North Philippine Temple Pitviper

North Philippine Temple Pitviper

Tropidolaemus subannulatus

Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely
at Bako National Park
222 Verified sightings at Bako National Park From 2019 to 2026
772 In all 6 parks
September Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the North Philippine Temple Pitviper

The Bornean keeled green pit viper or North Philippine temple pit viper (Tropidolaemus subannulatus) is a pit viper species native to Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Until 2007, this species was considered part of the Tropidolaemus wagleri species complex.

The Borneo Keeled Green Pit Viper can have a range of colors but generally it is bright green with numerous thin crossbands. Some localities have a mixture of light green to blue background colors. The bands are variable and can be a combination of blue, red or white. Females may have blue or red dots on their underbelly, while juveniles and males only have red dots. Females are much larger than males and can grow to a maximum size of 96 cm, while males can reach a size of 46 cm. This species is one of the most common species encountered in the lowland rainforests of Borneo. It is known to eat birds, small mammals and frogs. It is ovoviparous and gives birth to live young.

This species is arboreal, with a prehensile tail. It can be found in low level vegetation up to a height of 20m. Like many other arboreal snakes, this species has a disrupted green color to allow it excellent camouflage in the... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Bako National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~90%
2 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~80%
3 Tanjung Puting National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~60%
4 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~60%
5 Kinabalu Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~50%
6 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Moscow Zoo 🇷🇺 Russia In captivity
2 Aquarium of the Pacific 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
3 Bali Bird Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity

Closest Relatives at Bako National Park

No species of the same family or order lives in Bako National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a North Philippine Temple Pitviper in Bako National Park?

Very likely

About 90% of wildlife watchers report a North Philippine Temple Pitviper sighting in Bako National Park on a given day, based on 222 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 20 reptiles we can rate there.

When is the best time to see a North Philippine Temple Pitviper in Bako National Park?

February–May and July–December

In those months about 90% of wildlife watchers report a North Philippine Temple Pitviper in Bako National Park on a given day, against about 80% in January and June, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a North Philippine Temple Pitviper?

Between 1 and 4 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most North Philippine Temple Pitviper sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Bako National Park the best place to see a North Philippine Temple Pitviper?

Yes

Of the 6 parks where we can rate North Philippine Temple Pitviper sightings, Bako National Park has the highest daily chance: about 90%. Next come Sepilok (Malaysia, about 80%) and Tanjung Puting National Park (Indonesia, about 60%). All parks ranked.

Where does the North Philippine Temple Pitviper sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the North Philippine Temple Pitviper is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Bako National Park (222 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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