Oxybelis aeneus
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
Oxybelis aeneus, commonly known as the Mexican vine snake or brown vine snake, is a species of colubrid snake, which is endemic to the Americas. Oxybelis aeneus is found through southern Mexico, to northern South America and Trinidad and Tobago. There is no loreal scale, and there are 8–10 upper labials.
The smooth dorsal scales are arranged in 17 rows at midbody. Ventrals 173–205; subcaudals 150–188, divided (paired). The anal plate is divided in Arizona specimens, but is entire in South American specimens. In Arizona O. aeneus is also called "pike-headed tree snake". In Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, it is known as a "horse whip" or "vine snake". Mostly arboreal and diurnal, O. aeneus is quite often mistaken for a vine. When threatened, it sometimes releases foul smelling secretions from its vent.
Oxybelis aeneus feeds mainly on lizards (mostly anoles), but also eats frogs, small rodents and birds. Oxybelis aeneus is a mildly venomous rear-fanged snake, but it is not considered dangerous to humans. Oxybelis aeneus is oviparous. Clutch sizes of 3–6 have been published. In... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | João Pessoa | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Recife | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Fortaleza | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Maceió | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Vitória | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | La Paz Waterfall Gardens | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Wiwa Quito | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Vinesnake sighting in Recife on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 14th most-seen of the 18 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October and December
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Vinesnake in Recife on a given day, against under 5% in February–March, May–September and November, the lowest months. Those are among Recife's driest months, with about 35 mm of rain a month against 260 mm in June.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Brown Vinesnake sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
2nd of 5
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Brown Vinesnake sightings, Recife ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in João Pessoa (Brazil, about 20%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Brown Vinesnake that you can see in Recife (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Giant Parrot Snake (about 10%) and Lichtenstein's Green Racer (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Brown Vinesnake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Recife (5 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.
