Oreocryptophis porphyraceus
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Oreocryptophis porphyraceus is a rat snake species, commonly called the black-banded trinket snake, red bamboo snake, found in mid to upper-level elevations of forested hills in southeastern Asia, ranging from evergreen tropical to dry seasonal forests depending on the subspecies and locality. It is the only member of the genus Oreocryptophis, but it was formerly placed in Elaphe.
The head is small, sharp and squarish, while the color pattern includes red or orange colors, along with black bands or stripes. A terrestrial species, it has a preference for cool climates that restricts its habitat to hills and mountain plateaus. It is known to be crepuscular, active during the late evenings till night and dawn till late mornings. In captivity, it is one of the most sought-after rat snake species.
India (Darjeeling, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh (Miao, Namdapha - Changlang district, Itanagar - Papum Pare district), Myanmar, Bhutan, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Nepal, South China (Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan, Hong Kong, Hainan, northward to Henan and Gansu; south to Wei He river), Taiwan, West Malaysia (Cameron Highlands, Pahang), Indonesia (Sumatra... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taipei | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Antonio Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Philadelphia Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Central Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Seattle Marine Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-banded Trinket Snake sighting in Taipei on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 32nd most-seen of the 35 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-banded Trinket Snake in Taipei on a given day, against under 5% in April to February, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-banded Trinket Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Only Taipei, in our data
Taipei is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Black-banded Trinket Snake sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Black-banded Trinket Snake that you can see in Taipei (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Red-banded Snake (about 10%), Kelung Cat Snake (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 Black-banded Trinket Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Taipei (7 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.
