Island climbing snake

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Island climbing snake
Elaphe climacophora

Elaphe climacophora

Systematics
Subordination : Snakes (serpentes)
Superfamily : Colubroidea
Family : Adders (Colubridae)
Subfamily : Real snakes (Colubrinae)
Genre : Climbing snakes ( Elaphe )
Type : Island climbing snake
Scientific name
Elaphe climacophora
( Boie , 1826)

The island climbing snake or Japanese climbing snake ( Elaphe climacophora , Japanese ア オ ダ イ シ ョ ウ Aodaishō ) is a species of snake from the climbing snake genus that is common in Japan. The species is partially tree-dwelling and feeds mainly on birds, their eggs and small mammals. The city of Iwakuni has had a population of white island climbing snakes since the Edo period , worshiped and protected as ambassadors of the gods and good luck charms.

Characteristics and way of life

Island climbing snakes are generally 150–160 cm in length, but can reach up to 2 meters. This makes them one of the largest species on the main Japanese islands. The island climbing snake is referred to in Japanese as the "large green-blue snake" ( Aodaishō ). The actual color is dull green or olive with dark brown vertical stripes, but some individuals can also look bluish green. The head is slightly angular and there are black stripes behind the eyes. The body color of young animals is almost gray, with a brown grid pattern, similar to the smaller, poisonous Mamushi .

The island climbing snakes, on the other hand, are harmless because they are non-toxic and only attack when they feel threatened. The snakes are found in numerous habitats, both in the mountains and in flat areas, forests and near river beds. The island climbing snakes can also swim and are partly tree-dwelling. They are commonly seen in grassy areas, populated areas such as parks, and irrigation ditches. They prey on birds, their eggs and small mammals, as well as lizards and frogs. The breeding season is from May to June and the females lay between 4 and 17 eggs in July to August.

  • Young animal with a gray-brown pattern

  • Head and scales of an island climbing snake

  • Island climbing snakes copulating in trees, end of May

Systematics, history of distribution and endangerment

Island Climbing Snake (Earth)
reference = [[Kunashir]]
Kunashir
Hokkaido
Honshu
Shikoku
Kyushu
reference = [[Yakushima]]
Yakushima
reference = [[Tanegashima]]
Tanegashima
reference = [[Tsushima (island) | Tsushima]]
Tsushima
Ryukyu Islands
reference = [[Iwakuni]]
Iwakuni
Distribution areas of the island climbing snake
  • Vulnerable population
  • Protected white snakes
    •

    The island climbing snake is a type of climbing snake ( Elaphe ). It was first described in 1826 by the German zoologist Heinrich Boie under the taxon Coluber climacophorus .

    The species is common in Japan. It is found there on all four main islands (Hokkaidō, Honshū, Shikoku, Kyūshū) and south of Kyūshū on the islands of Yakushima , Tanegashima , Tsushima and the Ryūkyū Islands . To the north of Japan, it is found on the Kuril island of Kunashir , which is claimed by both Japan and Russia. Island climbing snakes have been observed at altitudes between 0 and 2000 meters.

    In the coastal and island regions of Japan, both climate and sea level changes during the Pleistocene had a major impact on the populations and ranges of terrestrial animals. According to phylogeographic studies of the island climbing snakes, the population size of the species in northern Japan decreased sharply during the ice ages, but it survived at least the last ice age itself in Hokkaidō, the northernmost area of ​​Japan. In the southwest of Japan, on the other hand, the range of the island climbing snake expanded in the early stages of the last Ice Age, when additional terrestrial habitats emerged due to the drop in sea level. As a result, however, the population in southwestern Japan declined again due to the cooler climate until the height of the last ice age. The historical demographics of island climbing snakes differed between north and south-west Japan, which means that the species can be divided into two clades even after phylogenetic analysis . Clade A is common in Hokkaidō, Honshū, Shikoku, in the northern part of Kyūshū and on the neighboring islands. Clade B is restricted to Kyūshū and the western tip of Honshū.

    The island-climbing snake was in 2017 by the IUCN as not endangered classified ( "Least Concern"), since it is widely used in Japan. However, the population on the island of Kunashir is declining, partly due to habitat loss and partly due to European mink introduced in 1985.

