Oxybelis fulgidus
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Oxybelis fulgidus, commonly known as the green vine snake, is a species of slender, arboreal, opisthoglyphous ('rear-fanged') colubrid serpent which is endemic to Central America and northern South America. Common names used in South America for this species include bejuca lora, bejuquilla verde, cobra-cipó, and cobra-bicuda.
Oxybelis fulgidus is found in mainland Latin America, primarily in Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.
This snake is very slender, roughly 2 cm (0.79 in) thick, and may attain a total length of about 1.5–2 m (59–79 in). The tail is long and very delicate, but mostly used to hold on while reaching for prey. The head is aerodynamically shaped and very pointy, the mouth is very large and extends almost the whole length of the head. The tongue is long and green; when in use it is kept outside the mouth and moved up and down. This behavior is reflected in other species of vine snake and it is believed that they are using their tongues as sights the way a cat uses its whiskers... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 3 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 5 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Parque Natural Metropolitano | 🇵🇦 Panama |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | São Luís | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Manaus | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris Zoological Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Los Angeles Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | La Paz Waterfall Gardens | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Bioparque Los Ocarros | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 6 | Reptile Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Parque Zoológico Nacional Simón Bolívar | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Croco Cun Zoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 9 | El Nispero Zoo | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 10 | Bioparc Fuengirola | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 11 | Monteverde Theme Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 13 | Snakeroom Serpentarium | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 14 | Zoológico Miguél Álvarez del Toro | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Green Vine Snake sighting in Tambopata National Reserve on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 38th most-seen of the 47 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July, September and December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Green Vine Snake in Tambopata National Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in January–June and October–November, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Green Vine Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Green Vine Snake sightings, Tambopata National Reserve ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Tortuguero National Park (Costa Rica, about 30%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Green Vine Snake that you can see in Tambopata National Reserve (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Blunthead Tree Snake (about 30%), Tschudi's False Coral Snake (about 20%) and Wucherer's Ground Snake (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Green Vine Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Tambopata National Reserve (6 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.
