Neuwied's False Fer-de-lance

Fascinating facts about the Neuwied's False Fer-de-lance

• A 19th-century German prince once lent his name to this snake, linking a royal explorer to a modest forest dweller. It reminds us that scientific names often carry hidden stories of history.
• In the tangled woodlands of extreme northeastern Argentina, southeastern Brazil, and southeastern Paraguay, this reptile slides across leaf litter while the sun climbs. Its presence ties three countries together in a single, secretive ecosystem.
• When the forest lights up at dawn, this snake swaps the usual night-time hunting for a daytime hunt, chasing toads and other frogs across the forest floor. Seeing a predator active in broad daylight flips the script on what we expect of snake behavior.
• Instead of giving birth to live young, this species lays eggs like many of its colubrid cousins. That simple reproductive choice shows how even close relatives can take different evolutionary routes.

At a glance

About the Neuwied's False Fer-de-lance

Neuwied's false fer-de-lance, Xenodon neuwiedii, is named in honor of the German naturalist Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied. It is found in extreme northeastern Argentina, southeastern Brazil, and southeastern Paraguay, where it lives in forest habitats. The species is terrestrial and diurnal, preying mainly on toads and other frogs. Xenodon neuwiedii is oviparous.

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