    White snakes from Iwakuni

    White Island Climbing Snakes in Iwakuni
    Shirohebi Shrine in Iwakuni
    Iwakuni Shirohebi Museum
    White snake at a street festival in Iwakuni
    Festival attendees wrap a white snake around two bundles of rice at the 53rd annual Iwakuni Festival

    In the city of Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, there is a population of island climbing snakes without pigment cells (岩 国 の シ ロ ヘ ビ Iwakuni no Shirohebi ) that are covered with shiny white scales and have ruby-red eyes ( albinism ). It is not known exactly when this mutation occurred, but its spread is believed to be related to the rise of rice cultivation during the Edo period. After the Battle of Sekigahara some 400 years ago, Kikkawa Hiroie , who was transferred to Iwakuni, promoted rice cultivation in the region. The white snake is first mentioned historically in the "Iwamura Chronicle" in the middle of the Edo period (1738). According to the description, a snake was caught near the Sengokuhara Gate in Yokoyama. The white snake is also said to have been used in traditional Chinese medicine . A description can also be found in "Kyoho Masusukemuraki", from the Kyoho era (1716–1735). Accordingly, there were white snakes in the villages of Ganne (岸 根 村) and Rokuroshi (六 呂 師 村), called “Tsuyu Zaemon” (梅雨 左衛 門, “when it rains”), as they were often seen on stones on rainy days. According to “Nishikigawa Shi”, written in 1862 at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate , there were also two white snakes living in Yonekura in Imazu. From these facts it can be seen that the white snakes appeared relatively frequently already in the middle of the Edo period.

    The harmless, rat-eating, white snake was protected by the people because of its beautiful and mysterious appearance as the “lucky guardian deity of the house” and “ambassador of the gods”. It is believed that this increased their population. In Shinto , snakes share many mythological traits with dragons. As in Chinese mythology, Japanese dragons are associated with water and are considered benevolent, righteous, and wise. Snakes are understood as messengers of dragons in the human world. Thanks to their ability to constantly shed their skin and be reborn, they are known as shapeshifters in Japanese mythology and can live for thousands of years in this, wandering between the underworld, heaven and the human world. In fact, meeting a living snake is viewed by Shinto followers as an extremely lucky omen, while meeting a dead snake is considered a sign of coming misfortune.

    On December 9, 1924, the distribution area of ​​the white snakes in Imazu, Marifu and downstream of the Nishiki River was designated as a national natural monument (国 の 天然 記念). On August 4, 1972, this changed and the white snakes themselves were designated a natural monument by the Japanese government. The Iwakuni Shirohebi Museum is dedicated to the white snakes and the Shirohebi Shinto Shrine (白蛇 神社) to Benzaiten , the goddess of luck , who is considered the guardian of economic wealth and is often depicted as a white snake. In recent years, the number of wild white snakes has decreased due to environmental changes such as habitat urbanization. In the city of Iwakuni, the public and private sectors work together to protect white snakes. They are bred in the breeding facilities of Marifu, Imazu Tenjin, Asahimachi Daiichi, Asahimachi Daini and Ozu. In addition, it is forbidden to catch wild snakes.

    literature

    • Ananjeva, NB, Orlov, NL, Khalikov, RG, Darevsky, IS, Ryabov, IS and Barabanov, AV 2006. An Atlas of the Reptiles of North Eurasia . Taxonomic Diversity, Distribution, Conservation Status. Pensoft Series Faunistica.
    • Gans, C. and Oshima, M. 1952. Adaptations for egg eating in the snake Elaphe climacophora (Boie) . American Museum Novitates 1571: 2-16.
    • Moriyama, Jun; Hirohiko Takeuchi, Akira Ogura-Katayama, Tsutomu Hikida 2018. Phylogeography of the Japanese ratsnake, Elaphe climacophora (Serpentes: Colubridate): impacts of Pleistocene climatic oscillations and sea-level fluctuations on geographical range . Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, PDF 1.3 MB .
    • Sengoku, S. 1996. Japanese ratsnake . In: S. Sengoku, T. Hikida, M. Matsui and K. Nakaya (eds), The Encyclopedia of Animals in Japan. Volume 5. Amphibians, Reptiles, Chondrichthyes, Heibonsha Limited, Tokyo.
    • Stejneger, LH 1907. Herpetology of Japan and adjacent territory. Bulletin of the US. National Museum, Washington 58: 1-577.
    • Utiger, U., Helfenberger, N., Schmidt, B., Ruf, M. and Ziswiler, V. 2002. Molecular systematics and phylogeny of Old and New World ratsnakes, Elaphe auct., And related genera (Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae ) . Russian Journal of Herpetology 9 (2): 105-124.

