Bradypodion melanocephalum
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The black-headed dwarf chameleon (Bradypodion melanocephalum) is a lizard of the family Chamaeleonidae endemic to KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is also known as the KwaZulu dwarf chamaeleon and Durban dwarf chameleon. This chameleon is found in the coastal areas from north of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal south and west to Mkambati Nature Reserve in the east of the Eastern Cape; it also occurs in some inland areas (KwaZulu-Natal Midlands).
The current species may consist of several separate species. At least three regional variants are found; one in Karkloof and Gilboa Forests, one in Weza Forest, and one in the area around Ixopo and Donnybrook. B. melanocephalum and the Natal Midlands dwarf chameleon (B. thamnobates) might be phenotypically plastic populations of the same species. However, when juveniles of both species were raised under identical conditions, they developed into what was phenotypically expected of their original populations, indicating that they are separate species.
This species is generally brownish in colour, but like other chamaeleons, can change colour and pattern to camouflage itself in its surroundings. It has... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Dwarf Chameleon sighting in Durban on a given day, based on 100 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 5th most-seen of the 27 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and September–October
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Dwarf Chameleon in Durban on a given day, against about 10% in January–February and July, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-headed Dwarf Chameleon sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Only Durban, in our data
Durban is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Black-headed Dwarf Chameleon sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-headed Dwarf Chameleon is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Durban (100 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.
