The Straw-bat snake (Tzuchinoko) is a serpent that is said to live in the mountains of 3 japanese islands (Honshu, Kyoshu and Shikoku), in the Korean peninsula and may be present in New-Guiea too. This beast isn't too big, about 2-3 feet, but is a venomous crotalid snake that can shot it's venom.
It is said to have a caracteristic "chestnut tree flower odor". It's color is generally black or rust, with a flash orange belly.
What is special about it is the fact that it supposed to can move in straight line, unlike the other snakes. It swims well and can leap. Some even said that it can roll itself in a hoop and roll down hillsides!
A particulary striking report is dating from the late 1950s. M. Kyuzo, working in his fields near Hashimoto, heard a loud noise and turned to see a large, black object rolling down an hillside. The object disappeared into a canal, and Kyuzo arrived in enough time to see the object unroll, make a vertical leap, and disappear.
Some reports talk about captured specimens. One of the World War II, where M. Fujiwara saw a captive one near Kyoto.
Another weird one talk about a M. Tokutake (June 1969) that caught a snake different from the Halys viper (Agkistrodon halys). As he approached the animal, it looked at him, flashing it's tongue and baring it's teeth. It leapt at Tokutake who caught it with a forked stick. After several days, he ate the snake (!), commenting on it's double backbone.
The animal could be an Agkistrodon specie member, that also include the copperhead and the cottonmouth. It also could be an introduced specie from the Asian main land.
SOURCES: http://come.to/the_cryptoweb/
Cryptozoologix 2001
