The blotched snake (''Elaphe sauromates''), a member of the Colubrinae subfamily of the family

Colubridae Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on ever ...

, is a nonvenomous snake found in

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...

. It grows up to 260 cm (8' 6") in length but the medium is 120 to 160 cm. It is one of the largest European snakes. The species has been of cultural and historical significance for its role in ancient Greek and Roman

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

and derived

symbol A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...

ism. For symbolism of the blotched snake, see Serpent (symbolism).

References

* * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q5088411 Elaphe Reptiles described in 1814 Reptiles of Europe