Chrysopelea paradisi
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Paradise tree snake, paradise flying snake or garden flying snake (Chrysopelea paradisi) is a species of colubrid snake found in Southeast Asia. It can, like all species of its genus Chrysopelea, glide by stretching the body into a flattened strip using its ribs. It is mostly found in moist forests and can cover a horizontal distance of 10 meters (33 feet) or more in a glide from the top of a tree. Slow motion photography shows an undulation of the snake's body in flight while the head remains relatively stable, suggesting controlled flight. They are mildly venomous with rear fangs and also can constrict their prey, which consists of mostly lizards and bats.
The species name paradisi comes from either the Latin "paradisus" or Greek "paradeisos", which means park. It is assumed that the holotype from 1826 was found in a park. Chrysopelea paradisi belongs to the genus Chrysopelea, which contains four other described species.
Chrysopelea is one of five genera belonging to the vine snake subfamily Ahaetuliinae, of which Chrysopelea is most closely related to Dendrelaphis, as shown in the cladogram below: It is found in Thailand, Indonesia... Wikipedia →
Recording0:31
Singapore · 2017
© jdieps · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 3 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 4 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 5 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 2 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Academy of Sciences | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Singapore Zoo | 🇸🇬 Singapore |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Paradise Flying Snake sighting in Kuala Lumpur on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 27th most-seen of the 39 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, May–October and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Paradise Flying Snake in Kuala Lumpur on a given day, against under 5% in January–February, April and November, the lowest months.
Between 4 and 7 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Paradise Flying Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Paradise Flying Snake sightings, Kuala Lumpur ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Singapore (Singapore, about 10%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Paradise Flying Snake that you can see in Kuala Lumpur (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Common Bronze-back (about 20%), Oriental Whipsnake (about 20%) and Keeled Rat Snake (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Paradise Flying Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Kuala Lumpur (10 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.
