Steppe rat snake

Elaphe dione, commonly known as Dione's rat snake, the steppe rat snake, or the steppes rat snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to Asia and Eastern Europe. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid. A large specimen from Putyatin Island measured up to 90 cm (3.0 ft) in length.^[3]

Steppe rat snake
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Elaphe
Species:	E. dione
Binomial name
Elaphe dione (Pallas, 1773)
Synonyms[2]
Coluber dione Pallas, 1773 Chironius dione — Fitzinger, 1826 Coelopeltis dione — Eichwald, 1841 Elaphis dione — A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854 Elaphe dione — Stejneger, 1907

Etymology

The specific name, dione, refers to the Greek mythological figure Dione who was the mother of Aphrodite.^[4]

Habitat

E. dione is found in eastern Ukraine, southern and southeastern Russia, Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, Mongolia, parts of China, and Korea.^[1][2] It is found in a wide variety of habitats including forest, shrubland, grassland, rocky areas, desert, freshwater wetlands, and disturbed areas, at altitudes from sea level to 3,580 m (2.22 mi).^[1]

Behavior

An adult female mates with two or more males, sometimes copulating with two males at the same time.^[5] E. dione is oviparous,^[2] and adult females lay a clutch of 3–15 eggs in July or August,^[1] though some can lay a clutch of up to 24 eggs.^[6]