Akamata - Akamata

A non-venomous snake of the Colubridae family, order Squamata, class Reptilia. It is a species of the Colubridae genus in the same family, and is found in the Amami Islands and Okinawa Islands, where it is called Matsutabu locally. It can reach a total length of 1-1.7 meters, with exceptions exceeding 2 meters. The back of the body is reddish brown, and there are 50-70 broad black bands lined up from the head to the tail. The head is rather large and flat, and the pupils are elongated ovals. It has a fairly aggressive nature, preparing itself with a triangular head before jumping and biting, and some people fear this species, partly due to its flashy coloring, but it is completely non-venomous. It is nocturnal, and is also called the Asian kingsnake, as its form and habits are similar to those of the North American kingsnakes. It is voracious, catching snakes, including young venomous Habu snakes, as well as mice and frogs. It is oviparous.

[Takahiro Matsui]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

爬虫(はちゅう)綱有鱗(ゆうりん)目ナミヘビ科のヘビ。同科マダラヘビ属の1種で無毒ヘビ。奄美(あまみ)諸島、沖縄諸島に分布し、現地ではマツタブとよばれる。全長1～1.7メートル、例外的には2メートルを超える。体の背面は赤褐色で、頭部から尾部にかけて50～70個ほどの幅広い黒色の帯状模様が並ぶ。頭部はやや大きくて扁平(へんぺい)、瞳孔(どうこう)は縦長の楕円(だえん)形である。性質はかなり荒く、頭を三角形にして身構え飛びかかって噛(か)みつくので、はでな色彩も一因となって本種を恐れる人もあるが、まったくの無毒である。夜行性で、アジアのキングヘビともよばれるように、形態や習性が北アメリカ産のキングヘビ属に類似し、貪食(どんしょく)で、毒ヘビであるハブの幼蛇を含むヘビ類、ネズミ、カエルをとらえる。卵生である。

［松井孝爾］

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