Military Ground Snake

Military Ground Snake

Erythrolamprus miliaris

Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Serra dos Órgãos National Park

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

11 Verified sightings at Serra dos Órgãos National Park From 2019 to 2026
29 In all 2 parks
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Military Ground Snake

The military ground snake (Erythrolamprus miliaris) is a species of snake in the subfamily Dipsadinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to South America. South American common names for Erythrolamprus miliaris include cobra-d'água (water snake) and cobra-lisa (smooth snake) in Portuguese, and simply culebra (snake) in Spanish.

Erythrolamprus miliaris was originally described as Coluber miliaris by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Erythrolamprus miliaris belongs to the genus Erythrolamprus, which contains over 50 species. The genus Erythrolamprus belongs to the subfamily Dipsadinae, which is sometimes referred to as the family Dipsadidae. The relationships of Erythrolamprus species located in northern South America can be shown in the cladogram below, based on molecular DNA analysis:

Five subspecies are recognized, including the nominotypical subspecies. Erythrolamprus miliaris amazonicus (Dunn, 1922) Erythrolamprus miliaris chrysostomus (Cope, 1868) Erythrolamprus miliaris merremi (Wied, 1821) Erythrolamprus miliaris miliaris (Linnaeus, 1758)

Erythrolamprus miliaris orinus (Griffin, 1916) The subspecific name,... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
2 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
2 Curitiba 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
3 São Paulo 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Military Ground Snake in Serra dos Órgãos National Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Military Ground Snake sighting in Serra dos Órgãos National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 14 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Military Ground Snake in Serra dos Órgãos National Park?

April

In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Military Ground Snake in Serra dos Órgãos National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May–September and November–December, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Military Ground Snake?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Military Ground 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.

Is Serra dos Órgãos National Park the best place to see a Military Ground Snake?

Yes

Of the 2 parks where we can rate Military Ground Snake sightings, Serra dos Órgãos National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Tijuca National Park (Brazil, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Military Ground Snake live in Serra dos Órgãos National Park?

Same family: Colubridae

The closest relatives of the Military Ground Snake that you can see in Serra dos Órgãos National Park (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Brown Sipo (about 30%), Neuwied's False Fer-de-lance (about 20%) and Banded Cat-eyed Snake (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Military Ground Snake sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Military Ground Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Serra dos Órgãos National Park (11 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.

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