Do Snakes Live In Japan?
Yes, snakes live in almost every ecological habitat in Japan. Whether it’s a city park or a rural field, you can be sure that there are slithering serpents somewhere nearby. Overall, there are 47 different snake species, and four of them are seriously dangerous. There are eight regions of Japan, including Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kinki, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu. There are an incredible variety of snakes within these regions, all with their ecological niche. For example, there is an entirely albino population of rat snakes that live in the Chugoku region in the Yamaguchi prefecture. Let’s learn about some of the most common snakes across the country, plus see a list of the rest.
The Most Common Snakes In Japan
Japanese Rat Snake
Japanese rat snakes are one of the most common snakes in Japan and can be found through most of the Japanese archipelago. They are 3-7 feet long and are generally regarded as the largest snake species outside of Okinawa. Japanese rat snakes can be yellow-green or blue-green and have a brown-stripe pattern that mimics the venomous mamushi snake. These snakes are nonvenomous and totally harmless to humans.
Japanese Striped Snake
Japanese striped snakes (often called four-lined snakes) are another common species of snake native to Japan. They can be found all over Japan except for the Ryukyu Islands. These snakes are generally yellow or light brown and have four stripes running from their head to their tail. A rarer all-black morph exists, and these are referred to as “crow” snakes. These snakes are nonvenomous and harmless to humans.
Jimguri
The name “jumguri” translates to “the burrower.” Jimguri snakes (sometimes called burrowing rat snakes) are a common species of snake native to all four main islands of Japan, plus a few smaller islands on the fringes. They are natural burrowers but can be found on the surface during dusk and dawn. Their primary habitat is in the forest, and they are often referred to as Japanese forest snakes. They are reddish-brown and have small black splotches across their bodies ringed in yellow or white. These snakes are nonvenomous and harmless to humans.
Yamakagashi
The yamakagashi goes by many names, including the tiger keelback and the kkotbaem. These snakes can be found across much of mainland Japan and the Ryukyu Islands. They are dark brown or olive snakes with orange spots along the first third of their body. Their bellies are usually white or cream. Yamakagashi are venomous snakes that get their venom from their diets of poisonous frogs. After eating poisonous toads, these snakes store the toxins in special glands near the back of their mouth and use them for defense against predators.
Japanese Keelback
Japanese keelbacks are small snakes that can be found near waterfronts and mountain forests. They are usually light brown or brown and often have yellow patches along the tips of their nose, lips, and neck. Since they are so small (40cm to 65cm), their diets mainly consist of small frogs and earthworms. The Japanese keelback is nonvenomous and harmless to humans.
Mamushi
The mamushi goes by many names, including the Japanese moccasin, Japanese pit viper, Quichun snake, Salmusa, and Japanese mamushi. These snakes can be found all across Japan, although there is some debate as to whether they are currently found on the Ryukyu Islands. They are pale gray, reddish-brown, or yellow-brown with irregular splotches and evenly spaced banding down their backs. Their heads are generally dark brown with darker eyes and distinct pits, marking them as pit vipers. Mamushi are the most dangerous snakes in Japan and bite 2,000-4,000 people a year. The recovery time is usually a week of intensive hospital care, but only ten people die a year with proper treatment.
A Complete List Of The Snakes In Japan
Calamaria pavimentata – Colallared reed snakeCalamaria pfefferi – Pfeiffer’s reed snakeElaphe taeniura – Beauty rat snakeElaphe quadrivirgata – Japanese four-lined rat snakeElaphe climacophora – Japanese rat snakeElaphe carinata – King rat snakeEuprepiophis conspicillata – Japanese woodsnakeLycodon semicarinatus – Ryukyu odd-tooth snakeLycodon orientalis – Oriental odd-tooth snakeLycodon rufozonatus – Red-banded snakeLycodon ruhstrati – Ruhstrat’s wolf snakeLycodon multifasciatusPtyas semicarinatus – Ryukyu green snakePtyas herminae – Sakishima green snakeRhabdophis tigrinus – Tiger keelbackEmydocephalus ijimae – Ijima’s sea snakeHydrophis cyanocinctus – Annulated sea snakeHydrophis melanocephalus – Black-headed sea snakeHydrophis ornatus – Ornate reef sea snakeHydrophis curtus – Short sea snakeHydrophis stokesii – Stokes’s sea snakeHydrophis viperinus – Viperine sea snakeHydrophis platurus – Yellow-bellied sea snakeLaticauda laticaudata – Blue-banded sea kraitLaticauda semifasciata – Black-banded sea kraitLaticauda colubrina – Colubrine sea kraitSinomicrurus japonicus – Japanese coral snakeSinomicrurus macclellandi – MacClelland’s coral snakeHebius vibakari – Hebius vibakariHebius pryeri – Pryer’s keelbackHebius ishigakiense – Yaeyama keelbackHebius concelarum – Miyako keelbackOpisthotropis kikuzatoi – Kikuzato’s brook snakePareas iwasakii – Iwasaki’s snail-eaterIndotyphlops braminus – Brahminy blind snakeGloydius blomhoffii – MamushiGloydius tsushimaensis – Tsushima Island pitviperOvophis okinavensis – Ryukyu island pitviperProtobothrops elegans – Sakishima habuProtobothrops flavoviridis – HabuProtobothrops mucrosquamatus – Pointed-scaled pitviperProtobothrops tokarensis – Tokara habuAchalinus werneri – Amami odd-scaled snakeAchalinus formosanus – Formosan odd-scaled snakeAchalinus spinalis – Japanese odd-scaled snake
