European Ratsnake

European Ratsnake
ヒョウモンナメラ
Character Data
AKA		Leopard Snake
Romaji		Hyoumon'namera
Debut		Kemono Friends (2015 Game)
Animal Data
Scientific Name		Zamenis situla
Distribution		Europe, Asia
Diet		Carnivore
Avg. Lifespan		10-15 years
Read More		European ratsnake
Conservation

European Ratsnake​

Nexon Game

European Ratsnake is a Snake Friend that appeared in the original Kemono Friends mobile game.

Appearance

European Ratsnake has long green hair attached and capped in the form a spirale, she also has a black hair wick which represent the tongue of the snake she's based on. Compared to most of the snake Friends, she has a flat cap with fake white eyes instead of a hood. Her skin is pale, her eyes reds and has eyebrows well expressed. She wears a green blazer with a notched collar, red tasks on the sleeves, a red necktie with scales and an another black shirt inside of the blazer.

Her hips are surronded with two belts which hold a red tidy whip, almost similiar to the iconic figure of Indiana Jones, she wears a short pant and green high-thighs and black ballet flats. Like the real animal, she bears a long green tail, with light green belly.

Series Appearances

Appearances In Kemono Friends Media

Media		Role

In Real Life

Zamenis situla (European Ratsnake)

The European Ratsnake occurs in all kinds of habitats, whether in the plain or in the hills, on average between 500 and 700 meters in altitude (with a maximum of 1000 m). Zamenis situla is a thin, slender species with a narrow head, distinctly distinct from the body by a well-marked neck. She has large, brown-red eyes with round pupils.The background color of Zamenis situla ranges from beige to light gray or yellowish gray, to yellowish brown, as well as bronze or silver shades. His dorsal drawings, very important and regularly alternate, give Zamenis situla a dress resembling that of a leopard, hence the origin of his common name: leopard snake. Amenis situla rarely exceeds 75-90 cm, although some specimens can reach 100/115 cm (maximum known 125 cm for a male specimen from the island of Milos). Generally, females are larger than males.

Zamenis situla is terricole, moving slowly to the ground. During the day, it is common to see specimens climbing on rocks, walls or bushes to escape overly hot soil. Of diurnal and crepuscular habits, the leopard snake has a well defined nycthemeral rhythm. A siesta in the sun in the morning, rest in the shade at noon and in the early afternoon, main activity in the late afternoon and at dusk. In warm areas, the leopard snake spends the months of July and August away from the heat.

Zamenis situla is a great Mediterranean hunter. His diet consists mainly of small mammals, lizards and birds of the bee-eater style, which he captures by entering the tunnels that these birds dig for nests. Nests, including chicks or eggs, which he plundered. According to some authors, feeding the leopard snake would also include insects, snails and young snakes. In order to hunt, the leopard snake slowly approaches its prey, folding the front of its body laterally in "S", juts forward to seize the prey. Once catching, it encloses the latter, until it no longer has a breath of life. When prey are small, they are clad and then pressed against the ground before being swallowed without preliminary. Not very fast, Zamenis situla remains motionless for a long time before fleeing a danger. Then curled up on itself, laterally folding the front of its "S" body, while causing its tail to vibrate to prevent and threaten, the leopard snake waits until the aggressor seizes it to bite it cruelly if it is seized.

Trivia

Zamenis situla (European Ratsnake)

• The leopard snake, like the Aesculapian snake (Zamenis longissimus), was venerated and raised in the temples dedicated to Asclepius in Greece and to Aesculapius in the Romans, for it symbolized health and beauty. This species has always fascinated the "snake breeders". The first publication on her breeding dates back to 1884.

References

1. "Zamenis situla". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.