Heller's Red-necked Keelback

Heller's Red-necked Keelback

Rhabdophis helleri

Silhouette: V. Deepak · PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Tuen Mun

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

12 Verified sightings at Tuen Mun
February Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the Heller's Red-necked Keelback

Rhabdophis helleri, also known commonly as Heller’s red-necked keelback, is a venomous species of keelback snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to South Asia. The specific name, helleri, is in honor of American zoologist Edmund Heller.

R. helleri is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hong Kong, Sichuan, Yunnan), India (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura), Myanmar, Nepal, and northern Vietnam. Type locality: Tengyueh, 5500 feet elevation, Province of

Yunnan, China, 25°01'N, 98°30'E. A medium-sized snake, R. helleri may attain a total length (including tail) of 1.3 m (4.3 ft). It has 163–172 ventrals. R. helleri is oviparous. The venom of R. helleri can cause severe coagulopathy, but no human fatalities have been reported.

David P, Vogel G (2021). "Taxonomic composition of the Rhabdophis subminiatus (Schlegel, 1837) species complex (Reptilia: Natricidae) with the description of a new species from China". Taprobanica 10 (2): 89–120. (Rhabdophis helleri, pp. 102–105... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Hong Kong 🇨🇳 China
~10%
2 Guangzhou 🇨🇳 China
~10%
3 Tuen Mun 🇨🇳 China
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Heller's Red-necked Keelback in Tuen Mun?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Heller's Red-necked Keelback sighting in Tuen Mun on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 13th most-seen of the 21 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.

When is the best time to see a Heller's Red-necked Keelback in Tuen Mun?

February, April–May and October–December

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Heller's Red-necked Keelback in Tuen Mun on a given day, against under 5% in January, March and June–September, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Heller's Red-necked Keelback?

Between 8 and 11 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Heller's Red-necked Keelback sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.

Is Tuen Mun the best place to see a Heller's Red-necked Keelback?

Among the best

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Heller's Red-necked Keelback sightings, Tuen Mun ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Hong Kong (China, about 10%) and Guangzhou (China, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Heller's Red-necked Keelback live in Tuen Mun?

Same family: Colubridae

The closest relatives of the Heller's Red-necked Keelback that you can see in Tuen Mun (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Yellow-Spotted Keelback (about 10%), Common Wolf Snake (about 10%) and Buff Striped Keelback (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Heller's Red-necked Keelback sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Heller's Red-necked Keelback is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Tuen Mun (12 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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