What kind of snake is it? (Emei Shan, Sichuan, China) - Ask Extension
Hi Experts!I would be very happy, if somebody could tell me what kind of snake is on the picture. I found that little guy in China (Sichuan Province) ...
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What kind of snake is it? (Emei Shan, Sichuan, China) #480720
Asked August 25, 2018, 8:50 AM EDT
Hi Experts!
I would be very happy, if somebody could tell me what kind of snake is on the picture. I found that little guy in China (Sichuan Province) today. Many thanks in advance!
Best Regards, David
I would be very happy, if somebody could tell me what kind of snake is on the picture. I found that little guy in China (Sichuan Province) today. Many thanks in advance!
Best Regards, David
County Outside United States
Expert Response
Thank you for your question. I am researching an answer and will be contacting an authority on Chinese snakes. As soon as I hear back from them, I will be back in touch with you.
Jim
Jim
Hi David,
My contact at the Nanjing Forest University in Jiangsu just responded to my request for help in identifying your snake. He says it is Protobothrops jerdonii. Without being able to examine it, he's not sure of the subspecies, but says it is probably Protobothrops jerdonii xanthomelas. The common name for this snake is Jerdon's pit viper or the red-spotted pit viper. It is a venomous species. Typical length is approximately 30 inches.
This species is found in the following provinces in China: Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, Guizhou, Hubei, and Guangxi. It has also been recorded in India, Nepal, northern Myanmar and North Vietnam.
It is primarily a nocturnal species and prefers stone banks near streams and waterfalls, but is also found in open grasslands where forests have been eliminated.. Adults feed primarily on rodents and juveniles feed on frogs.
After a brief search on the internet I found quite a few technical journal articles on the taxonomy and genome of this species, but not much on the natural history. I did find this species in the following journal article:
Leviton, Allen E., Guinevere O.U. Wogan, Michelle S. Koo, George R. Zug, Rhonda S. Lucas and Jens V. Vindum. "The Dangerously Venomous Snakes of Myanmar - Illustrated Checklist with Keys." Proceedings Of The California Academy of Sciences. 54:22-27 (November 2003): 442-443. You can access this article here:
https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/4542/VZ_Leviton_al2003-dangVen.pdf
Hope this information is helpful, and thank you for contacting Ask an Expert.
Jim
My contact at the Nanjing Forest University in Jiangsu just responded to my request for help in identifying your snake. He says it is Protobothrops jerdonii. Without being able to examine it, he's not sure of the subspecies, but says it is probably Protobothrops jerdonii xanthomelas. The common name for this snake is Jerdon's pit viper or the red-spotted pit viper. It is a venomous species. Typical length is approximately 30 inches.
This species is found in the following provinces in China: Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, Guizhou, Hubei, and Guangxi. It has also been recorded in India, Nepal, northern Myanmar and North Vietnam.
It is primarily a nocturnal species and prefers stone banks near streams and waterfalls, but is also found in open grasslands where forests have been eliminated.. Adults feed primarily on rodents and juveniles feed on frogs.
After a brief search on the internet I found quite a few technical journal articles on the taxonomy and genome of this species, but not much on the natural history. I did find this species in the following journal article:
Leviton, Allen E., Guinevere O.U. Wogan, Michelle S. Koo, George R. Zug, Rhonda S. Lucas and Jens V. Vindum. "The Dangerously Venomous Snakes of Myanmar - Illustrated Checklist with Keys." Proceedings Of The California Academy of Sciences. 54:22-27 (November 2003): 442-443. You can access this article here:
https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/4542/VZ_Leviton_al2003-dangVen.pdf
Hope this information is helpful, and thank you for contacting Ask an Expert.
Jim
