Ruhstrat's wolf snake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ruhstrat's wolf snake |
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Lycodon
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ruhstrati
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Lycodon ruhstrati, also called the Ruhstrat's wolf snake, is a type of snake found in Asia. You might also hear it called the mountain wolf snake or the Formosa wolf snake. This snake is not venomous, so it's not dangerous to people. It lives in Taiwan, southern and eastern China, and northern Vietnam. It belongs to a large group of snakes known as colubrids.
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About the Ruhstrat's Wolf Snake
Naming the Snake
The scientific name for this snake is ruhstrati. It was named after a German man called Ernst Konrad A. Ruhstrat. He worked in China and found the first examples of this snake in southern Taiwan. He passed away in 1913.
Snake Family Tree
The Ruhstrat's wolf snake is part of the Lycodon group, which are often called wolf snakes. This group belongs to the Colubridae family. Colubridae is the biggest snake family in the world! You can find snakes from this family on every continent except Antarctica.
Scientists sometimes change how they group animals. For a while, Lycodon ruhstrati was thought to be a subspecies of another snake. But now, it's recognized as its own species. There are two main types, or subspecies, of L. ruhstrati:
- Lycodon ruhstrati ruhstrati: This is the original type, first found in Taiwan.
- Lycodon ruhstrati abditus: This type was found in Vietnam.
What Does the Ruhstrat's Wolf Snake Look Like?
The Ruhstrat's wolf snake can look quite different from one snake to another. But generally, it's a dark-colored snake. It has several lighter bands that cross its back. The longest one ever found before 2008 was about 94 cm (37 in) long. That's about the length of a baseball bat!
Where the Ruhstrat's Wolf Snake Lives and What It Eats
Snake Habitat
This snake likes to live in mountains. You can find it on slopes, inside caves, and under rocks near mountain streams. It also lives in places where people farm and in forests, both natural ones and those planted by people.
Snake Reproduction and Diet
The Ruhstrat's wolf snake lays eggs. This means it is an oviparous animal. Female snakes usually lay about four eggs at a time.
This snake is a predator, meaning it hunts other animals for food. It is known to eat the brown anole, which is a type of lizard. It also eats another lizard called Diploderma swinhonis.
Where to Find the Ruhstrat's Wolf Snake
You can find L. ruhstrati in several places across Asia. It lives in the Tranninh Plateau in Laos and in northern Vietnam. It's also found in many parts of southern China, including provinces like Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guanxi, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Zhejiang. It also lives in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Conservation Status
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed L. ruhstrati as a species of "Least Concern." This is good news! It means that scientists believe there are many of these snakes in the wild. They also think the snake lives in a very large area. Its population is not decreasing quickly.
Right now, there aren't any special plans just to protect this snake. However, it is found in several protected areas, which helps keep it safe.
