Chalcides ocellatus
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
Chalcides ocellatus, or the ocellated skink (also known as the eyed skink or gongilo) is a species of skink found in Greece, southern Italy, Malta, Lebanon, UAE, Israel, Palestine, and parts of northern Africa. It is also found in Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka.
As an adult, it generally reaches about 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 in) of length with a 22 to 39 g weight and has a small head, cylindrical body, and five toes on each foot. They are very agile and are often found in arid areas. It is strongly related to Chalcides colosii, and C. colosii was formerly considered a subspecies of C. ocellatus. C. ocellatus is notable for the presence of ocelli and for its wide variety of coloration patterns. Females of the species give birth to 2-6 live young through viviparity.
Chalcides ocellatus is considered to be a generalist species and can be found in a wide variety of environments, such as farmland and gravel deserts around the Mediterranean coast. Its main escape tactic from predators is to run behind vegetation, most likely because it is not suited to run very fast. Although this species has very smooth scales and is capable of "sand-swimming" behavior in loose sand or soil... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yaroslavl Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 2 | Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Cologne Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Reserva Zoológica Oasys MiniHollywood | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Cologne Zoo Aquarium | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report an Ocellated Bronze Skink sighting in Athens on a given day, based on 42 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 4th most-seen of the 8 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Ocellated Bronze Skink in Athens on a given day, against about 10% in October, the lowest month. That is one of Athens's wettest months, with about 85 mm of rain against 10 mm in August.
Yes
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Ocellated Bronze Skink sightings, Athens has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Dubai (United Arab Emirates, about 20%) and Tel Aviv (Israel, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ocellated Bronze Skink is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Athens (42 verified sightings), 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.
