Cryptophis nigrescens
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Cryptophis nigrescens, commonly known as the eastern small-eyed snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to eastern Australia. Cryptophis nigrescens was described by Albert Günther in 1862, assigning the new species to Hoplocephalus.
Cryptophis nigrescens is found in the Australian states of New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria. Common names for the species include short-tailed snake, small-eyed snake, and eastern small-eyed snake. Cryptophis nigrescens is viviparous.
Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ)... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (Denisonia nigrescens, p. 343).
Günther A (1862). "On new Species of Snakes in the Collection of the British Museum". Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Third Series 9: 124–132. (Hoplocephalus nigrescens, new species, p. 131 + Plate IX, figure 12). Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bear Hollow Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Small-eyed Snake sighting in Daintree National Park on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 21st most-seen of the 31 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Small-eyed Snake in Daintree National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January to March, the lowest months. That is one of Daintree National Park's wettest months, with about 300 mm of rain against 50 mm in September.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Small-eyed Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
3rd of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Small-eyed Snake sightings, Daintree National Park ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Springbrook National Park (Australia, about 30%) and Lamington National Park (Australia, about 20%).
Same family: Elapidae
The closest relatives of the Small-eyed Snake that you can see in Daintree National Park (family Elapidae, Elapid Snakes) are Red-bellied Black Snake (about 30%) and Black-bellied Swamp Snake (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Small-eyed Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Daintree National Park (24 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.
