Rhino Rat Snake can grow to be around 3 feet long. Sometimes people call it the unicorn snake because of its’ unique nose that also resembles a rhinoceros. The Rhino Rat Snake has a pointy nose that is flexible. When they are first born they start off looking grey but as they get older they turn a bright green.

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They are mostly from North Vietnam; it is unlikely to find them somewhere else unless they are transported. They can also be found in China and Gulf of Tonkin. They are arboreal species, which means they usually live in trees. They live closer to mountains near streams and rivers.

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When they are young they usually eat lizards but they turn into adults they eat bigger things like mice. Something interesting is that they will not eat on their own when they are babies. The mother must feed them and if they are bred in captivity the breeder must force feed them.

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Although people say the species is rare they have been breeding the snake in captivity for zoos all around the world. There are some interesting facts regarding the rat snake. First is that they are black when they are born but by one year of age they turn green. Second is their nose and how it looks like a point. Last the snake is called either a unicorn or a rhinoceros but the horn on the snake is bendable and they cannot use it for protection.

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In 2008 the first Rhino Rat Snakes in Europe were hatched at a London Zoo. There were eight snakes in the clutch, which means eggs that were produced at one time. The London Zoo exchanged some of the snakes that were hatched to other zoos so that the species could be seen through out Europe.

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Author: Dustin S.

Published: 03/2010

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Sources: http://www.reptilob.de/projects-E/colubridae/boulengeri.html http://terrariummorbidum.wordpress.com/2008/11/13/first-european-hatching-for-rhino-rat-snake/ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Rhynchophis_boulengeri http://www.venomenal.com/ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/arboreal http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/clutch Nikolai L. Orlov, Robert W. Murphy, and Theodore J. Papenfuss List of Snakes of Tam-Dao Mountain Ridge (Tonkin, Vietnam) found at: http://labs.eeb.utoronto.ca/murphy/PDFs%20of%20papers/2000%20Orlov%20TDao%20Snakes.pdf

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Photo Credit: TimVicker http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rhynchophis_boulengeri_head_(2).jpg