Ninia sebae
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Ninia sebae, commonly known as the redback coffee snake or the red coffee snake, is a species of small terrestrial snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to southeastern Mexico and Central America south to Costa Rica. Although it resembles some venomous coral snakes in color and size, it is not venomous and rarely bites humans.
The specific name, sebae, is in honor of Dutch naturalist Albertus Seba. Four subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies. Ninia sebae immaculata Schmidt & Rand, 1957 Ninia sebae morleyi Schmidt & Andrews, 1936
Ninia sebae punctulata (Bocourt, 1883) Ninia sebae sebae (A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854) Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Ninia.
The preferred natural habitats of N. sebae are forest and savanna, at altitudes from sea level to 2,200 m (7,200 ft). Coffee snakes (species in the genus Ninia) are thought to rely on concealment, flight and intimidation to avoid predation. These snakes were observed either flattening their entire bodies when... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pico Bonito National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 2 | Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇧🇿 Belize | |
| 3 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Santa Rosa National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tegucigalpa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 2 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 3 | San Salvador | 🇸🇻 El Salvador |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Red Coffee Snake sighting in Pico Bonito National Park on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 8th most-seen of the 21 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and November
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Red Coffee Snake in Pico Bonito National Park on a given day, against about 10% in February–April and October, the lowest months. Those are among Pico Bonito National Park's wettest months, with about 300 mm of rain a month against 80 mm in April.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red Coffee Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Yes
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Red Coffee Snake sightings, Pico Bonito National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (Belize, about 40%) and Arenal Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Red Coffee Snake that you can see in Pico Bonito National Park (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Blunthead Tree Snake (about 50%), Northern Cat-eyed Snake (about 40%) and Yellowbelly Snake (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red Coffee Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Pico Bonito National Park (26 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.
