Wildlifeof China
Steppe Rat Snake
Colubrid Snakes
Photo: Torsten Wenzel (photocase.at) · Public domain
Elaphe dione
Basic stats
Habitat
Forest, shrubland, grassland, rocky areas, desert and wetlands, sea level to 3,580 m
Range
Eastern Europe through Central Asia, Mongolia and Korea to northern China
Size
Up to about 90 cm in one large specimen
Dione's or the steppe rat snake (Elaphe dione) is a colubrid with a huge range from eastern Ukraine and Russia through Central Asia and Mongolia to Korea and northern China, southward to Sichuan in the west and Jiangsu in the east. No subspecies are recognised as valid. (The Reptile Database; Wikipedia, general species account)
It uses a wide variety of habitats, including forest, shrubland, grassland, rocky areas, desert, freshwater wetlands and disturbed land, from sea level up to 3,580 m. It is oviparous, with clutches of 3–15 eggs laid in July or August, and some females lay up to 24. (Wikipedia, general species account)
Quick answers
- What habitat does the Steppe Rat Snake live in?
- Forest, shrubland, grassland, rocky areas, desert and wetlands, sea level to 3,580 m
- Where is the Steppe Rat Snake found?
- Eastern Europe through Central Asia, Mongolia and Korea to northern China
- How big is the Steppe Rat Snake?
- Up to about 90 cm in one large specimen