Sanzinia madagascariensis
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
Sanzinia madagascariensis, also known as the Madagascar tree boa or Malagasy tree boa, is a boa species endemic to the island of Madagascar. It was once considered conspecific with the Nosy Komba ground boa (Sanzinia volontany). Like all other boas, it is non-venomous.
Adults average 4–5 feet (122–152 cm) in length, although 6–7 foot (183–213 cm) specimens are not uncommon. Thermoreceptive pits are located between the labial scales. Females are larger than males. It is greenish in colour and is found on the eastern side of Madagascar.
Endemic to Madagascar. The type locality given is "Madagascar". Favors trees and shrubs near streams, rivers, ponds and swamps. This species was classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2006 with the following criteria: A1cd (v2.3, 1994). This means that a population reduction of at least 20% has been observed, estimated, inferred or suspected over the last 10 years or three generations, whichever is the longer, based on a decline in area of occupancy, extent of occurrence and/or quality of habitat, and based on actual or potential levels of exploitation... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ranomafana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Mantadia National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
No species of the same family or order lives in Ranomafana National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascar tree boa sighting in Ranomafana National Park on a given day, based on 35 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 9th most-seen of the 29 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascar tree boa in Ranomafana National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May and August, the lowest months. That is one of Ranomafana National Park's wettest months, with about 380 mm of rain against 80 mm in September.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Madagascar tree boa sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Madagascar tree boa sightings, Ranomafana National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Mantadia National Park (Madagascar, about 50%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Madagascar tree boa is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Ranomafana National Park (35 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.
