Natrix maura
Silhouette: Danny S. · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The viperine water snake or viperine snake (Natrix maura) is a semiaquatic, fish-eating natricine water snake. Despite its common names, it is not a member of the subfamily Viperinae. It was given its common names due to exhibiting a dorsal colour pattern that superficially resembles that of sympatric adder species. In comparison to other Natrix species its head is also somewhat wider and more distinct from the neck. Like most members of the Natricinae it possesses a venom gland on each side of the upper jaw (Duvernoy's gland) that produces a mild venom that may play a role in swallowing or digestion. The gland is not associated with an enlarged specialized tooth and the venom has to be applied by chewing. The species usually does not bite as a means of defense, and the effect of a bite would be harmless to humans.
The viperine snake looks like an adder and occasionally behaves like one. It is known to strike like an adder, but not to bite. It spends most of its time in water hunting fish, frogs and other aquatic animals. The species is diurnal.
Fossils of the viperine snake are known from El Chaparral, a fossil site in Villaluenga del Rosario that... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris Zoological Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Aquarium du palais de la Porte Dorée | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Tierpark Herborn | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Aquarium of Gijón | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Fluviário de Mora | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 6 | Reptiland | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Viperine Snake sighting in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, based on 62 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 8th most-seen of the 18 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April, June–August and October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Viperine Snake in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December to February, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Viperine 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.
9th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Viperine Snake sightings, Sierra de Guadarrama National Park ranks 9th at about 10%. The best odds are in Cévennes National Park (France, about 40%), Monfragüe National Park (Spain, about 30%) and Doñana National Park (Spain, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Viperine Snake that you can see in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Smooth Snake (about 10%), Ladder Snake (about 10%) and Southern Smooth Snake (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Viperine Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (62 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.
