The rhinoceros ratsnake (''Gonyosoma boulengeri''), also known commonly as the rhinoceros snake, rhino rat snake, and Vietnamese longnose snake, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of nonvenomous ratsnake in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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 ...

. The species is found from northern

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

to southern

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. It has a prominent, distinctive, scaled protrusion on the front of its snout, which has led to its common naming after a

rhinoceros A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

Etymology

The specific name, ''boulengeri'', is in honor of

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger (19 October 1858 – 23 November 1937) was a Belgian-British zoologist who described and gave scientific names to over 2,000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Boulenger was also an active botani ...

Geographic range

''G. boulengeri'' is found in northern Vietnam including

Tam Dao TAM may refer to: Biology * Thioacetamide, an organosulfur compound * Tumor-associated macrophage, a class of immune cells * Transparent Anatomical Manikin, an educational model Technology * Tanque Argentino Mediano, the main battle tank of Arge ...

,''Rhynchophis boulengeri''
. www.schlangenland.de. Retrieved on 2013-01-03. and in southern

. During a 2001 survey, 10 specimens were observed in Yên Bái Province, northern Vietnam.Tordoff et al. (May 2001)
A Rapid Biodiversity Survey of Che Tao Commune, Mu Cang Chai District, Yen Bai Province, Vietnam, Hanoi
note those of its reported species which have IUCN Redlist status, and have no such notes for ''Rhynchophis boulengeri'' which was observed in this report.

Description

The adult size of ''G. boulengeri'' is in total length (including tail). Its scale count includes 19 rows of dorsals at midbody.

Natural history

The rhinoceros ratsnake inhabits

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

rainforests Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...

at elevations between , particularly valleys with streams. It is generally

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the Animal locomotion, locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. Th ...

, and mostly

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

, hunting small

mice A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...

and other

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

s, and perhaps other

vertebrate Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () ( chordates with backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the phylum Chordata, ...

prey. Oviparous, its mating season from April to May may produce five to 10 eggs in a

clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...

. After 60 days' incubation,

hatchling In oviparous biology, a hatchling is a newly hatched fish, amphibian, reptile, or bird. A group of mammals called monotremes lay eggs, and their young are hatchlings as well. Fish Fish hatchlings generally do not receive parental care, similar to ...

s are total length, brownish grey with dark edges on several

dorsal scales In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales In snakes, the ventral scales or gastrosteges are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down t ...

. As they mature, rhinoceros ratsnakes change color to steel grey at about 12–14 months, then to a bluish green or green adult hue at about 24 months. However, a rare few individuals maintain their steel grey

subadult A juvenile is an individual organism that has not yet reached its adult form, sexual maturity or size. Juveniles can look very different from the adult form, particularly in colour, and may not fill the same niche as the adult form. In many o ...

color and do not pass into ordinarily mature color phase. Studies conducted by Bangor University have suggested that the nasal protrusion is used for mating displays in which the males may 'fence' off rivals. Other studies have found little correlation between the use of the nasal protrusion and courtship displays, which may suggest the true function is still unknown. Durso, AM, Bolon, I, Kleinhesselink, AR, Mondardini, MR, Fernandez-Marquez, JL, Gutsche-Jones, F, Gwilliams, C, Tanner, M, Smith, CE, Wüster, W, Grey, F & Ruiz de Castañeda, R 2021, 'Crowdsourcing snake identification with online communities of professional herpetologists and avocational snake enthusiasts', Royal Society Open Science, vol. 8, no. 1, 201273. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.201273

References

External links

*Captive care of rhino ratsnakes (''Rhynchophis boulengeri'' ) from Adam Wilford of AC Snakes, United Kingdo

*Sacha Korell's Natural ''Elaphe'' Collection image gallery for Vietnamese Longnose Snake (''Rhynchophis boulengeri''

*Image: "A rare rhino rat snake (''Rhynchophis boulengeri'' ) emerges from its shell at ZSL London Zoo". Telegraph.co.u

{{Taxonbar, from=Q44208311 Rat snakes Reptiles described in 1897 Reptiles of Vietnam Reptiles of China Snakes of China Snakes of Vietnam Snakes of Asia