Mourning Gecko

Mourning Gecko

Lepidodactylus lugubris

Silhouette: PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
at Belém

In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%

39 Verified sightings at Belém
1,571 In all 20 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Mourning Gecko

Lepidodactylus lugubris, known as the mourning gecko or common smooth-scaled gecko, is a species of lizard, a gecko of the family Gekkonidae. This species is widespread in coastal regions of the Indian and Pacific oceans, including the Maldives, Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Japan, Taiwan, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Australia (Cocos Island), Western Samoa, Guam, the Society Islands, Pitcairn, and the Mascarene Islands.

It has been introduced widely in the Neotropics, including in Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Florida, The Bahamas, Guadeloupe, Ecuador (including the Galapagos), Colombia and Chile, as well as to Hawai'i and the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean.

Lepidodactylus lugubris measure 8.5–10 cm in length including tail (4–4.4 cm snout-to-vent). L. lugubris is cryptically coloured, typically light to dark tan with dark spots down the length of its back and a brown strip from the ear to the tip of the nose. This species is capable of changing color, and so the same individual may appear light or dark at different times during... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Brownsberg Nature Park 🇸🇷 Suriname
~60%
2 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~50%
3 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~50%
4 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~40%
5 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
6 Utría National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~40%
7 Raja Ampat 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~40%
8 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
9 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
10 Galápagos Islands 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~30%
11 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
12 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
13 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
14 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
15 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
16 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
17 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
18 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
19 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
20 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Salvador 🇧🇷 Brazil
~60%
2 Belém 🇧🇷 Brazil
~50%
3 Cali 🇨🇴 Colombia
~40%
4 Barranquilla 🇨🇴 Colombia
~40%
5 Manaus 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
6 Medellín 🇨🇴 Colombia
~30%
7 Guayaquil 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~30%
8 Caracas 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~20%
9 Panama City 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
10 Santo Domingo 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
~20%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Basel Zoo 🇨🇭 Switzerland In captivity
2 Drayton Manor Theme Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity
3 National Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Mourning Gecko in Belém?

Likely

About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Mourning Gecko sighting in Belém on a given day, based on 39 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 7 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Mourning Gecko in Belém?

June, September and November

In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Mourning Gecko in Belém on a given day, against about 10% in February, the lowest month. Those are among Belém's driest months, with about 120 mm of rain a month against 440 mm in March.

What time of day is best to see a Mourning Gecko?

Between 7 and 10 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mourning Gecko sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Belém the best place to see a Mourning Gecko?

2nd of 15

Of the 15 cities where we can rate Mourning Gecko sightings, Belém ranks 2nd at about 50%. The best odds are in Salvador (Brazil, about 60%).

Where does the Mourning Gecko sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Mourning Gecko is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Belém (39 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.

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