Aesculapian snake
Scientific name: Zamenis longissimus (Laurenti, 1768)
Overview
The Aesculapian snake is a species of non-venomous constrictor snake native to Europe, a member of the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. Growing up to 2 metres (6.6 ft) in length, it is among the largest European snakes, similar in size to the four-lined snake and the Montpellier snake. The Aesculapian snake has been of cultural and historical significance for its role in ancient Greek, Roman, and Illyrian mythology and derived symbolism.
From the Wikipedia article “Aesculapian snake”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Least concern on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022.2.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: NW Spain, France, Italy, S Switzerland, Andorra,.
Common names
Also known in English as Aesculapean Snake, Aesculapian Ratsnake.
Names in other languages (9)
- Arabic
- حفث طويل
- Chinese
- 醫神蛇
- French
- Couleuvre d'Esculape
- German
- Äskulapnatter
- Japanese
- クスシヘビ
- Persian
- مار درختی
- Russian
- Эскулапов полоз
- Spanish
- Culebra de Esculapio
- Turkish
- Eskülap yılanı
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Reptile Database.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, names in other languages. Q256791, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Aesculapian snake”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — FelixReimann, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — Osado, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026