Erythrolamprus epinephalus
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Erythrolamprus epinephalus, the Fire-bellied snake, is a species of snake in the Colubridae family. It is found in Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru. The snake, which was described by Edward Drinker Cope in 1862, is notable for its apparent immunity to the toxic skin of the golden poison dart frog, which it preys upon.
Erythrolamprus epinephalus 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. Recent phylogenetic analysis of morphological and molecular DNA evidence has shown that Erythrolamprus epinephalus is now likely paraphyletic, with respect to Erythrolamprus pseudoreginae of Tobago, named in 2019.
The relationships of Erythrolamprus species located in northern South America can be shown in the cladogram below: Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Paz Waterfall Gardens | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Fire-bellied Snake sighting in Soberanía National Park on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 24th most-seen of the 52 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.
June and July
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Fire-bellied Snake in Soberanía National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, August and December, the lowest months. Those are among Soberanía National Park's wettest months, with about 320 mm of rain a month against 25 mm in February.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Fire-bellied Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Fire-bellied Snake sightings, Soberanía National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Chirripó National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Fire-bellied Snake that you can see in Soberanía National Park (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Rhombic Cat-eyed Snake (about 20%), Ornate Cat-eyed Snake (about 10%) and Striped Vine Snake (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Fire-bellied Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Soberanía National Park (18 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.
