Oligodon formosanus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Oligodon formosanus, also known as the Formosa kukri snake or beautiful kukri snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species epithet is named after its range in Taiwan (Formosa). Formosa kukri snakes eat the eggs of Chinese box turtles.
The scale colorings range in the brown-red spectrum. The body is a tawny light brown with two darker russet stripes running down either side of the spine, where thin black lines that break into smaller dotted patterns occasionally diagonally intersect. The underbelly is off-white.
The snake is found in China (including Hong Kong and Hainan), Japan (including Ryukyu Islands, Okinawa, Miyako and Yaeyama), Taiwan, and northern Vietnam. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
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More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Taiwan Kukri Snake sighting in Tuen Mun on a given day, based on 8 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.
June and August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Taiwan Kukri Snake in Tuen Mun on a given day, against under 5% in May, July and September–March, the lowest months. Those are among Tuen Mun's wettest months, with about 260 mm of rain a month against 20 mm in December.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Taiwan Kukri Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Among the best
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Taiwan Kukri Snake sightings, Tuen Mun ranks 5th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Guangzhou (China, about 10%), Taichung (Taiwan, about 10%) and Taipei (Taiwan, about 10%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Taiwan Kukri Snake 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.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Taiwan Kukri Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Tuen Mun (8 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.
