Bitis armata
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The southern adder (Bitis armata) is an endangered species of venomous snake in the family Viperidae. It is endemic to the Western Cape in South Africa. The southern adder averages 20 cm in length (with a maximum length of 40 cm). It has two white bands beneath and between the eye. It has horned tufts above the eyes. The southern adder is greyish-brown in colour, with dark brown patterning down the centre.
The southern adder is found in three separate subpopulations on the southwestern coastal margins of the Western Cape. Previously, a fourth subpopulation in Cape Town is thought to be locally extinct. The northern subpopulation is found from West Coast National Park to approximately 20 km north of Cape Town. The southeastern subpopulation is found near Hermanus and near De Hoop Nature Reserve.
The southern adder is found near limestone rock in Fynbos vegetation. Media related to Bitis armata at Wikimedia Commons Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Adder sighting in De Hoop Nature Reserve on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 13th most-seen of the 18 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.
April, October and December
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Adder in De Hoop Nature Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in January, March and June, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Adder sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only De Hoop Nature Reserve, in our data
De Hoop Nature Reserve is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Southern Adder sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Adder is recorded against all the reptiles logged in De Hoop Nature Reserve (18 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
