Wagler's Pit Viper

Wagler's Pit Viper

Tropidolaemus wagleri

Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
at Khao Sok National Park

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

134 Verified sightings at Khao Sok National Park From 2019 to 2026
313 In all 3 parks
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Wagler's Pit Viper

Tropidolaemus wagleri, more commonly known as Wagler's pit viper, is a species of venomous snake, a pit viper in the subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to Southeast Asia. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid. It is sometimes referred to as the temple viper because of its abundance around the Temple of the Azure Cloud in Malaysia.

The specific name, wagleri, is in honour of German herpetologist Johann Georg Wagler. The Wagler's pit viper is sexually dimorphic: the females grow to approximately 1 m (39+1⁄4 in) in total length (including tail), their bodies being black with yellow stripes. Males, on the other hand, typically do not exceed 75 cm (29+1⁄2 in). Males have large triangular-shaped heads, with relatively thin green bodies. They are almost entirely arboreal, and their tails are prehensile to aid in climbing.

They are found in a wide variety of colors and patterns, often referred to as "phases". In the past, some researchers classified the different phases as subspecies. The phases vary greatly from having a black or brown coloration as a base, with orange and yellow banding, to others having... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Gunung Leuser National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~70%
2 Khao Sok National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~50%
3 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~30%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Singapore 🇸🇬 Singapore
~30%
2 Kuala Lumpur 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Los Angeles Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
2 Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
3 National Zoo of Malaysia 🇲🇾 Malaysia In captivity
4 Fort Worth Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
5 Gembira Loka Zoo 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity
6 Siam Serpentarium 🇹🇭 Thailand In captivity
7 Entopia 🇲🇾 Malaysia In captivity
8 BXSea Aquarium 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Wagler's Pit Viper in Khao Sok National Park?

Likely

About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Wagler's Pit Viper sighting in Khao Sok National Park on a given day, based on 134 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 44 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Wagler's Pit Viper in Khao Sok National Park?

March

In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Wagler's Pit Viper in Khao Sok National Park on a given day, against about 30% in June and November–December, the lowest months. That is one of Khao Sok National Park's driest months, with about 55 mm of rain against 280 mm in October.

What time of day is best to see a Wagler's Pit Viper?

Between 2 and 5 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Wagler's Pit Viper sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Khao Sok National Park the best place to see a Wagler's Pit Viper?

2nd of 3

Of the 3 parks where we can rate Wagler's Pit Viper sightings, Khao Sok National Park ranks 2nd at about 50%. The best odds are in Gunung Leuser National Park (Indonesia, about 70%).

Where does the Wagler's Pit Viper sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Wagler's Pit Viper is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Khao Sok National Park (134 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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