    Web links

    Commons : Island climbing snake ( Elaphe climacophora )  - Collection of images and videos
    Wikispecies : Elaphe climacophora  - species directory

    Individual evidence

    1. ↑ Schulz, Klaus Dieter, 1989. The back-Asian climbing snakes of the genus Elaphe. Part 2: Elaphe climacophora . Litteratura Serpentium, Vol. 9 (2): 85–86 PDF 2.4 MB
    2. ↑ ア オ ダ イ シ ョ ウ ｜ 1m を 超 え る 大型 で 大人 し い ヘ ビ. amaru.me 動物 図 鑑, accessed April 17, 2021 (Japanese).
    3. ↑ ア オ ダ イ シ ョ ウ. orbis-pictus.jp, accessed April 17, 2021 (Japanese).
    4. ↑ a b c Elaphe climacophora In: The Reptile Database ; accessed on April 17, 2021.
    5. ↑ Mori A, Moriguchi H. 1988. Food habits of the snakes in Japan: a critical review . Snake 20: 98-113.
    6. ↑ Fukada H. 1992. Snake life history in Kyoto . Tokyo: Impact Shuppankai.
    7. ↑ Hamanaka K, Mori A, Moriguchi H. 2014. Literature sur-vey on food habit of snakes in Japan: Revisited. Bulletin of the Herpetological Society of Japan 2014: 167-181 (Japanese).
    8. ↑ a b Sengoku, p. 1996. Japanese ratsnake . In: S. Sengoku, T. Hikida, M. Matsui and K. Nakaya (eds), The Encyclopedia of Animals in Japan. Volume 5. Amphibians, Reptiles, Chondrichthyes, Heibonsha Limited, Tokyo.
    9. ↑ Map of the observations of island climbing snakes. iNaturalist, accessed April 17, 2021 .
    10. ↑ Schulz KD. 1996. A monograph of the colubrid snakes of the genus Elaphe Fitzinger . Havlickuv Brod: Koeltz Scientific Books.
    11. ↑ Moriyama, Jun; Hirohiko Takeuchi, Akira Ogura-Katayama, Tsutomu Hikida 2018. Phylogeography of the Japanese ratsnake, Elaphe climacophora (Serpentes: Colubridate): impacts of Pleistocene climatic oscillations and sea-level fluctuations on geographical range . Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, PDF 1.3 MB .
    12. ↑ Elaphe climacophora in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2017. Posted by: Kidera, N. & Ota, H., 2017. Accessed April 17 2021st
    13. ↑ Ananjeva, NB, Orlov, NL, Khalikov, RG, Darevsky, IS, Ryabov, IS and Barabanov, AV 2006. An Atlas of the Reptiles of North Eurasia . Taxonomic Diversity, Distribution, Conservation Status. Pensoft Series Faunistica.
    14. ↑ a b c Iwakuni Shirohebi Museum (岩 国 シ ロ ヘ ビ の 館). shirohebi.info, accessed April 17, 2021 (English, Japanese).
    15. ↑ 岩 国 観 光 振興 課 - 岩 国 旅 の 架 け 橋> 神秘 の 旅> 岩 国 の シ ロ ヘ ビ. Iwakuni City, accessed April 18, 2021 (Japanese).
    16. ↑ Benzaiten: White Snake Goddess of Japan. Serpensanctum, accessed April 18, 2021 .
    17. ↑ 岩 国 の シ ロ ヘ ビ.国 指定 文化 財 等 デ ー タ ベ ー ス, accessed May 2, 2021 (Japanese).
    18. ↑ 岩 国 観 光 振興 課 - 岩 国 旅 の 架 け 橋> 神秘 の 旅> 岩 国 の シ ロ ヘ ビ. Iwakuni City, accessed April 18, 2021 (Japanese).