Hi, Don. Hope everyone had a great Christmas.



The thing about the island is very interesting. It reminds me of a situation we have here with the Western fox snake, Pantherophis vulpina vulpina. We don't get them on our hobby farm in the northern Lower Peninsula (of Michigan), but they do range into the western portion of the Upper Peninsula, and can be found along parts of northern Lake Michigan. I haven't found any on islands, yet, but I have been working a little on a peninsula about two hrs. from home and have seen a number of specimens, most of them DOR's...



Here's a shot of someone's few acres on the peninsula. Fox snakes like the open areas and can survive where there is much disturbance from farming...



In this way they could be a lot like anomala.



The distribution of the fox snakes is very interesting, since the Westen fox can only be found around parts of Lake Michigan, but then near Lakes Huron and Erie the Eastern fox snake, P. v. gloydi pops up. To explain this one must consider the last Ice Age. According to my readings the ice was still retreating from northern Lake Michigan around 10,000 yrs. ago. So, in my eyes, the fox snakes are still expanding their ranges north, as the conditions become suitable for them. The Western fox hasn't expanded into the Lower Peninsula, from the west, yet.



We can draw some comparisons bt. the fox snakes and the Schrenck's ratsnakes, although with Elaphe schrencki the ranges are more north and south, rather than west and east, as in P. vulpina. For one thing, E. s. schrencki and E. s. anomala are probably still expanding their ranges north, and there could possibly be relict populations left in the south. That's one of the reasons your island population needs to be sampled. Another reason is to look at natural history, to see how they are living, and what they need in order to survive. E. s. schrencki is a cool adapted snake, and I'm not sure the conditions would be right for them on your "Snake Island". However, there could be specieal conditions there.



Anomala is located on both sides of Korea Bay and the Yellow Sea, and on the Liaodong Peninsula, as well as the Shandong Peninsula in China. They are adapted to the lowlands and warmer climate there, whereas, schrencki is in a cooler, more northerly, climate, and may be a little more montane also. There's a good chance anomala could be on at least some of the islands in the Korea Bay, etc.



Is there another name for Snake Island? I've been looking at a map of the area and would like to pin it down more, if possible. I've also been looking at Cheju Island (Quelpart) in the south. I know Elaphe dione can be found there and wonder if anomala is there? Funny, it's a subtropical island, and yet, it still has habitat and climate suitable for dione. That's probably because of the extinct volcano there and high elevations. I borrowed this pic from a site called, lifeinkorea.com, I believe...



Maybe you have contacts with the university, or Mr. Sims, you could ask?



Don, I appreciate your offer, if I could come to South Korea. I know I can't do that this year, because our summer is already planned and I have too many obligations. That kind of a trip might work better once we have retired to Arizona, so it will be at least two more years, if I can make it. I sure wouldn't be able to do it on my own, since Korean culture is so different, and I'm sure I'd need help getting around and making proper contacts. I'd love to be able to spend some time there and sample the habitats, however. As I told my wife, it's not the same unless you've been there and used all your senses to get an overall impression. Hope you have a lot of fun exploring next summer and keep us posted. I'll surely follow along with your reports and photos.



Stay in touch. Terry.

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