Elaphe quadrivirgata (striped snake)

Japanese: シマヘビ(縞蛇) - シマヘビ（英語表記）Elaphe quadrivirgata

A non-venomous snake of the Colubridae family of the reptile class (illustration) that is well known throughout Japan. It is 1-1.5m long, and large specimens measuring 1.9-2m have been collected from Tadanae Island in the Izu Seven Islands. It is found in Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and various remote islands. The back of the body has four dark brown stripes running from the neck to the tail. Young snakes have dark brown horizontal stripes that fade as they grow, and the vertical stripes become more prominent. It resembles the Japanese Rat Snake, but can be distinguished by its red iris and 19 rows of body scales around its torso.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

日本の各地でよく知られている爬虫綱ナミヘビ科の無毒ヘビ（イラスト）。全長1～1.5m，伊豆七島の唯苗（ただなえ）島では1.9～2m余りの大きな個体が採集されている。北海道，本州，四国，九州および各離島に分布。胴の背面には，頸部から尾部にかけて4条の黒褐色の縞模様が走る。子ヘビには茶褐色の横縞模様があり，成長とともにこれらが薄れて縦縞模様が顕著になる。アオダイショウに似るが，虹彩が赤色で胴回りの体鱗が19列である点で区別できる。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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