Scientific Name : Elaphe taeniura friesi

Sex : Male and Female

Length : 6 Ft (Avg. 6 – 8 Feet)

Weight : 1.5 lb. (Avg. 1 – 3 lb.)

Lifespan : Captive Born 2001, Age 3 years (Longevity 20 – 30 years)

Breeding: Egg Layers, up to 20 young

Range: Taiwan

Habitat : Field and forest dwellers, they also enter human settlements in search of rats.

Food and Hunting : Semiarboreal active hunters both day and night, they aggressively pursue their favorite prey – rats. They have a distinctive defense behavior, inflating their throat vertically, hissing loudly, and assuming a menacing s-shaped strike pose.

Conservation : Asiatic reptiles in general are threatened by habitat destruction and cultural traditions. Their skins are used for leather, they are eaten as a delicacy, and they are used in traditional Chinese medicine. The most common of the Asian Beauty Snakes bred in captivity, Taiwans are beautiful, active, large rat snakes which hopefully can be saved by captive breeding.

Captive Care : Similar in care requirements to North American rat snakes, they need larger caging and slightly warmer temperatures to survive. An attractive alternative in states like Georgia where native species like Corn Snakes and Black Rat Snakes are illegal. They feed readily on frozen thawed mice and rats.