Moscow Zoo welcomes 21 Sarmatian rat snake hatchlings

Four female Sarmatian rat snakes produced 21 hatchlings at Moscow Zoo's rare species breeding centre. Staff plan to raise the young snakes until next year and release them into the wild after completing the required paperwork.

Zoo director Svetlana Akulova said snakes from Rostov region had lived and bred in the centre's laboratories since 2012. They were obtained from the Tula Exotarium.

The eggs spent 54 to 59 days in a special incubator at 26 to 27 degrees Celsius. Akulova said the hatchlings were white and grey with a zigzag stripe along their backs, resembling a steppe viper.

Sarmatian rat snakes, also known as Pallas's rat snakes, are non-venomous. Adults typically reach about one and a half metres, with large specimens reaching two metres. The zoo plans to release the young snakes to help increase the local population.