Banded Swamp Snake

Banded Swamp Snake

Homalopsis buccata

Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Yogyakarta

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

9 Verified sightings at Yogyakarta
6 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
January Best month
🌙 Nocturnal When it's spotted

About the Banded Swamp Snake

Homalopsis buccata (puff-faced water snake or masked water snake) is a species of mildly venomous snake in the Homalopsidae family found in tropical areas of Southeast Asia. Upper labials 1–4 contact single loreal; two prefrontals; 33–40 dorsal scale rows at mid-body, usually reduced to fewer than 30 posteriorly; one postocular plus a postsubocular; 12 (11–14) upper labials; ventral count fewer than 166.

Homalopsis buccata has a banded pattern and usually reaches 1 meter (3 feet) in length. They have a somewhat similar body build to the anaconda, but instead of constriction they use a mild venom from a grooved rear fang to subdue prey.

H. buccata ranges from northern Sumatra to Salanga Island, Indonesia and Borneo; it is present on the Malaysian peninsula and in extreme southern Thailand (vicinity of Pattani). H. buccata are ovoviviparous, meaning they do not lay eggs but rather give birth to live young. Females give birth to 2-20 live young, with an average of 9.26 young per breeding. Studies have shown this species breeds year round, with a peak season of October–March (though no distinctive breeding season was found).

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Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Gunung Leuser National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Jakarta 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~30%
2 Yogyakarta 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
3 Bandung 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Prague Zoo 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
2 Toba Aquarium 🇯🇵 Japan In captivity
3 Siam Serpentarium 🇹🇭 Thailand In captivity
4 Snake Farm of Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute 🇹🇭 Thailand In captivity
5 Rákosův pavilon 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
6 Velemlokárium 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
7 AOAO Sapporo 🇯🇵 Japan In captivity

Closest Relatives at Yogyakarta

No species of the same family or order lives in Yogyakarta, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Banded Swamp Snake in Yogyakarta?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Banded Swamp Snake sighting in Yogyakarta on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 12th most-seen of the 19 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Banded Swamp Snake in Yogyakarta?

January

In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Banded Swamp Snake in Yogyakarta on a given day, against under 5% in February, June–July, October and December, the lowest months. That is one of Yogyakarta's wettest months, with about 350 mm of rain against 30 mm in August.

What time of day is best to see a Banded Swamp Snake?

Between 8 and 11 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Banded Swamp Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.

Is Yogyakarta the best place to see a Banded Swamp Snake?

2nd of 3

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Banded Swamp Snake sightings, Yogyakarta ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Jakarta (Indonesia, about 30%).

Where does the Banded Swamp Snake sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Banded Swamp Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Yogyakarta (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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