Fowlea flavipunctatus
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
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 Taipei on a given day, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 23rd most-seen of the 35 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.
August to December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-Spotted Keelback in Taipei on a given day, against under 5% in January to July, the lowest months.
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.
7th of 8
Of the 8 cities where we can rate Yellow-Spotted Keelback sightings, Taipei ranks 7th 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 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 Yellow-Spotted Keelback is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Taipei (30 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.
