Lacerta agilis
Silhouette: Gustav Mützel · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) is a lacertid lizard. The sand lizard is distributed across most of Europe from the southern coast of Britain and across the continent to Lake Baikal in Russia. It does not occur in European Turkey. Its distribution is often patchy. In the northern extremes of the sand lizard's distribution, it survives by inhabiting seaside heathlands, where the ground temperature is elevated by the sun. The sand lizard uses warm sand to thermoregulate itself and to incubate its eggs.
Males are known for their bright coloration and aggressive, possessive behaviors when seasonally competing for females. In contrast to other squamates, the sand lizard's mating season is very short. Males choose mates selectively, whereas females mate more indiscriminately. Females usually lay only a single clutch of eggs per year.
Sand lizards spend most of their time basking, foraging, or under vegetation. They prefer to live in diverse habitats. They are largely solitary outside of mating season. Male sand lizards typically have larger territories than females, and they will compete with other males when territory overlaps. Females neighbour each other more amicably, occasionally sharing habitats.
Sand lizards may live up to ten years. Due to their longevity, they are sometimes prone to inbreeding. Wikipedia →
Recording0:03
Ukraine · 2025
© vitaroses · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:06
Slovakia · 2025
© Močiliak Filip · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 3 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 5 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 6 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 7 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 9 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 10 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 11 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 12 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 13 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Skansen | 🇸🇪 Sweden | |
| 2 | Chester Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Hellabrunn Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Lithuanian Zoo | 🇱🇹 Lithuania | |
| 5 | Grodno Zoo | 🇧🇾 Belarus | |
| 6 | Universeum | 🇸🇪 Sweden | |
| 7 | Baltic Sea Science Center | 🇸🇪 Sweden | |
| 8 | Lake Tisza Ecocentre | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 9 | Tierpark Schlichtweg 15 in München | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Zoo Schlichtweg 11 in München | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 11 | Zoo Siebenbrunner Straße 6 in München | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Sand Lizard sighting in Bavarian Forest National Park on a given day, based on 91 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 9 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and July
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Sand Lizard in Bavarian Forest National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to March, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sand Lizard sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 13 parks where we can rate Sand Lizard sightings, Bavarian Forest National Park ranks 3rd at about 40%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Hortobágy National Park (Hungary, about 40%) and Biebrza National Park (Poland, about 40%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sand Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Bavarian Forest National Park (91 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
