Is the False Fer-de-lance venomous?

No. The False Fer-de-lance (Xenodon rabdocephalus) is non-venomous and is not considered dangerous to humans. Like most snakes, it will retreat rather than bite when given the chance.

Is the False Fer-de-lance poisonous?

Snakes are venomous, not poisonous. "Poisonous" means harmful to eat or touch; "venomous" means injecting toxins through a bite. The False Fer-de-lance is neither poisonous nor venomous.

Is the False Fer-de-lance dangerous?

The False Fer-de-lance is not dangerous to humans. It has no medically significant venom and bites only defensively if cornered or handled.

Where does the False Fer-de-lance live?

The False Fer-de-lance has verified records in 19 countries, including Brazil, Panama, Colombia. See the distribution section below for its full range.

Colubridae

False Fer-de-lance

Harmless

Xenodon rabdocephalus

False Fer-de-lance — Xenodon rabdocephalus, © Vincent A. Vos

6 photographs of the False Fer-de-lance. © Vincent A. Vos.

The False Fer-de-lance (Xenodon rabdocephalus) is a non-venomous snake in the Colubridae family, recorded in 19 countries.

Family: Colubridae

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.

Geographic range

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.

Habitat

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).

Description

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.

Diet

X. rabdocephalus feeds mainly on frogs and toads, including tadpoles.

Reproduction

X. rabdocephalus is oviparous.

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.

X. r. rabdocephalus (Wied, 1824)

X. r. mexicanus H.M. Smith, 1940

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Xenodon.

Adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA.

Frequently asked: False Fer-de-lance

Is the False Fer-de-lance venomous?: No. The False Fer-de-lance (Xenodon rabdocephalus) is non-venomous and is not considered dangerous to humans. Like most snakes, it will retreat rather than bite when given the chance.
Is the False Fer-de-lance poisonous?: Snakes are venomous, not poisonous. "Poisonous" means harmful to eat or touch; "venomous" means injecting toxins through a bite. The False Fer-de-lance is neither poisonous nor venomous.
Is the False Fer-de-lance dangerous?: The False Fer-de-lance is not dangerous to humans. It has no medically significant venom and bites only defensively if cornered or handled.
Where does the False Fer-de-lance live?: The False Fer-de-lance has verified records in 19 countries, including Brazil, Panama, Colombia. See the distribution section below for its full range.
What does the False Fer-de-lance eat?: X. rabdocephalus feeds mainly on frogs and toads, including tadpoles.

Where it is found

Brazil Panama Colombia Costa Rica Ecuador Mexico Guatemala Peru Honduras Nicaragua Suriname Bolivia (Plurinational State of)French Guiana Belize Guyana Argentina Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)Congo, Democratic Republic of the Dominican Republic

More Colubridae snakes

Classification

How scientists group this snake, from the broadest category down to the exact species. Each step narrows to its closest relatives.

OrderThe broad group of scaled reptiles: all snakes and lizards: Squamata
FamilyA group of related snakes that share key traits: Colubridae
GenusA close-knit group of very similar species: Xenodon
SpeciesThis exact snake, named in the two-part scientific name: Xenodon rabdocephalus

Keep learning

Distribution from GBIF & iNaturalist. Venom status per CDC. Background: Wikipedia. Informational only. Never handle a snake to identify it.