Gloydius brevicaudus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Gloydius brevicauda is a pit viper species endemic to China and the Korean Peninsula. Common names: short-tailed pit viper, short-tailed mamushi. Adults are relatively stout with a broad head and a short tail. (The subspecific name, brevicaudus, is Latin for "short tail".)
The largest male examined by Gloyd and Conant (1990) was 71 cm (28 in) in total length of which the tail was 9 cm (3+1⁄2 in); the largest female, 69 cm (27+1⁄4 in) with an 8.2 cm (3+1⁄4 in) tail. On average, male specimens had a tail that was 12–15% (13.5%) of total length, while in females this was 11–13% (11.7%).
The scalation usually includes 21 rows of dorsal scales at midbody, all of which are keeled except the lowermost on the anterior part of the body. There are 135–149 ventral scales, and 30–44 mostly paired subcaudal scales. 95% of all specimens have 7 supralabial scales.
The color pattern consists of a light brown or gray ground color, overlaid with a pattern of 23–36 pairs of dorsolateral blotches or half-bands that oppose or alternate on either side of the middorsal line. These blotches are subelliptical in shape and brown in color with pale centers and dark brown to grayish brown... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ningbo Wildlife Park | 🇨🇳 China |
No species of the same family or order lives in Beijing, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Short-tailed Mamushi sighting in Beijing on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 7th most-seen of the 9 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June–August and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Short-tailed Mamushi in Beijing on a given day, against under 5% in September and November–May, the lowest months. Those are among Beijing's wettest months, with about 95 mm of rain a month against almost none in January.
5th of 5
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Short-tailed Mamushi sightings, Beijing ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Hangzhou (China, about 20%), Nanjing (China, about 20%) and Shanghai (China, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Short-tailed Mamushi is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Beijing (8 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.
