''Elaphe schrenckii'' 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 snake in the

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

Colubridae. The species is indigenous to

Northeast Asia Northeast Asia or Northeastern Asia is a geographical subregion of Asia; its northeastern landmass and islands are bounded by the Pacific Ocean. The term Northeast Asia was popularized during the 1930s by American historian and political scient ...

Common names

Common names for ''E. schrenckii'' include Amur rat snake, Manchurian black racer, Manchurian black water snake, Russian rat snake, Schrenck's rat snake, and Siberian rat snake.

Taxonomy

''E. schrenckii'' is very similar to the Korean rat snake, '' E. anomala'', which was once thought to be a subspecies of ''E. schrenckii'' and was classified as ''E. schrenckii anomala''.

Etymology

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

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and d ...

Leopold von Schrenck Peter Leopold von Schrenck (russian: Леопольд Иванович фон Шренк; 1826 – 8 January 1894) was a Russian zoologist, geographer and ethnographer. Biography Schrenck came from a Baltic German family, and was born and b ...

.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Elaphe schrenckii'', p. 238).

Conservation

The species ''E. schrenckii'' has not been assessed by the IUCN but is on the China Species Red List with a classification of "Vulnerable VU A2a". It is an officially protected species in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

and

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

Geographic range

Endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to Northeast Asia, ''E. schrenckii'' is found in China,

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

, and

. It occurs in Russia and China, to the east to Chabarowsk in the

Amur region Amur Oblast ( rus, Аму́рская о́бласть, r=Amurskaya oblast, p=ɐˈmurskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located on the banks of the Amur and Zeya Rivers in the Russian Far East. The administrativ ...

, west to the Chingan mountains, and north to Manchuria (Northeastern China). The common name, Russian rat snake, is misleading as only a small portion of the geographic range of ''E. schrenckii'' is in Russia. Nikolski AM (1916). ''Fauna of Russia and Adjacent Countries, Reptiles, Vol. II''. Israel Progr. for Sc. Translations, Jerusalem. It has been reported from Chinese provinces of Jilin, Heilongjian, and the Quingyuan area of Liaoning. (Ji Daming e.a., 1985).Ji Daming et al. (1985). "Studies on ''Elaphe schrenki'' of China". ''Acta Herpetologica Sinica'' 4 (3): 239-246. In the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

the species occurs as an introduced exotic around Groningen airport near

Eelde Eelde () is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Tynaarlo, and lies about 9 km south of Groningen. Groningen Airport Eelde is located near the village. Eelde was a separate municipality until 1998, when ...

, where it was first seen in the mid nineteen nineties. Reportedly, pet snakes were released into the wild by someone who did not expect that they would survive the winter. However, the snakes which were hardier than expected bred, and the species is now gradually increasing its range."''Russische rattenslang gedijt goed in Eelde''"
RTV Noord, 20 February 2016. (in Dutch).

Habitat

As one common name, Manchurian black water snake, suggests, this species inhabits fairly moist biotopes such as forest clearings, scrub, farmland, hiding amongst cavities in trees, piles of stone or wood, and when threatened can flee up a tree or into the water. ''E. schrencki'' has been noted up to high in trees. This species occurs up to altitude and can live in cooler areas than many other snakes.Petzold HG (1976). "Elaphe schrenki, ''Amurnatter'' ". ''AT-Terrarienlex'' 23 (2): 7. (in German).

Description

''E. schrenckii'' can reach a total length (including tail) of . It is among the largest and most robust of all the rat snake species. It varies greatly in colouration, from creme saddles to dark brown saddles. Many captive bred specimens have been line bred to produce clean yellow saddles. The northern, darker, is the most common variety. This species has 200-236

ventral scales In snakes, the ventral scales or gastrosteges are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down the underside of the body from the neck to the anal scale. When counting them, the first is the anteriormost ventral scale that cont ...

, 55-78 subcaudal scales, and 21-23 rows of

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 ...

Behavior

''E. schrenckii'' feeds primarily on small mammals, birds, and bird eggs. It is often found in wetlands, but also found in a wide variety of mainly moist environments such as scrub land, farmland, river banks, swamp land, gardens, stones, log piles, forests, and up in trees. The Manchurian black water snake is an excellent swimmer (hence one common name) and is a very good climber, as it is semi-arboreal. This snake is believed to be mostly crepuscular (active only at dawn and dusk).

Reproduction

Adult females of ''E. schrenckii'' lay from 6 to 30 eggs in June or July. They may retain their eggs for a time, as they may deposit them in a well-advanced state. Eggs usually hatch within 40 days.

References

External links

Mongolian Red List of Reptiles and Amphibians. Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, NW1 4RY, 2006

Ratsnake Foundation - E. schrencki,2012

Photo
{{Authority control Snakes of Asia Elaphe Reptiles of China Reptiles of Korea Reptiles of Mongolia Reptiles of Russia Fauna of Siberia Taxa named by Alexander Strauch Reptiles described in 1873