Chrysopelea ornata
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Chrysopelea ornata (Thai: งูเขียวพระอินทร์) is a species of mildly venomous opisthoglyphous (rear-fanged) colubrid snake found in both South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is commonly known as the golden tree snake, ornate flying snake, and golden flying snake. Along with the other species in the genus Chrysopelea, the golden tree snake is unusual, as it is capable of a type of gliding "flight" (more of a controlled "throwing" or "falling") — mainly utilised during the pursuit of prey animals — from tree-to-tree. This action is also used to great effect for the snake to flee its own potential predators (such as birds or other reptiles). Currently, three subspecies are recognised. The snake's striking looks, and potential for gliding, have made it a coveted choice for captivity.
The species name ornata is Latin for "decorated or "ornamented", in reference to the ornate coloration. English: golden tree snake, gliding snake, ornate flying snake, golden flying snake, gold and black tree snake, flying tree snake
Hindi: kala jin. Sinhala: pol-mal-karawala, malsara. German: Gelbgrüne Schmuckbaumnatter, Gewöhnliche Schmuckbaumnatter. Bengali: কালনাগিনী (Kaalnagini... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 2 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 3 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 4 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ho Chi Minh City | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 2 | Bangkok | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 3 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Skansen | 🇸🇪 Sweden | |
| 2 | Brookfield Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Mysore Zoo | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Thiruvananthapuram Zoo | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 6 | Siam Serpentarium | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 7 | Snake Farm of Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 8 | Baltic Sea Science Center | 🇸🇪 Sweden | |
| 9 | Bonanza Exotic Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Golden Tree Snake sighting in Bangkok on a given day, based on 181 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 7th most-seen of the 35 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Golden Tree Snake in Bangkok on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 5 and 8 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Golden Tree Snake 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.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Golden Tree Snake sightings, Bangkok ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam, about 30%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Golden Tree Snake that you can see in Bangkok (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Small-banded Kukri Snake (about 10%), Copperhead Rat Snake (about 10%) and Yellow-Spotted Keelback (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Golden Tree Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Bangkok (181 verified sightings), 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.
