Zootoca vivipara
Silhouette: Audrey Ely · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
The viviparous lizard or common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) is a Eurasian lizard. It lives farther north than any other non-marine reptile species, and is named for the fact that it is viviparous, meaning it gives birth to live young (although they will sometimes lay eggs normally). Both "Zootoca" and "vivipara" mean "live birth", in (Latinized) Greek and Latin respectively. It was called Lacerta vivipara until the genus Lacerta was split into nine genera in 2007 by Arnold, Arribas & Carranza.
Zootoca vivipara lives in very cold climates, yet participates in normal thermoregulation instead of thermoconformity. They have the largest range of all terrestrial lizards which even include subarctic regions. It is able to survive these harsh climates as individuals will freeze in especially cold seasons and thaw two months later. They also live closer to geological phenomena that provide a warmer environment for them.
Zootoca vivipara is a small lizard, with an average length between 50 and 77 mm (2–3 in) and an average mass of 2 to 5 g (0.1–0.2 oz). They exhibit no particular colour, but can be brown, red, grey, green, or black. The species exhibits some sexual dimorphisms... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 3 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 4 | Gauja National Park | 🇱🇻 Latvia | |
| 5 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 6 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 7 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 9 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 10 | Hohe Tauern National Park | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 11 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 12 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 13 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 14 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 2 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Moscow | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 5 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Yekaterinburg | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 7 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 8 | Nizhny Novgorod | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 9 | Munich | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Twycross Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Wilhelma | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Viviparous Lizard sighting in Bavarian Forest National Park on a given day, based on 77 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 9 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Viviparous Lizard in Bavarian Forest National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to February, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Viviparous Lizard sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 14
Of the 14 parks where we can rate Viviparous Lizard sightings, Bavarian Forest National Park ranks 7th at about 30%. The best odds are in Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 70%), Tatra National Park (Slovakia, about 60%) and Biebrza National Park (Poland, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Lacertidae
The closest relatives of the Viviparous Lizard that you can see in Bavarian Forest National Park (family Lacertidae, Wall Lizards) are Common Wall Lizard (about 50%), Sand Lizard (about 40%) and Green Lizard (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Viviparous Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Bavarian Forest National Park (77 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.
