Adorned Graceful Brown Snake

Adorned Graceful Brown Snake

Rhadinaea decorata

Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Bastimentos Island National Marine Park

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

8 Verified sightings at Bastimentos Island National Marine Park From 2019 to 2026
90 In all 6 parks
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Adorned Graceful Brown Snake

Rhadinaea decorata, the adorned graceful brown snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. It is found in Central and South America. The name Rhadinaea comes from the greek word for slender. The species name decorata was given to the snake for the white markings on its head means "decorated or adorned".

Snakes of this species are generally brown in color, with dark lines down the sides of their bodies and oftentimes another similar marking down the spine. These two dark streaks are often separated by another stripe that is tan in color. A white marking behind the eyes serve as the species' namesake. In species that are more southern in distribution, this marking is longer and continuous along the rest of the body.

Notable features of Rhadinaea decorata include a long tail, taking up a maximum of 47% of its body. They are also known to have a smaller number of ventral scales to other species, with scientists counting between 110 and 134 scales on collected specimens.

Rhadinaea decorata can get as long as 470 mm long, however lengths exceeding 400 mm are atypical. R. decorata typically has about 20 maxillary teeth, then followed by two larger... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
2 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
3 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
4 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
5 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
6 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Adorned Graceful Brown Snake in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Adorned Graceful Brown Snake sighting in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 25th most-seen of the 31 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.

When is the best time to see an Adorned Graceful Brown Snake in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park?

November

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Adorned Graceful Brown Snake in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, March–April and June–September, the lowest months. That is one of Bastimentos Island National Marine Park's wettest months, with about 450 mm of rain against 160 mm in March.

What time of day is best to see an Adorned Graceful Brown Snake?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Adorned Graceful Brown 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.

Is Bastimentos Island National Marine Park the best place to see an Adorned Graceful Brown Snake?

3rd of 6

Of the 6 parks where we can rate Adorned Graceful Brown Snake sightings, Bastimentos Island National Marine Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Braulio Carrillo National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%) and Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (Costa Rica, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Adorned Graceful Brown Snake live in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park?

Same family: Colubridae

The closest relatives of the Adorned Graceful Brown Snake that you can see in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Striped Vine Snake (about 30%), Blunthead Tree Snake (about 30%) and Puffing Snake (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Adorned Graceful Brown Snake sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Adorned Graceful Brown Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park (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.

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