Elaphe climacophora
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The Japanese rat snake (Elaphe climacophora) is a medium-sized colubrid snake found throughout the Japanese archipelago (except the far South West) as well as on the Russian-administered Kunashir Island. In Japanese it is known as the aodaishō or "blue general". It is non-venomous and is hunted by eagles and tanukis.
The snakes brumate for three to four months, mate in spring and lay 7–20 eggs in early summer. Adults reach one to two meters in length and about five centimeters in girth. E. climacophora is the largest Japanese snake outside Okinawa. They are variable in color, ranging from pale yellow-green to dark blue-green. They can be identified as Asian rat snakes due to the dark streak behind each of their eyes.
Juveniles have brown-stripe pattern that may be mimesis of the venomous mamushi. There is an established, albino population in the wild, with specimens especially numerous near Iwakuni, where they are called "Iwakuni white snakes" and revered as messengers of deities and deity-guardians of mountains and rivers. The albino population was protected in 1924 as a "national monument."
Japanese rat snakes eat a variety of small animals: rodents... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikko National Park | 🇯🇵 Japan |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Asahiyama Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 4 | Ueno Zoological Gardens (West Garden) | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 5 | Leningrad Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 6 | Siam Serpentarium | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 7 | Snake Farm of Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 8 | Adachi Park of Living Things | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 9 | AOAO Sapporo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 10 | Japan Snake Center | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 11 | Snake Discovery: A Reptile Experience | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Japanese Rat Snake sighting in Nikko National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Japanese Rat Snake in Nikko National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April, August and October–November, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Japanese Rat Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Nikko National Park, in our data
Nikko National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Japanese Rat Snake sightings: about 30% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Japanese Rat Snake that you can see in Nikko National Park (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Tiger Keelback (about 40%) and Burrowing Ratsnake (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Japanese Rat Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Nikko National Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
