False Fer-de-lance
Xenodon rabdocephalus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassSquamata
- FamilyColubridae (Colubrid Snakes)
- GenusXenodon
- SpeciesXenodon rabdocephalus (False Fer-de-lance)
About the False Fer-de-lance
Xenodon rabdocephalus, commonly known as the false fer-de-lance, is a species of mildly venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to Central America and northern South America. There are two recognized subspecies.
X. rabdocephalus is found in southern Mexico in the states of Guerrero, Veracruz, Yucatan and Campeche, through Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama. In northern South America it is found in Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil where it occurs in the states of Amapá, Rondônia, Pará, Espírito Santo and Bahia.
The preferred natural habitat of X. rabdocephalus is forest in the moist lowlands and the premontane regions, at altitudes from sea level to 1,500 m (4,900 ft). X. rabdocephalus is a medium-sized snake which reaches a total length (including tail) of 80 cm (31 in). It is mainly brown with a series of brown and grey hourglass-shaped dorsal blotches on the body.
X. rabdocephalus feeds mainly on frogs and toads, including tadpoles. X. rabdocephalus is oviparous. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Tikal National Park
Speckled Racer
Drymobius margaritiferus
Black-striped Snake
Coniophanes imperialis
Northern Cat-eyed Snake
Leptodeira septentrionalis
Central American Indigo Snake
Drymarchon melanurus
Blotched Hooknose Snake
Ficimia publia
Central American Milksnake
Lampropeltis abnorma
Mexican Parrot Snake
Leptophis mexicanus
Red Coffee Snake
Ninia sebae
Green Vine Snake
Oxybelis fulgidus
Chicken Snake
Spilotes pullatus
Faded Black-striped Snake
Coniophanes schmidti
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Amboró National Park | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 4 | Lago de Yojoa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 5 | Chagres National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | Pico Bonito National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 7 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 8 | Amacayacu National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 9 | Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 10 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 11 | Cordillera Azul National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 12 | Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 13 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 14 | Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 15 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 16 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 17 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 18 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 19 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 20 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |