Chicken Snake

Spilotes pullatus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassSquamata
FamilyColubridae (Colubrid Snakes)
GenusSpilotes
SpeciesSpilotes pullatus (Chicken Snake)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Tikal National Park

1 Verified sightings at Tikal National Park From 2019 to 2026

322 Verified sightings across all 52 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Chicken Snake

Spilotes pullatus, commonly known as the chicken snake, tropical chicken snake, yellow rat snake, or tiger rat snake is a species of large nonvenomous colubrid snake endemic to the Neotropics. Including the nominotypical subspecies, the following five subspecies are recognized:

S. p. pullatus (Linnaeus, 1758) S. p. anomalepis Bocourt, 1888 S. p. argusiformis Amaral, 1929 S. p. maculatus Amaral, 1929 S. p. mexicanus (Laurenti, 1768) It is found in southern Mexico, Central America, northern and central South America, and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean.

Adults may attain a maximum total length of 2.7 m (8.9 ft), with the average length ranging from 1.5 to 2 m (4.9 to 6.6 ft). Dorsally, S. pullatus is black with yellow spots which may form crossbands. The tip of the snout is yellow. The head shields may be mostly yellow, or mostly black, or crossbanded with a combination of yellow and black, but the sutures between the shields are always black. Ventrally, it is yellow with irregular black crossbands.

The body is relatively slender and somewhat laterally compressed. The head is distinct from the neck. The eye... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Tikal National Park

Drymobius margaritiferus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Coniophanes imperialis

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Leptodeira septentrionalis

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Xenodon rabdocephalus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Drymarchon melanurus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Ficimia publia

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Lampropeltis abnorma

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Leptophis mexicanus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Ninia sebae

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Oxybelis fulgidus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Coniophanes schmidti

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

See all 11 relatives Show fewer

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Chapada Diamantina National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	~20%
2	Iguaçu National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	~20%
3	Corcovado National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~20%
4	Bastimentos Island National Marine Park	🇵🇦 Panama	~20%
5	Iguazú National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	~20%
6	Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
7	Calakmul Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
8	Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
9	Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
10	Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
11	La Amistad International Park (Panama)	🇵🇦 Panama	~10%
12	Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve	🇪🇨 Ecuador	~10%
13	Tortuguero National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
14	Arenal Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
15	Manuel Antonio National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
16	Braulio Carrillo National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
17	Chagres National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	~10%
18	Soberanía National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
19	Pico Bonito National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	Insufficient data
20	Utría National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	Insufficient data
21	Chapada dos Guimarães National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	Insufficient data
22	Main Ridge Forest Reserve	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	Insufficient data
23	Anavilhanas National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	Insufficient data
24	Cusuco National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	Insufficient data
25	Sierra de la Macarena National Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	Insufficient data
26	Tayrona National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	Insufficient data
27	Serra dos Órgãos National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	Insufficient data
28	Itatiaia National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	Insufficient data
29	Yasuní National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	Insufficient data
30	Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
31	Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
32	Serra da Canastra National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	Insufficient data
33	Biotopo Cerro Cahuí	🇬🇹 Guatemala	Insufficient data
34	Marino Ballena National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
35	Celestún Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
36	Palo Verde National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
37	Darién National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	Insufficient data
38	Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary	🇧🇿 Belize	Insufficient data
39	Tenorio Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
40	Santa Rosa National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
41	Piedras Blancas National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
42	Rincón de la Vieja National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
43	Lago de Yojoa	🇭🇳 Honduras	Insufficient data
44	Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas	🇧🇷 Brazil	Insufficient data
45	Tikal National Park	🇬🇹 Guatemala	Insufficient data
46	Amacayacu National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	Insufficient data
47	Farallones de Cali National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	Insufficient data
48	Carara National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
49	Parque Natural Metropolitano	🇵🇦 Panama	Insufficient data
50	Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
51	Cañón del Sumidero National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
52	Tijuca National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	Insufficient data

← Back to Tikal National Park

Chicken Snake

About the Chicken Snake

Closest Relatives at Tikal National Park

Speckled Racer

Black-striped Snake

Northern Cat-eyed Snake

False Fer-de-lance

Central American Indigo Snake

Blotched Hooknose Snake

Central American Milksnake

Mexican Parrot Snake

Red Coffee Snake

Green Vine Snake

Faded Black-striped Snake

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found