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 →
10–20% of wildlife watchers report a False Water Cobra sighting in Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas, based on 7 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas
Wagler's Snake
Xenodon merremii
Yellow-bellied Liophis
Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus
Chicken Snake
Spilotes pullatus
South American Pond Snake
Pseudoeryx plicatilis
Patagonian Racer
Philodryas patagoniensis
Black False Boa
Pseudoboa nigra
Lichtenstein's Green Racer
Philodryas olfersii
Forest Flame Snake
Oxyrhopus petolarius
Equator Tree Snake
Dipsas turgida
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ 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 |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a False Water Cobra in Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas?
About 18% of wildlife watchers report a False Water Cobra sighting in Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas, based on 7 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see False Water Cobra in Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas?
January has the highest sighting rate for False Water Cobra in Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas in our monthly data.