Macroprotodon brevis
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
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 Sierra Nevada National Park on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 14th most-seen of the 14 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Iberian False Smooth Snake in Sierra Nevada National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, May and November, 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.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Iberian False Smooth Snake sightings, Sierra Nevada National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Monfragüe National Park (Spain, about 10%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Iberian False Smooth Snake that you can see in Sierra Nevada National Park (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Ladder Snake (about 20%), Horseshoe Whip Snake (about 20%) and Southern Smooth Snake (about 20%), 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 Sierra Nevada National Park (17 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.
