Xenopeltis unicolor
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Xenopeltis unicolor, commonly known as the sunbeam snake, common sunbeam snake or iridescent snake, is a non-venomous sunbeam snake species found in Southeast Asia and some regions of Indonesia. This is a primitive snake known for both its highly iridescent scales and its ability to reproduce quickly, as it is oviparous and as such can lay up to 10 eggs at a time. No subspecies are currently recognized.
Grows to an average of about 1 m (3 ft 3 in). The color is reddish brown, brown or blackish with an unpatterned withish-grey venter. A fossorial species, the head is wedge-shaped and narrow with little neck delineation, which makes it easy to push through the soil. Its most defining characteristic is its iridescent, highly polished scales that give this snake its common name. They have a layer of dark pigmentation just below the surface on each scale that enhances the iridescence. The young look very similar to the adults, except that they have a strong white "collar" of scales evident just below the head. This coloration fades within the first year. They have two cone opsins allowing for the potential of dichromatic color vision.
Xenopeltis unicolor has two postocular... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 2 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 3 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 4 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denpasar | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 2 | Ho Chi Minh City | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 3 | Jakarta | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 4 | Bangkok | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 5 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Siam Serpentarium | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 2 | Snake Farm of Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
No species of the same family or order lives in Kinabalu Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Asian Sunbeam Snake sighting in Kinabalu Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 55th most-seen of the 69 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and July–August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Asian Sunbeam Snake in Kinabalu Park on a given day, against under 5% in May–June and September–January, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Asian Sunbeam Snake 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.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Asian Sunbeam Snake sightings, Kinabalu Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Khao Sok National Park (Thailand, about 20%), Gunung Leuser National Park (Indonesia, about 10%) and Cat Tien National Park (Vietnam, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Asian Sunbeam Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Kinabalu Park (9 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.
