Oriental Whipsnake

Oriental Whipsnake

Ahaetulla prasina

Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Kaeng Krachan National Park

In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%

95 Verified sightings at Kaeng Krachan National Park From 2019 to 2026
263 In all 10 parks
July Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Oriental Whipsnake

Ahaetulla prasina is an arboreal, moderately venomous species of opisthoglyphous vine snake in the family Colubridae, found in Southern and Southeast Asia. Its common names include the Asian vine snake, Boie's whip snake, Gunther's whip snake, and the Oriental whip snake (Tagalog: puno ng ubas ahas; Thai: งูเขียวหัวจิ้งจก; Indonesian: ular anggur).

The species name prasina is from the Greek word prasinos for the color green. It belongs to the genus Ahaetulla, one of five genera within the subfamily Ahaetuliinae. Recent studies have found it to be paraphyletic and in need of taxonomic revision, as shown in the cladogram below:

Four subspecies are recognized, including the nominate race. Ahaetulla prasina medioxima Lazell, 2002 Ahaetulla prasina preocularis (Taylor, 1922): Philippine Islands, including Sulu Archipelago, Panay, Luzon. Ahaetulla prasina prasina (Boie, 1827)

Ahaetulla prasina suluensis Gaulke, 1994: Philippine Islands, Sulu Archipelago This snake has a wide distribution in Asia, where it occurs in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cuc Phuong National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~50%
2 Bako National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~40%
3 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~40%
4 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~30%
5 Khao Sok National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~30%
6 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~30%
7 Tangkoko Nature Reserve 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
8 Gunung Leuser National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
9 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~20%
10 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Jakarta 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~60%
2 Bandar Lampung 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~50%
3 Yogyakarta 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~40%
4 Denpasar 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~30%
5 Johor Bahru 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
6 Bandung 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
7 Singapore 🇸🇬 Singapore
~20%
8 Kuala Lumpur 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Ningbo Wildlife Park 🇨🇳 China In captivity
2 Khao Kheow Open Zoo 🇹🇭 Thailand In captivity
3 Chiang Mai Zoo 🇹🇭 Thailand In captivity
4 Bandung Zoo 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity
5 Crocodile Farm 🇹🇭 Thailand In captivity
6 Reptile Gardens 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
7 The Living Planet Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
8 Snake Farm of Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute 🇹🇭 Thailand In captivity
9 OdySea Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
10 Tula Exotarium 🇷🇺 Russia In captivity
11 Tarpon Springs Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Oriental Whipsnake in Kaeng Krachan National Park?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report an Oriental Whipsnake sighting in Kaeng Krachan National Park on a given day, based on 95 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 56 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Oriental Whipsnake in Kaeng Krachan National Park?

July and December

In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report an Oriental Whipsnake in Kaeng Krachan National Park on a given day, against about 10% in April, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see an Oriental Whipsnake?

Between 2 and 5 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Oriental Whipsnake sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Kaeng Krachan National Park the best place to see an Oriental Whipsnake?

3rd of 10

Of the 10 parks where we can rate Oriental Whipsnake sightings, Kaeng Krachan National Park ranks 3rd at about 40%. The best odds are in Cuc Phuong National Park (Vietnam, about 50%) and Bako National Park (Malaysia, about 40%). All parks ranked.

Which relatives of the Oriental Whipsnake live in Kaeng Krachan National Park?

Same family: Colubridae

The closest relatives of the Oriental Whipsnake that you can see in Kaeng Krachan National Park (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Small-banded Kukri Snake (about 20%), Golden Tree Snake (about 20%) and Common Bronze-back (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Oriental Whipsnake sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Oriental Whipsnake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Kaeng Krachan National Park (95 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.

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