Tropidonophis mairii
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
Tropidonophis mairii, also known commonly as Mair's keelback, the common keelback, and the freshwater snake, is a species of colubrid snake in the subfamily Natricinae. The species is native to Australasia. The specific name, mairii, is in honor of "Dr. Mair", an army surgeon with the 39th Regiment of Foot, who collected the holotype.
Tropidonophis mairii is found in Australia, Indonesia, New Guinea, and Papua New Guinea. The preferred natural habitats of Tropidonophis mairii are forest, grassland, and freshwater wetlands, at altitudes from sea level to 50 m (160 ft).
Dorsally, Tropidonophis mairii is olive, brown, or blackish, with small black spots, or with black crossbars anteriorly. Ventrally, it is lighter. The subcaudals and often also the ventrals are edged with black. The dorsal scales are strongly keeled, and arranged in 15 rows at midbody.
It resembles the Australian venomous rough-scaled snake (Tropidechis carinatus). T. mairii rarely grows over 1 m (39 in) in total length (tail included). Tropidonophis mairii is diurnal and nocturnal, arboreal, semi-aquatic, and terrestrial. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brisbane | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cairns Aquarium | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Mair's Keelback sighting in Kakadu National Park on a given day, based on 41 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 54 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Mair's Keelback in Kakadu National Park on a given day, against about 10% in August, the lowest month. That is one of Kakadu National Park's wettest months, with about 350 mm of rain against almost none in August.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mair's Keelback sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Mair's Keelback sightings, Kakadu National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Litchfield National Park (Australia, about 30%) and Nitmiluk National Park (Australia, about 20%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Mair's Keelback that you can see in Kakadu National Park (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Brown Tree Snake (about 30%), Black Treesnake (about 20%) and Slaty-grey snake (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mair's Keelback is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Kakadu National Park (41 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.
