False Water Cobra
Hydrodynastes gigas
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassSquamata
- FamilyColubridae (Colúbrids)
- GenusHydrodynastes
- SpeciesHydrodynastes gigas (False Water Cobra)
Hydrodynastes gigas is a New World species of large dipsadine snake endemic to South America. Aglyphous snake with enlarged posterior maxillary teeth, not grooved, associated with Duvernoy's gland secretions. endemic to South America. Common names include false cobra, false water cobra, South American water cobra, and Brazilian smooth snake. It is also sometimes referred to as boipevaçu, ñacaniná or yacaniná, from the Guarani ñakanina ('alert head'), mboi-peba, surucucu-do-pantanal, and víbora ladradora ('barking snake'). A mildly venomous species, the false water cobra is so named because when it is threatened, it "hoods" as a true cobra (genus Naja) does. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Anavilhanas National Park
Green Vine Snake
Oxybelis fulgidus
Brown Sipo
Chironius fuscus
Chicken Snake
Spilotes pullatus
Mastigodryas moratoi
Mastigodryas moratoi
Wagler's Sipo
Chironius scurrulus
Royal Ground Snake
Erythrolamprus reginae
Blind Ground Snake
Erythrolamprus typhlus
Mountain Keelback
Helicops angulatus
False Coral Snake
Hydrops martii
Blunthead Tree Snake
Imantodes cenchoa
Banded Cat-eyed Snake
Leptodeira annulata
Giant Parrot Snake
Leptophis ahaetulla
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of False Water Cobra at Anavilhanas National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
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 | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Anavilhanas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Madidi National Park | 🇧🇴 Bolivia |