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Manchurian Black Water Snake
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Subfamily:	Colubrinae
Genus:	Elaphe
Species:	E. schrenckii
Binomial name
	Elaphe schrenckii; (Strauch, 1873)

Elaphe schrenckii, more commonly known as the Russian ratsnake, is an endangered species of snake naturally found in the wetlands and forests of northeast Asia, including Mongolia, Manchurian China, Siberian Russia and Korea. Depending on the region they are found in, they are also known as Korean rat snake, Amur rat snake, and Siberian rat snake. There is also a colony of this species found in the Netherlands.

Dietary Habits

They are predators, with a diet mainly consisting of rodents and other small mammals, and occasionally birds and bird eggs as well as amphibians. They are non-venomous and don’t normally pose a threat to humans though they act as an intermediate host of the larval stage of the plerocercoid worm, Sparganium mansoni, which can cause human sparganosis. This is usually transmitted to humans when they eat ratsnake meat, a practice common in parts of Korea, where it is believed to have a special nutritional value. It is also consumed as a delicacy.

Habitat

Elaphe schrenckii are mostly found is moist, swampy areas, such as wetlands, marshes, riverbanks and farmlands, as well as in forests. Much of its habitat occurs near mountainous areas and can live at heights reaching up to 900 meters. They need a temperate climate to survive with temperate ranging from 18 degrees Celsius (65 F) to 28 degrees Celsius (82 F).

Reproduction

Russian ratsnakes are active in the summer months of early May to late October. They reach sexual maturity at nine to ten years, though in colder climates, such as the Netherlands, it is possible to reach that stage much earlier, possibly as young as three years. Female snakes become fertile between May to June and lay eggs in July or August. Normally ten to fifteen eggs are laid at a time. They hatch in September, and newborns are betweens 21cm and 47 cm.

Physical Characteristics

Newborns have a length ranging from 21 to 47 cm. Adult Elaphe schrenckii averages between 140 to 180 cm, with a maximum known length of 250 cm. Depending on their colour, they are further divided into subspecies, E. s. schrenckii(blackish) and E. s. anomala(yellow-brownish).

References

Wilford, C., & , A. (2012, May). A c snakes. Retrieved from http://acsnakes.co.uk/care/russian.htm
An, J., Kim, M., Park, D., Lee, J., Krukov, V., Kim, K., Lee, H., & Min, M. (2010). Development of 10 microsatellite loci from the korean ratsnake (elaphe schrenckii) and its application across elaphe species from south korea, russia, and china. 401-405. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/content/pdf/10.1007/s13258-010-0039-0
Van de Koppel, S., N. van Kessel, B.H.J.M. Crombaghs, W. Getreuer & H.J.R. Lenders, 2012. Risk Analysis of the Russian Rat Snake (Elaphe schrenckii) in the Netherlands. Natuurbalans - Limes Divergens BV, Nijmegen / ReptielenZoo SERPO, Delft / Radboud University, Nijmegen.
http://www.snakeestate.com/rat-snakes/amur-russian-rat-snake.html

External links

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Category:Reptiles of Asia