Xenodon rabdocephalus
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Xenodon rabdocephalus, commonly known as the false fer-de-lance, is a species of mildly venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to Central America and northern South America. There are two recognized subspecies.
X. rabdocephalus is found in southern Mexico in the states of Guerrero, Veracruz, Yucatan and Campeche, through Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama. In northern South America it is found in Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil where it occurs in the states of Amapá, Rondônia, Pará, Espírito Santo and Bahia.
The preferred natural habitat of X. rabdocephalus is forest in the moist lowlands and the premontane regions, at altitudes from sea level to 1,500 m (4,900 ft). X. rabdocephalus is a medium-sized snake which reaches a total length (including tail) of 80 cm (31 in). It is mainly brown with a series of brown and grey hourglass-shaped dorsal blotches on the body.
X. rabdocephalus feeds mainly on frogs and toads, including tadpoles. X. rabdocephalus is oviparous. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parque museo La Venta | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a False Fer-de-lance 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.
January–February, May and September–October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a False Fer-de-lance in Braulio Carrillo National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–April, June–August and November–December, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most False Fer-de-lance sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate False Fer-de-lance sightings, Braulio Carrillo National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Arenal Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the False Fer-de-lance that you can see in Braulio Carrillo National Park (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Blunthead Tree Snake (about 40%), Cloudy Snail-eating Snake (about 30%) and Western Tree Snake (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the False Fer-de-lance 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.
