Japanese keelback
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
The Japanese keelback lives in forests and grassland as well as rice paddies.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Japanese keelback
- Scientific name
- Hebius vibakari
- Japanese name
- ヒバカリ
- Group
- Amphibians and reptiles
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Colubridae
- Genus
- Hebius
Its name comes from a saying, 'if it bites you, that day is your last,' but in fact it has no venom.
Its body is slender, with a white marking from the corner of the mouth to the back of the head. It eats frogs, earthworms, fish, and the like.
It often stays near water and is a good swimmer. It is usually gentle, but when it senses danger it twists its neck in a threat display.
How the Japanese keelback lives
It mates in early summer. It lays eggs in summer. It spends winter in hibernation.
井の頭自然文化園Basic data
- Size
- Total length: about 50 cm
- Diet
- Frogs, earthworms, fish, and other small aquatic animals
- Range
- Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu in Japan, and East Asia
Where the Japanese keelback has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- ヒバカリ
- 简体中文
- 东亚腹链蛇
- 繁體中文
- 東亞腹鏈蛇
- 한국어
- 대륙유혈목이
- Русский
- Японский уж
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 井の頭自然文化園 — ヒバカリChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeEXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Japanese keelback
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Kanto
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
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