Fowlea flavipunctatus
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The yellow-spotted keelback (Fowlea flavipunctata) is a species of colubrid snake found in Thailand, Myanmar, China, West Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. Its type locality is: Island of Hong Kong (Hong Kong) and Canton River?, China.
IUCN includes Taiwan in the range of F. flavipunctata, but excludes Malaysia and Bangladesh. F. f. schnurrenbergeri of Nepal is now considered an independent species, Fowlea schnurrenbergeri. F. flavipunctata is a semiaquatic snake that occurs in slow rivers and streams, marshes, swamps, ponds, and lakes. It thrives also in wet human-modified habitats, including rice fields and ditches. It feeds on fish and frogs. It is diurnal.
F. flavipunctata is exploited in parts of its range to support snake farms and pigs and for use in snake wine. Hallowell, E.; 1861 "Report upon the Reptilia of the North Pacific Exploring Expedition, under command of Capt. John Rogers, U.S.N." Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 12 [1860]: 480 - 510 Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 2 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanoi | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 2 | Xiuying District | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 3 | Guangzhou | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 4 | Ho Chi Minh City | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 5 | Taichung | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 6 | Tuen Mun | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 7 | Taipei | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 8 | Bangkok | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dong Tam Snake Farm | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 2 | Siam Serpentarium | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 3 | Snake Farm of Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-Spotted Keelback sighting in Taichung on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 18th 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.
November
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-Spotted Keelback in Taichung on a given day, against under 5% in February–May and July–September, the lowest months. That is one of Taichung's driest months, with about 45 mm of rain against 330 mm in August.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-Spotted Keelback sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 8
Of the 8 cities where we can rate Yellow-Spotted Keelback sightings, Taichung ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Hanoi (Vietnam, about 40%), Xiuying District (China, about 30%) and Guangzhou (China, about 20%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Yellow-Spotted Keelback 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 Yellow-Spotted Keelback 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.
