Oligodon formosanus
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Oligodon formosanus, also known as the Formosa kukri snake or beautiful kukri snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species epithet is named after its range in Taiwan (Formosa). Formosa kukri snakes eat the eggs of Chinese box turtles.
The scale colorings range in the brown-red spectrum. The body is a tawny light brown with two darker russet stripes running down either side of the spine, where thin black lines that break into smaller dotted patterns occasionally diagonally intersect. The underbelly is off-white.
The snake is found in China (including Hong Kong and Hainan), Japan (including Ryukyu Islands, Okinawa, Miyako and Yaeyama), Taiwan, and northern Vietnam. 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 Taiwan Kukri Snake sighting in Taichung on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 16th most-seen of the 22 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.
April to June
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Taiwan Kukri Snake in Taichung on a given day, against under 5% in August–October and December–March, the lowest months. Those are among Taichung's wettest months, with about 230 mm of rain a month against 40 mm in December.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Taiwan Kukri Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Among the best
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Taiwan Kukri Snake sightings, Taichung ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Guangzhou (China, about 10%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Taiwan Kukri Snake that you can see in Taichung (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are King Ratsnake (about 30%), Beauty Rat Snake (about 20%) and Dhaman (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Taiwan Kukri Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Taichung (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.
