Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I haven't posted these in quite a while, so I thought I'd share them while my wife is asleep and I have some internet time.......from summer 2005, northern Kyushyu:

quadrivirgata and habitat:

Conspics and habitat:

Hopefully I'll have plenty more this summer.....

Shane

P.S. I'm enjoying our own little private forum!

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Lifelist

Shane:
How would you categorize the climate in that part of Japan where you found conspics? Does it correspond to the climate in any areas of the US?
Thanks
John

Looks like you'v been a bussy boy Shane. Great pics thanks for sharing. I can't wait for summer as well. How many rat snake species do you find in N Kyushyu, and how are the herp laws ?

Thanks dinodon, I've found all three of the rats from Kyushu (quadrivirgata, climacophora, and conspicillata), but the only climacs were two DOR hatchlings......seems strange to me that I've found more conspics (2 DOR, 1 AOR), which are regarded as difficult to find.

As far as the laws, I don't know all of the specifics, other than some species are protected by prefecture and/or national law. As I recall, none of the snakes are protected, and I get the general feeling that even with the protected species, enforcement is lax. Other than the red-bellied newts (Cynops phyrrogaster), which are common in pet stores here in the states, I rarely see any other wild caught Japanese herps on pricelists (though I don't follow them too often). Perhaps there just isn't much of a market here at this time??

Good luck this spring. Are King Cobras native to Taiwan?

Shane

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Lifelist

No king cobras, only Naja atra.

John, the area where my wife's family lives (coastal) is ~33.5* latitude (Atlanta lies at the same latitude). Climate wise, it reminds me the most of the Appalachian/Piedmont region of western NC (perhaps the mountains and foothills of northern AL and GA would be a better likeness, but I haven't spent any time there). The only real difference I've noticed is the temperature extremes (both daily and seasonal) are less significant due to the proximity of the ocean. Of course, just about anywhere you go in Japan, you're either on the coast, or in the mountains, so altitude has to be taken into account.

Shane
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Lifelist

shane, the pattern of the yellow quadrivirgata remind me of yellow rats. Heads are much cooler though (and maybe not the bad musk of a yellow rat) I really like the black variants. I read somewhere that in Japan the black ones are called crow snakes.

Do you have family or friends there or do you just go there for the herps? My daughter has been wanting to go there for a visit so maybe one day i will jump over there with her and go herping while she is doing her thing (shopping and all the other things teenagers like to do).

thanks for the pics. I am enjoying our private forum as well. Sure beats dealing with some of the overinflated egos that are on some of the other forums. You guys are all right in my book. Just can't wait till i can get out there and get some pics/info better related to this forum. I am sorta playing catch-up in regards to the korean species. Oh well, better late than never.

thanks, Don.

Thanks Don. The quads are neat snakes, and thankfully, quite easy to find in some areas. I'm not sure about the various vernacular terms. The only common name that I have seen mentioned in text is "shima hebi," which literally means "island snake."

I was speaking with some of the rice farmers (from those habitat shots), and one man was trying to tell me about the melanistic form, but when I mentioned shima hebi, he gave a negative response. I don't remember what he was calling them, but it seemed to me that he didn't realize the striped and melanistic snakes were the same species. I was also trying to ask an old woman about mamushi, and when I mentioned finding a lot of shima hebi, she told me "shima hebi inai," which means that shima hebi aren't there.

They are obviously familiar with the snakes, probably seeing both forms on a daily basis, but they didn't know them as "shima hebi." I'll have to find out what they call them on this upcoming trip. It was nice to know that they weren't killing them in any case.........I imagine that mamushi meet a different fate when they are discovered.

I make regular trips to Kyushyu because my wife is Japanese, and her family lives there. We met while I was stationed on Okinawa, so we also try to visit her sister and friends who live there when we get the chance (great herping!). Here's a self-portrait from last summer:

After I finish school this December, I'm hoping to have a job lined up in Japan (airfield operations on Okinawa). If that pans out, then perhaps we can meet up for some herping.......and my wife can take your daughter shopping!

Shane
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Lifelist

Shane, Very cool. Maybe i can do japan and then you can do korea and afterwards I will take you over to indo and blow your mind. I have caught such a variety of stuff there it isn't even funny. King and spitting cobras, monitors, banded kraits, mock vipers, wagleri and other vipers, mangroves, retics, i mean the list goes on and on. To me it is the best place to go.

My daughter started out as a model here and then started doing the show with me and then moved on to tv dramas, commercials, game shows, etc. Now she has moved into singing and just released her second album. If your wife keeps up with japanese music then maybe she has heard of a singer called Boa. She is a korean singer who is very popular in Japan. There are a few other Koreans who are doing well there also so my daughter is thinking about going there and trying that market. She is as of yet undecided but has been trying to learn Japanese in her spare time.

Thanks for the pics, keep them coming and take lots more when you go over there this summer.

Thanks, Don

Shane, great pics. Even better than the first time, 'cus a got a few more pics of the quads. Is the one showing the venter a DOR, or is that snake playing dead?

I'm going to post a few photos too, just to compliment what you're putting up. Those four-lined rats are great, but for nydon and dinodon, here's an Elaphe climacophora too. This one's from Kunisar Island...

I don't keep climacophora or conspicillata anymore, as of 2004, but both of these are very interesting snakes. Here's a couple pics of one of my conspics, one showing the ventrum...


One interesting thing about these snakes is that they seem to be quite cool-adapted, with fairly long brumation periods in the wild. Climacophora makes a great pet snake, being much like a N. A. ratsnake in temperment. Conspicillata is a very small snake, so doesn't take up much space. I would enjoy working with either of these snakes again.

Thanks for the post and hope you have lots of luck next summer. Shane, is your wife Japanese? I have a brother who is married to a South Korean girl. Her whole family has moved here, however, so they don't go back there. The late Lloyd Lemke was married to a South Korean girl also and he used to visit often enough. I'm married to a Norwegian girl and that's a handful enough..haha! I'd go to Norway with her, but there wouldn't be much herping there, dernit!

TC

TC, the head closeup and ventral shots were from the same DOR. I found it within minutes of my inlaws house, on my first herping expedition. I held onto it because it was in such good shape, and I didn't know if I'd get to see another or not. Of course, within an hour, just scouting a few areas, I found three more, but since it was such a cooperative subject, I didn't discard it before getting some macro shots.

Yes, my wife is Japanese, and she's more than a handful...lol.

Shane
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Lifelist

Thanks, and good luck on your trip back to Japan. It must be a real treat to get to experience the habitat and just the thrill of being there in that unique setting half way around the world. It would be a once in a lifetime for most of us. Let us know how it goes.

Cheers...TC