Chequered Keelback

Chequered Keelback

Fowlea piscator

Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Thrissur

In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%

9 Verified sightings at Thrissur
49 In all 6 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Chequered Keelback

The checkered keelback (Fowlea piscator), also known commonly as the Asiatic water snake, is a common species in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Asia. It is non-venomous. The eye of F. piscator is rather small and shorter than its distance from the nostril in the adult. Its rostral scale is visible from above. The internasal scales are much narrowed anteriorly and subtriangular, with the anterior angle truncated and as long as the prefrontal scales. The frontal scale is longer than its distance from the end of the snout, and as long as the parietals or a little shorter. The loreal is nearly as long as it is deep. There are one preocular and three (rarely four) post-oculars. Its temporals are 2+2 or 2+3. There are normally nine upper labials, with the fourth and fifth entering the eye; and five lower labials in contact with the anterior chin-shields, which are shorter than the posterior. The dorsal scales are arranged in 19 rows, strongly keeled, with outer rows smooth. The ventrals number 125–158, the anal is divided, and the subcaudals number 64–90. Coloration is very variable, consisting of dark spots arranged quincuncially... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
2 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
3 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~20%
4 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
5 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
6 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Chattogram 🇧🇩 Bangladesh
~50%
2 Dhaka 🇧🇩 Bangladesh
~40%
3 Thrissur 🇮🇳 India
~40%
4 Thiruvananthapuram 🇮🇳 India
~30%
5 Lucknow 🇮🇳 India
~30%
6 Jabalpur 🇮🇳 India
~30%
7 Bengaluru 🇮🇳 India
~30%
8 Guwahati 🇮🇳 India
~30%
9 Kolkata 🇮🇳 India
~30%
10 Yangon 🇲🇲 Myanmar
~30%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Nehru Zoological Park 🇮🇳 India In captivity
2 Chhatbir Zoo 🇮🇳 India In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Chequered Keelback in Thrissur?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Chequered Keelback sighting in Thrissur on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 8 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Chequered Keelback in Thrissur?

August

In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Chequered Keelback in Thrissur on a given day, against under 5% in April and July, the lowest months. That is one of Thrissur's wettest months, with about 320 mm of rain against 10 mm in January.

What time of day is best to see a Chequered Keelback?

Between 3 and 6 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chequered Keelback 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.

Is Thrissur the best place to see a Chequered Keelback?

3rd of 20

Of the 20 cities where we can rate Chequered Keelback sightings, Thrissur ranks 3rd at about 40%. The best odds are in Chattogram (Bangladesh, about 50%) and Dhaka (Bangladesh, about 40%).

Which relatives of the Chequered Keelback live in Thrissur?

Same family: Colubridae

The closest relatives of the Chequered Keelback that you can see in Thrissur (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Dhaman (about 40%), Indian Wolf Snake (about 30%) and Buff Striped Keelback (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Chequered Keelback sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Chequered Keelback is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Thrissur (9 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.

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