Ptyas fusca
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Ptyas fusca, commonly known as the white-bellied rat snake or brown rat snake, is a species of colubrid snake. It is found in Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. The white-bellied rat snake prefers forested habitats. They are known to prey on frogs and lizards and fish. It is known to remain still and hold neck erect when disturbed-a threatening posture.
The adults range from brown to brick-red colour on the upper surface. Ventral scales are white to pale yellowish in colour. Thick black stripes on either side of the posterior body and tail is a characteristic feature. Juveniles often greenish in coloration. The pupil is rounded and large.
Photo by Hock Ping GUEK - Selangor, Malaysia Photo by Paul - Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 3 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 4 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 5 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 6 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Rat Snake sighting in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 20th most-seen of the 25 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.
February
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Rat Snake in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, against under 5% in April–May, August–October and December–January, the lowest months.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Brown Rat Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Brown Rat Snake sightings, Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in Kinabalu Park (Malaysia, about 20%), Khao Sok National Park (Thailand, about 20%) and Danum Valley Conservation Area (Malaysia, about 10%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Brown Rat Snake that you can see in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Common Bronze-back (about 40%), Paradise Flying Snake (about 20%) and Gold-ringed Cat Snake (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Brown Rat Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (8 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.
