Micrurus mosquitensis
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Micrurus mosquitensis, also known commonly as the mosquito coral snake and la coral misquita in Central American Spanish, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to Central America. As in many species of the genus Micrurus, the color pattern of Micrurus mosquitensis consists of black, yellow, and red rings. The black rings are not arranged in triads, and there are 10–15 black rings on the body. The yellow rings are the narrowest, but are wider than in most coral snakes. The red rings are the widest, and have large black tips on the dorsal scales.
Males have 182–192 ventrals and 46–52 subcaudals; females have 197–211 ventrals and 35–43 subcaudals. Males have strongly developed supraanal tubercles. Adults usually have a total length of 50–75 cm (20–30 in). Micrurus mosquitensis is found in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama. The preferred natural habitat of Micrurus mosquitensis is forest, at altitudes from sea level to 900 m (3,000 ft). Micrurus mosquitensis is terrestrial.
Micrurus mosquitensis preys on lizards such as Scincella cherriei and Cnemidophorus spp.... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 5 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Costa Rican Coral Snake sighting in Braulio Carrillo National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 52nd most-seen of the 57 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Costa Rican Coral Snake in Braulio Carrillo National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, March–April and July–November, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Costa Rican Coral Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
5th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Costa Rican Coral Snake sightings, Braulio Carrillo National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Tenorio Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%), Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (Costa Rica, about 20%) and Arenal Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Costa Rican Coral Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Braulio Carrillo National Park (5 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.
