Coronella girondica
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Coronella girondica, commonly known as the southern smooth snake or Riccioli's snake, is a species of harmless snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to southern Europe and northern Africa. No subspecies are recognized as being valid.
C. girondica is found in Spain, Portugal, southern France, Monaco, Italy, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The type locality given is Bordeaux, France. C. girondica is brown, grayish, or reddish dorsally, with dark brown or blackish transverse bars or spots. On the nape there is a dark U-shaped mark, or a pair of dark elongate spots. There is a dark streak from the eye to the corner of the mouth, a dark band from eye to eye across the prefrontals, and a black line below the eye. Ventrally it is yellowish or red with black markings. The dorsal scales, which are smooth, are in 21 rows (rarely 19). Adults may attain a total length of 62 cm (2 feet), of which 12.5 cm (5 inches) is tail.
The natural habitats of C. girondica are temperate forests, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rocky areas, pastureland, and plantations. It is threatened by habitat loss. This... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Smooth Snake sighting in Sierra Nevada National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 10th most-seen of the 14 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.
October
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Smooth Snake in Sierra Nevada National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July, September and November–March, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Smooth 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.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Southern Smooth Snake sightings, Sierra Nevada National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Cévennes National Park (France, about 20%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Southern 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 Viperine Snake (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Smooth Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Sierra Nevada National Park (8 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.
