''Elaphe quatuorlineata'' (common names: four-lined snake, Bulgarian ratsnake) is a member of the family
Colubridae
Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on ev ...
.
The four-lined snake is a non-
venomous
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a ...
species and one of the largest of the European snakes.
Description
The species' common name refers to the markings seen on the body of adult snakes: four dark stripes running along a yellowish brown body.
Juveniles, by contrast, have a dorsal series of dark brown blotches with alternating dark brown spots on the sides, all on a pale brown background. A black line runs from the corner of the eye and the belly is cream to white with darker markings.
Adults can reach a length of , rarely .
Adults are among the heaviest European snakes but are greatly variably in size, with males potentially weighing from and females potentially weighing from within the
Aegean Islands.
Distribution
Four-lined snakes are found in Italy, along the whole western coast of the
Balkan
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
peninsula, in the western half of Greece and many of the
Greek islands
Greece has many islands, with estimates ranging from somewhere around 1,200 to 6,000, depending on the minimum size to take into account. The number of inhabited islands is variously cited as between 166 and 227.
The largest Greek island by ...
,
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia () is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time; however, it came to be defined as the modern geographical region by the mid 19th century. To ...
, the southwestern corner of
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Mac ...
,
coastal
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...
, coastal
Croatia
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, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
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, capit ...
,
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...
,
Montenegro
)
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, largest_city = capital
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,
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
and
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the ...
.
The number of snakes and the density of the populations are unknown.
Habitat and behavior
The four-lined snake favours areas with a
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
and is found in habitats featuring vegetation, stone walls, sparse woodland, forest margins and deserted buildings.
In the winter, individuals spend their time in deserted
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are roden ...
burrows in groups of four to seven.
Their behaviour is generally calmer than that of other snakes (seldom hissing or striking) and they are usually active in the morning and late afternoon. Excellent climbers, they can often be found in the tops of trees.
Diet
A large proportion of the snakes' diet consists of small mammals, such as rabbits, weasels, squirrels, and mice.
They also feed on birds, lizards, newly hatched tortoises and eggs.
Females of the species have been shown to feed more often upon birds than do males.
Reproduction
The mating season lasts from April to May. Females have a gestation period that lasts about two months, the eggs being laid in summer. Females typically lay around 6–18 eggs and incubate them for about 40–60 days.
Conservation
The four-lined snake has been considered endangered in Bulgaria due to poachers and agriculture.
It appears on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as "
Near Threatened
A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify fo ...
" because of probable significant decline in its abundance and widespread habitat loss.
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References
{{Authority control
Elaphe
Reptiles of Europe
Reptiles described in 1789