Tantilla melanocephala
Silhouette: Jessica Tingle · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Tantilla melanocephala, commonly known as the black-headed snake, the neotropical black-headed snake, and la culebra de cabeza negra in Spanish, is a small species of snake in the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to Central America and South America.
In Central America Tantilla melanocephala is found from Guatemala south to Panama. In South America it is found from Trinidad and Tobago south to northern Argentina. The preferred natural habitats of Tantilla melanocephala are grassland, savanna, and forest, at altitudes from sea level to 2,750 m (9,020 ft), and it has also been found in artificial habitats such as pastures, gardens, and plantations.
Tantilla melanocephala may attain a total length of 50 cm (20 in), which includes a tail 10 cm (3.9 in) long. Dorsally, it is pale brown or red, and some specimens also have 3 or 5 narrow brown stripes. The top of the head and neck are black or dark brown. Ventrally, it is yellowish white.
The dorsal scales are smooth, without apical pits, and arranged in 15 rows at midbody. Tantilla melanocephala is terrestrial and diurnal. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medellín | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Snake sighting in Tambopata National Reserve on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 38th most-seen of the 47 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.
March
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Snake in Tambopata National Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in April–May, July and September–January, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-headed 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.
Only Tambopata National Reserve, in our data
Tambopata National Reserve is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Black-headed Snake sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Black-headed Snake that you can see in Tambopata National Reserve (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Blunthead Tree Snake (about 30%), Tschudi's False Coral Snake (about 20%) and Wucherer's Ground Snake (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-headed Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Tambopata National Reserve (6 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.
