Sceloporus malachiticus
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Sceloporus malachiticus, the emerald swift or green spiny lizard, is a species of small lizard in the Phrynosomatidae family, native to Central America. Emerald swifts are distinctly bright green in color, with males typically being more striking than females, having bright blue patches on either side of the belly. They grow from 6–8 inches (15–20 cm) in length. Like other species in the genus Sceloporus, their scales tend to be fairly stiff and heavily keeled, giving them a spiny texture.
Emerald swifts are diurnal, arboreal lizards. In the early morning, they forage for insects, and then spend much of the day basking in the sun. They will retreat to a burrow, or under a rock or log if the temperature becomes too high or to sleep. Their life spans are believed to be between three and five years. Unlike most iguanid lizards, emerald swifts are ovoviviparous, giving birth to six to fifteen young yearly.
The emerald swift is found from Mexico's Yucatan region, to Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. The species was, for a time, considered to be a subspecies of the Mexican... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Quetzales National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Irazú Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 8 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | San Salvador | 🇸🇻 El Salvador |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tierpark Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Zoo Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | National Zoo of Malaysia | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 4 | Zoo Neuwied | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Reserva Zoológica Oasys MiniHollywood | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Reptile Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Exotarium Sosnowiec | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 8 | Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
No species of the same family or order lives in Braulio Carrillo National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Emerald Swift sighting in Braulio Carrillo National Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 37th most-seen of the 57 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Emerald Swift in Braulio Carrillo National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April and December–January, the lowest months. That is one of Braulio Carrillo National Park's wettest months, with about 550 mm of rain against 170 mm in April.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Emerald Swift sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
8th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Emerald Swift sightings, Braulio Carrillo National Park ranks 8th at about 10%. The best odds are in Los Quetzales National Park (Costa Rica, about 70%), Irazú Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 50%) and Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park (Costa Rica, about 50%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Emerald Swift is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Braulio Carrillo National Park (14 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.
