About Elaphe dione (Pallas, 1773)
Elaphe dione, which is commonly called Dione's rat snake, the steppe rat snake, or the steppes rat snake, is a species of snake belonging to the family Colubridae. This species is native to Asia and Eastern Europe, and no valid subspecies are currently recognized. The largest recorded specimen, collected from Putyatin Island, reached a total length of up to 90 cm (3.0 ft). The known distribution of E. dione includes eastern Ukraine, southern and southeastern Russia, Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, Mongolia, parts of China, and Korea. It can live in a wide range of habitat types, such as forests, shrublands, grasslands, rocky areas, deserts, freshwater wetlands, and disturbed areas, and occurs at altitudes ranging from sea level up to 3,580 m (2.22 mi).
