Cemophora coccinea
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Cemophora coccinea, commonly known as the scarlet snake, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to the southeastern United States. There are two subspecies of C. coccinea that are recognized as being valid. The Texas scarlet snake (C. lineri) was previously considered a subspecies.
The scarlet snake is relatively small, semi fossorial habitat specialists from southeastern United States, growing to a total length (tail included) of 14–26 inches (36–66 cm) at adult size. The dorsal pattern consists of a light gray ground color, with a series of black-bordered red, white or yellow blotches down the back. The belly is either a uniform light gray or white color. The dorsal blotches can extend down the sides of the body, appearing somewhat like banding or rings, which sometimes leads to confusion with other sympatric species such as the venomous coral snakes or the harmless scarlet king snake. The similar pattern exhibited by these three snakes is a form of mimicry known as batesian mimicry. This is a phenomenon in which members of a palatable species gain protection from predation by resembling or mimicking... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Scarletsnake sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 41 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 26th most-seen of the 35 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.
July
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Scarletsnake in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in January–February and October, the lowest months. That is one of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge's wettest months, with about 160 mm of rain against 50 mm in March.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Scarletsnake sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Scarletsnake sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 40%) and Everglades National Park (United States, about 30%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Scarletsnake that you can see in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are North American Racer (about 30%), Banded Water Snake (about 20%) and Corn Snake (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Scarletsnake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (41 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.
