Japanese striped snake

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Japanese striped snake
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Order: Squamata Suborder: Serpentes Family: Colubridae Genus: Elaphe Species: E. quadrivirgata
Binomial name
Elaphe quadrivirgata

The Japanese striped snake, Elaphe quadrivirgata (Japanese: shimahebi) is a non-venomous snake native to Japan. It is found in all areas of the country apart from the Ryukyu Islands. It typically grows to a length of 1-1.5 meters. The snake has yellow or light brown skin and gets its name from the four horizontal black stripes sported by most of the species. All-black variants exist; these are known as in Japan as karasu-hebi ("crow snakes").

[edit] References

• [1] (in Japanese)