Title Snakes

  • Kagoshima
Topic(s):
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Medium/Media of Use:
Pamphlet
Text Length:
≤250 Words
FY Prepared:
2022
Associated Tourism Board:
ippanshadanhojin amamioshima kankobussanremmei

ヘビ


Habu viper / Protobothrops flavoviridis / Habu / ハブ 猛毒マムシであるハブは、奄美大島の食物連鎖の頂点にいて、獲物を探すため民家から山、地上から木の上まで至るところに生息している。大型のヘビは体長2mにもなり、これまでの最高記録は2.43mである。ハブはオリーブ、茶色、黄色などの縞模様があり、保護色によって見えなくしている。体をS字に折り曲げ、体長の2/3の距離まで跳ね、獲物を攻撃し、たんぱく質を溶かす強力な毒で獲物を麻痺し、循環器系にダメージを与え、丸飲みにする。夜行性で雑食のため、哺乳類、鳥類、カエル、トカゲなどを食す。ハブが人間を噛んでも、速やかに治療を受ければ命に別状はないが、痛みは強く、長引くこともある。


Hime habu viper / Ovophis okinavensis / Hime habu / ヒメハブ 和名では「姫ハブ」と呼ばれる日本の固有種のヘビだが、より危険なハブとは違う。ハブ同様に夜行性で、哺乳類、鳥類、両生類などを食べる。また、ハブとは違い、主に地上で生活し、毒も弱く、動きも遅い。(琉球諸語では怠け者、寝てばかりの人の意味を持つ「ニーブヤー」とも呼ばれる。ヒメハブはハブより短く、体長は80cmでふっくらしている。体には茶色で、濃い茶色か緑のまだら模様があることが特徴。カエルが主な主食で、冬に産卵のため集まっているカエルの集団を渓流沿いで探す。人がこのハブに噛まれることはまれだが、毒蛇であるため注意が必要である。

Amami coral snake / Sinomicrurus japonicas japonicus / Hyan / ヒャン 奄美大島の森に生息し、滅多に見ることができない美しいヘビで、オレンジの体に濃い茶色の線が入っている。コブラの近縁種で、体長30~60cmで細く、短く、毒を持つ。口は小さいが、人間には危険である。主な主食はミミズ。

Ryukyu green snake / Cycophiops semicarinatus / Ryukyu aohebi / リュウキュウアオヘビ 毒を持たないリュウキュウアオヘビは奄美大島の平地から山地、民家の近くの林床でよく見られる。様々な色のものがいるが、主に黄緑か緑っぽい茶色で、濃い線が縦に入り、腹部は白か黄色である。成長すると体長70~80cmになり、主な主食はミミズと小動物である。

Snakes


Habu viper / Protobothrops flavoviridis / Habu / ハブ

The habu is a venomous pit viper that is king of the food chain on Amami-Oshima. It is found everywhere, from populated areas to the mountains, and from ground level to the tops of trees as it searches for its prey. Large specimens reach a length of 2 meters, and the record-setting length to date is 2.43 meters. The habu is well camouflaged, with varying striped patterns of olive, brown, and yellow. It attacks its prey by forming an “S” shape and then striking a distance of up to two-thirds its own length. It paralyzes prey with a powerful venom that dissolves proteins and damages the circulatory system, and then swallows its meal whole. The habu is most active at night, and its diet is varied, ranging from mammals and birds to frogs and lizards. Bites from a habu are not life-threatening to humans if medical care is received promptly, but they are very painful and can have long-term effects.


Hime habu viper / Ovophis okinavensis / Hime habu / ヒメハブ

The Japanese name of this endemic venomous snake means “princess habu,” but it should not be confused with its more dangerous relative. Like the habu viper, it is nocturnal, with a varied diet of mammals, birds, and amphibians. Unlike the habu, however, it stays on the ground, is less venomous, and is very sluggish. (In the Ryukyu dialect it is sometimes called nibuya, meaning a lazy, sleepy person.) The hime habu viper is also shorter (80 centimeters) and plumper than the habu, and the pattern on its body is brown with dark brown or green patches. Frogs make up most of its diet, and in the winter it travels along mountain streams in search of groups of frogs gathering to spawn. Incidents of humans bitten by this snake are extremely rare, but it is venomous and should be treated with respect.


Amami coral snake / Sinomicrurus japonicas japonicus / Hyan / ヒャン

This attractive coral snake, which has dark-brown bands on an orange body, is rarely seen in its habitat in the forests of Amami-Oshima. A relative of the cobra, it is short (30 to 60 centimeters), thin, and venomous. Its mouth is far too small, however, to be dangerous to humans. It feeds mainly on earthworms.


Ryukyu green snake / Cycophiops semicarinatus / Ryukyu aohebi / リュウキュウアオヘビ

This non-venomous species is the most frequently seen snake on Amami-Oshima, where it is found from the flatlands to the mountains, near homes and on forest floors. Its color varies, but it is generally yellowish green or greenish brown with dark vertical stripes and a white or yellow abdomen. It grows to a length of 70 to 80 centimeters, and its staple food is earthworms and small animals.

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