Hierophis viridiflavus
Silhouette: Ignazio Avella · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The green whip snake or western whip snake (Hierophis viridiflavus) is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. This species is present in Andorra, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and possibly Luxembourg.
The melanic form occurs in the eastern part of the range and the striped in the western part, with a contact zone throughout most of northern Italy. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, arable land, pastureland, plantations, rural gardens, and urban areas. The green whip snake is a slender species with a small but well-defined head, prominent eyes with circular pupils, and smooth scales. The background colour is greenish-yellow but this is mostly obscured by heavy, somewhat irregular bands of dark green or black, particularly in the front half of the snake. The underparts are grey or yellowish and the tail has narrow longitudinal stripes. The young are a greyish colour and develop their full adult... Wikipedia →
Recording1:48
Italy · 2018
© brunoparisotto · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zagreb Zoo | 🇭🇷 Croatia | |
| 2 | zoo delle Maitine | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 3 | Falconeria Locarno | 🇨🇭 Switzerland |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Green Whip Snake sighting in Mercantour National Park on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 11 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Green Whip Snake in Mercantour National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–February and November, the lowest months.
Between 5 and 8 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Green Whip 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.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Green Whip Snake sightings, Mercantour National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Aigüestortes National Park (Spain, about 30%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Green Whip Snake that you can see in Mercantour National Park (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Aesculapian Snake (about 20%), barred grass snake (about 20%) and Viperine Snake (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Green Whip Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Mercantour National Park (16 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.
