Micrurus corallinus
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Micrurus corallinus, also known commonly as the painted coral snake, is a species of highly venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to eastern South America (Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay). There are no recognized subspecies.
Local common names for Micrurus corallinus include cobra coral pintada, mboi-chumbe, vibora de coral, boicora, bocora, coral-verdadeira, ibiboboca, and mboi-yvyvovo. The painted coral snake is a medium-sized tri-colored snake which can grow to a total length (tail included) of 98 cm (39 in), but most are closer to 65–85 cm (26–33 in).
It is a snake with nocturnal habits found on the coastlines, in leaf litter, and under logs and stones. Its diet is based on caecilians, amphisbaenids, lizards (including gymnophthalmids), other snakes (including colubrids).
The head color is black with a white or yellow band on the posterior portion of the parietals. This band narrows strongly mid-dorsally. The body has wide red rings that are separated by a series of 15–27 (usually 17–21) narrower black rings with white borders. The tail has 3–8 alternating black and yellow rings. It has a slim body, with a... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serra dos Órgãos National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Tijuca National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rio de Janeiro | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Painted Coral Snake sighting in Iguazú National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 11th most-seen of the 18 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September and October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Painted Coral Snake in Iguazú National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–March and May–August, the lowest months.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Painted Coral Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Painted Coral Snake sightings, Iguazú National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Serra dos Órgãos National Park (Brazil, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Painted Coral Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Iguazú National Park (9 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.
