Homalopsis buccata
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
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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| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jakarta | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 2 | Yogyakarta | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 3 | Bandung | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | Toba Aquarium | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 3 | Siam Serpentarium | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 4 | Snake Farm of Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 5 | Rákosův pavilon | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 6 | Velemlokárium | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 7 | AOAO Sapporo | 🇯🇵 Japan |
No species of the same family or order lives in Gunung Leuser National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Banded Swamp Snake sighting in Gunung Leuser National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 33rd most-seen of the 47 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Banded Swamp Snake in Gunung Leuser National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May–June and October–March, the lowest months.
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.
Only Gunung Leuser National Park, in our data
Gunung Leuser National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Banded Swamp Snake sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Banded Swamp Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Gunung Leuser National Park (6 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.
