japan, they are commonly called 'aodaisho' or blue general. They come in different colors, mainly olive green, pale yellow, or white.
The adults or the most prominent species among them grow up to 6.5 ft (2 m) long. They can climb trees using their dry or keeled scales. They fill up their tummies with lizards, frogs, and rats.
The hardest part is these snakes are a significant threat to birds and their eggs in their nests. On the other hand, farmers welcome them happily as they control all the rats in their fields.
The white rat snakes are found in the Iwakuni city of Yamaguchi, and the other colors, like yellow and olive green snakes, are found in the mountains of Japan. They are called Iwakuni white snakes for a specific reason. Would you like to know the reason? Continue reading!
Apart from these Japanese rat snakes, we have more exciting content on milk snake facts and boa facts.
Japanese Rat Snakes Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a Japanese rat snake?
Japanese rat snakes (Elaphe climacophora) are snakes of the Colubridae family. There are fifty other different species in this rat snake category. This Colubrid family has around 249 genera, and this rat snake is vast among all the other types in the family.
They also take up the appearance of the venomous snake called Mamushi to help them detect their predators. The beautiful colors of these snakes make them look stunning. They also come in dark blue and are so-called, by its name, blue general.
What class of animal does a Japanese rat snake belong to?
The Japanese rat snake (Elaphe climacophora) belongs to the reptilia class of animals and is found in the Kunashir islands.
How many Japanese rat snakes are there in the world?
It is tough to evaluate the exact population count in number for this rat snake species in its natural habitat.
Where does a Japanese rat snake live?
These species live in woodlands, farmlands, and forests.
What is a Japanese rat snake's habitat?
These rat snake Elaphe species are found around the Japanese islands and the Russian island of Kunashir. These rat snakes live near houses, barns, buildings, and urban areas where humans settle. However, many of them are also found near forests, fields, and grasslands.
Who do Japanese rat snakes live with?
They live in packs with other snake species. But one must be careful during their feeding times to check they don't start eating the same birds, rodents or mice, or rats or lizards. Like other animals of similar species, they are very active in the early morning and evening hours of the day.
How long does a Japanese rat snake live?
Japanese rat snake species live approximately for about 10-15 years.
How do they reproduce?
Reproduction in snakes is oviparous. Japanese rat snake's reproduction is dioecious.
These snakes of Kunashir island off Japan hibernate for three to four months. They then mate in the spring.
The males use pheromones to attract their females. Once he gets his partner, he collides around her and won't allow her to move. When the bodies are aligned well, his hemipenis is ejected into her cloaca, a process that lasts for few hours.
The female rat snake starts laying eggs after the gestation period (in the early summer). The range of eggs they lay is around seven to twenty.
What is their conservation status?
As of the current records, they are not considered in the endangered category, but they may fall under this status due to human interruptions. So when they search for the conservation status of these rat snakes conservation status, the related results show it in the Least Concern category of IUCN.
Japanese Rat Snake Fun Facts
What do Japanese rat snakes look like?
These snake species are the largest in Japan outside Okinawa. They come in shades of dark blue-green to pale yellow-green. The younger ones carry a brown-stripe pattern similar to the venomous Mamushi snake.
How cute are they?
They are the beautiful, tiny, cute, prettiest reptile on Kunashir island. The baby rat snakes come in yellow or olive greenish colors and are very friendly.
How do they communicate?
These reptiles are very active and give out a unique voice while raising alarms when they are in danger.
How big is a Japanese rat snake?
Adults can grow up to 79 in (200.6 cm) in length. They attain 71 in (180.3 cm) in total length at the age of 10 years.
How fast can a Japanese rat snake move?
The actual speed of a Japanese rat snake cannot be predicted. However, the non-venomous Japanese rat snakes can move at very high speeds. They move just like other serpents move. That is in s-shaped side motion. They move with the help of the curved scales under their body.
How much does a Japanese rat snake weigh?
They weigh approximately around 6.6 lb (3 kg).
What are the male and female names of the species?
They are called male rat snakes and female rat snakes.
What would you call a baby Japanese rat snake?
The baby of a Japanese rat snake is called a juvenile or a snakelet. The baby snakelets are yellow or olive greenish and have a specific pigmentation pattern.
What do they eat?
These semi-arboreal rat snakes eat small animals as their food. Small birds fall under the primary source of food they eat. Their food menu includes rodents, mice, frogs, lizards. At the same time, they make a good meal for eagles, raccoon dogs, and vultures.
Are they poisonous?
No. Not at all. They are non-venomous or non-poisonous snakes. However, they are a threat to chickens. A rat snake can kill a chicken, and because of this particular character, they are called chicken snakes. They mostly kill chicks and sometimes even adult hens, mainly for their eggs. These snakes enter their coops and attack them mainly for food.
Would they make a good pet?
No is the best answer, but they would make a perfect pet for farmers because these snakes are great as rat controllers!
Did you know...
They are called Iwakuni white snakes because they are respected or treated as the messengers of deities, and they bring good luck to the people. They are also considered the guardians of mountains and rivers.
The safest albino is living near Iwakuni's village, so the Japanese government declared it as a National Monument in 1924. Therefore, in the search for albino-related specimens, Iwakuni white snakes remain safe.
How was the interesting fact about this Japanese rat snake? They are just snakes but treated with complete respect.
Can a rat snake hurt you?
It is a non-venomous snake that cannot hurt humans. Therefore, they don't pose any threat to humans. Instead, they have a very tiny soft, slightly bent tooth to trap the prey.
What is the difference between a king snake and a rat snake?
The main difference one could find is with the skin. For example, a king snake has completely smooth scales, whereas a rat snake has a ridge in the central part of its scales along its back.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other snakes from our black mamba facts and worm snake facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable rat snake coloring pages.
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