Gloydius blomhoffii
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Gloydius blomhoffii, commonly known as the mamushi, Japanese moccasin, Japanese pit viper, Qichun snake, Salmusa or Japanese mamushi, is a pit viper species found in Japan. It was once considered to have 4 subspecies, but it is now considered monotypic.
This species, along with the yamakagashi (Rhabdophis tigrinus) and the Okinawan habu (Protobothrops flavoviridis), are the most venomous snakes in Japan. Every year, 2000–3000 people in Japan are bitten by a mamushi. Bitten victims typically require one week of treatment in a hospital. Severe bites require intensive care, and approximately 10 victims die annually.
This species is similar to the cottonmouths and copperheads (Agkistrodon sp.) of the Americas, and it was long considered part of the same group. The specific name, blomhoffii, is in honor of Jan Cock Blomhoff, who was director of the Dutch trading colony in Nagasaki, Japan from 1817 to 1824. The common name in English is mamushi, or Japanese mamushi.
The average length of mature individuals is 45–81 cm (17+3⁄4-31+7⁄8 inches); the longest specimen ever recorded had a length of 91 cm (36 in). The body pattern consists of a pale... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sapporo Maruyama Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 2 | Asahiyama Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 3 | Ueno Zoological Gardens (West Garden) | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 4 | Kōchi Prefectural Ashizuri Aquarium Satoumi | 🇯🇵 Japan |
No species of the same family or order lives in Tokyo, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Short-tailed Mamushi sighting in Tokyo on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 11th most-seen of the 15 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April, July and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Short-tailed Mamushi in Tokyo on a given day, against under 5% in May–June, August and October–March, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Short-tailed Mamushi sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Short-tailed Mamushi sightings, Tokyo ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Nagoya (Japan, about 20%) and Osaka (Japan, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Short-tailed Mamushi is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Tokyo (23 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.
