Green Whip Snake

Green Whip Snake

Hierophis viridiflavus

Silhouette: Ignazio Avella · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Turin

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

28 Verified sightings at Turin
137 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Green Whip Snake

The green whip snake or western whip snake (Hierophis viridiflavus) is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. This species is present in Andorra, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and possibly Luxembourg.

The melanic form occurs in the eastern part of the range and the striped in the western part, with a contact zone throughout most of northern Italy. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, arable land, pastureland, plantations, rural gardens, and urban areas. The green whip snake is a slender species with a small but well-defined head, prominent eyes with circular pupils, and smooth scales. The background colour is greenish-yellow but this is mostly obscured by heavy, somewhat irregular bands of dark green or black, particularly in the front half of the snake. The underparts are grey or yellowish and the tail has narrow longitudinal stripes. The young are a greyish colour and develop their full adult... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Recording1:48

Italy · 2018

© brunoparisotto · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~30%
2 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
~30%
3 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
4 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Turin 🇮🇹 Italy
~30%
2 Rome 🇮🇹 Italy
~20%
3 Naples 🇮🇹 Italy
~20%
4 Milan 🇮🇹 Italy
~20%
5 Lyon 🇫🇷 France
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Zagreb Zoo 🇭🇷 Croatia In captivity
2 zoo delle Maitine 🇮🇹 Italy In captivity
3 Falconeria Locarno 🇨🇭 Switzerland In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Green Whip Snake in Turin?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Green Whip Snake sighting in Turin on a given day, based on 28 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 4th most-seen of the 5 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Green Whip Snake in Turin?

June

In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Green Whip Snake in Turin on a given day, against under 5% in September and December–March, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Green Whip Snake?

Between 5 and 8 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Green Whip Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Turin the best place to see a Green Whip Snake?

Yes

Of the 5 cities where we can rate Green Whip Snake sightings, Turin has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Rome (Italy, about 20%) and Naples (Italy, about 20%).

Where does the Green Whip Snake sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Green Whip Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Turin (28 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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