CreatureData

False smooth snake

Macroprotodon mauritanicus Guichenot, 1850

Status not recordedsnakes

The false smooth snake (Macroprotodon mauritanicus) is a species in the family Colubridae, order Squamata. Recorded adults weigh about 104 g and live up to 5.9 years.

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Quick facts about the false smooth snake

Weight
104 gsrc for Weight
Length
up to 67 cmsrc for Length
Lifespan
5.9 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Carnivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
13.3 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrubland, woodlandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
4 – 18.5src for Young per litter or clutch
Litters or clutches a year
0.5src for Litters or clutches a year
Reproduction
Eggssrc for Reproduction
Active
Day and night (cathemeral)src for Active
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

Which animals does the false smooth snake eat?

Species recorded in published studies and collections.

Recorded prey of the false smooth snake

1 on record

  1. Large Psammodromus Psammodromus algirus2 sources

Each pair is recorded by at least two independent datasets. A record shows the animal was seen or found to have eaten the other, including scavenged carcasses and young animals; it does not say how often. Compiled by Global Biotic Interactions (CC0 1.0).

References for these records
  • Kreiner G., 2007. The snakes of Europe. Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main.
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/266518735

Where does the false smooth snake live?

Not recorded

Where has it been introduced?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the false smooth snake as introduced in 1 country.

  1. Spain

Introduced means brought by people and now present; invasive means the country's checklist records an impact. A species can be native to one part of a country and introduced in another. Source: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (CC BY 4.0).

Is the false smooth snake endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the false smooth snake classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classReptilia
  4. orderSquamata
  5. familyColubridae
  6. genusMacroprotodon
  7. SpeciesMacroprotodon mauritanicus Guichenot, 1850
Other names and names in other languages (8)
  • Serp de GarrigaCatalan
  • Algiersk HættesnogDanish
  • Nordafrikanische KapuzennatterGerman
  • Mauretanische KapuzennatterGerman
  • Culebra de CogullaSpanish
  • Culebra de cogulla norteafricanaSpanish
  • La Couleuvre-à-capuchon de MaurétanieFrench
  • Colubro da cappuccio mauritanicoItalian

Catalogue of LifeiNaturalistITISWikidata

Relatives of the false smooth snake

Other species in the same genus Macroprotodon.

CompareFalse smooth snake vs False smooth snakeFalse smooth snake vs False smooth snakeFalse smooth snake vs Abubaker's hooded snake

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the false smooth snake?

An adult false smooth snake weighs 104 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

How long does the false smooth snake live?

The false smooth snake has a recorded lifespan of 5.9 years.

Is the false smooth snake an invasive species?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the false smooth snake as introduced in 1 country: Spain, but does not flag it as invasive in any of them.

What kind of animal is the false smooth snake?

The false smooth snake (Macroprotodon mauritanicus) belongs to the family Colubridae in the order Squamata.

Which animals does the false smooth snake eat?

Animals recorded as prey of the false smooth snake include large psammodromus. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). False smooth snake (Macroprotodon mauritanicus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/macroprotodon-mauritanicus

MLA

“False smooth snake (Macroprotodon mauritanicus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/macroprotodon-mauritanicus.

BibTeX
@misc{macroprotodon_mauritanicus_2026,
  title = {False smooth snake (Macroprotodon mauritanicus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/macroprotodon-mauritanicus},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}