Rhabdophis helleri
Silhouette: V. Deepak · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Rhabdophis helleri, also known commonly as Heller’s red-necked keelback, is a venomous species of keelback snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to South Asia. The specific name, helleri, is in honor of American zoologist Edmund Heller.
R. helleri is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hong Kong, Sichuan, Yunnan), India (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura), Myanmar, Nepal, and northern Vietnam. Type locality: Tengyueh, 5500 feet elevation, Province of
Yunnan, China, 25°01'N, 98°30'E. A medium-sized snake, R. helleri may attain a total length (including tail) of 1.3 m (4.3 ft). It has 163–172 ventrals. R. helleri is oviparous. The venom of R. helleri can cause severe coagulopathy, but no human fatalities have been reported.
David P, Vogel G (2021). "Taxonomic composition of the Rhabdophis subminiatus (Schlegel, 1837) species complex (Reptilia: Natricidae) with the description of a new species from China". Taprobanica 10 (2): 89–120. (Rhabdophis helleri, pp. 102–105... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
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More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Heller's Red-necked Keelback sighting in Hong Kong on a given day, based on 68 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 10th most-seen of the 43 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October and November
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Heller's Red-necked Keelback in Hong Kong on a given day, against under 5% in February, the lowest month. Those are among Hong Kong's driest months, with about 40 mm of rain a month against 280 mm in June.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Heller's Red-necked Keelback sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Yes
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Heller's Red-necked Keelback sightings, Hong Kong has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Guangzhou (China, about 10%) and Tuen Mun (China, about 10%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Heller's Red-necked Keelback that you can see in Hong Kong (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Common Wolf Snake (about 20%), Dhaman (about 10%) and Chinese Green Snake (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Heller's Red-necked Keelback is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Hong Kong (68 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.
