Aesculapian Rat Snake (Pyrenees' Biodiversity)

Aesculapian Rat Snake

Zamenis longissimus

Summary ⁷

The Aesculapian Snake (now Zamenis longissimus, previously Elaphe longissima), a member of the Colubrinae subfamily of the family Colubridae, is a nonvenomous snake native to Europe. With up to 2 meters in length, it counts among the largest European snakes, though not as massive as the Four-lined Snake or the Montpellier Snake. The species has been of cultural and historical significance for its role in ancient Greek and Roman mythology and derived symbolism.

Range description ⁸

This species ranges from its southern limits in northern Spain and central southern Italy, through much of France (except the north and parts of the southwest), southeastern and western Germany (north to Hessen, where it occurs as very fragmented most of the south), to the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Hungary and much of the Balkan region. Populations in the Cantabrian Mountains (Spain), western Germany, western Czech Republic, and southern Ukraine are isolated from the main range, and it is possibly localized in Romania and Moldova. It is also present in northern Turkey, western Georgia, southern Azerbaijan and northwestern Iran. It may occur in southern Poland although this requires confirmation. The species has been extinct in Denmark for around 200 years. It ranges from 60 to 2,000m asl.