Macroprotodon brevis
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The western false smooth snake or Iberian false smooth snake (Macroprotodon brevis) is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species feeds exclusively on vertebrates, mainly reptiles, and mostly long-bodied prey which are burrowers or live under rocks.
Some aspects of its morphology and feeding habits suggest that it is not nocturnal, but rather lives under rocks. M. brevis is found on the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco. The natural habitats of M. brevis include evergreen temperate forests and Mediterranean-style scrubland. M. brevis is threatened by habitat loss, largely the result of agriculture, and faces some threat from the wild boar.
Günther A (1862). "On new Species of Snakes in the Collection of the British Museum". Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Third Series 9: 52–59. (Coronella brevis, new species, p. 58). Wikipedia →
Recording0:05
Spain · 2022
© Rubén · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lisbon | 🇵🇹 Portugal |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Iberian False Smooth Snake sighting in Monfragüe National Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 9th most-seen of the 11 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and September
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Iberian False Smooth Snake in Monfragüe National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July and November–February, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Iberian False Smooth Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Iberian False Smooth Snake sightings, Monfragüe National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Sierra Nevada National Park (Spain, about 10%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Iberian False Smooth Snake that you can see in Monfragüe National Park (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Viperine Snake (about 30%), Horseshoe Whip Snake (about 20%) and Ladder Snake (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Iberian False Smooth Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Monfragüe National Park (14 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.
