Red Coffee Snake
Ninia sebae
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassSquamata
- FamilyColubridae (Colubrid Snakes)
- GenusNinia (Coffee Snakes)
- SpeciesNinia sebae (Red Coffee Snake)
About the Red Coffee Snake
Ninia sebae, commonly known as the redback coffee snake or the red coffee snake, is a species of small terrestrial snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to southeastern Mexico and Central America south to Costa Rica. Although it resembles some venomous coral snakes in color and size, it is not venomous and rarely bites humans.
The specific name, sebae, is in honor of Dutch naturalist Albertus Seba. Four subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies. Ninia sebae immaculata Schmidt & Rand, 1957 Ninia sebae morleyi Schmidt & Andrews, 1936
Ninia sebae punctulata (Bocourt, 1883) Ninia sebae sebae (A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854) Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Ninia.
The preferred natural habitats of N. sebae are forest and savanna, at altitudes from sea level to 2,200 m (7,200 ft). Coffee snakes (species in the genus Ninia) are thought to rely on concealment, flight and intimidation to avoid predation. These snakes were observed either flattening their entire bodies when... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Tikal National Park
Speckled Racer
Drymobius margaritiferus
Black-striped Snake
Coniophanes imperialis
Northern Cat-eyed Snake
Leptodeira septentrionalis
False Fer-de-lance
Xenodon rabdocephalus
Central American Indigo Snake
Drymarchon melanurus
Blotched Hooknose Snake
Ficimia publia
Central American Milksnake
Lampropeltis abnorma
Mexican Parrot Snake
Leptophis mexicanus
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 | Pico Bonito National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 2 | Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇧🇿 Belize | |
| 3 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Santa Rosa National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 9 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 10 | La Tigra National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 11 | Cusuco National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 12 | Celaque National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 13 | Biotopo Cerro Cahuí | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 14 | Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 15 | Lago de Yojoa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 16 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 17 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 18 | Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 19 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |