Peters' Lava Lizard

Peters' Lava Lizard

Tropidurus hispidus

Silhouette: Heitor Campos de Sousa · PhyloPic

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

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

83 Verified sightings at Fortaleza
20 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Peters' Lava Lizard

Tropidurus hispidus, Peters's lava lizard or neotropical lava lizard, is a species of lizard of the Tropiduridae family. It is found in South America. The scientific name derives from the Greek "Tropidurus" (meaning "keel") and the Latin "hispidus" (meaning "rough" or "shaggy").

Tropidurus hispidus is found in several countries of South America, including Venezuela, Isla Margarita, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Brazil. In Brazil, Tropidurus hispidus has a generally uniform and apparently continuous distribution throughout the Caatinga biome. It also occurs in coastal sand dunes within Restinga habitats of the Atlantic Forest, at several localities in the transition zone between the Caatinga and Atlantic Forest, in the campos rupestres of the Serra do Espinhaço range within the Cerrado biome, and in enclaves of open vegetation in the Amazon biome, extending northward to areas north of the Amazon River. Tropidurus hispidus is considered a habitat generalist and can be found on a wide variety of substrates, including rocks, soil, forest edges, trees, fallen logs, sandy ground, fences and house walls. Its also considered a synanthropic... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Recife 🇧🇷 Brazil
~70%
2 Salvador 🇧🇷 Brazil
~50%
3 Manaus 🇧🇷 Brazil
~50%
4 João Pessoa 🇧🇷 Brazil
~50%
5 Fortaleza 🇧🇷 Brazil
~50%
6 Natal 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
7 São Luís 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
8 Valencia 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~30%
9 Maceió 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
10 Caracas 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Zoo Pilsen 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
2 Leningrad Zoo 🇷🇺 Russia In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Peters' Lava Lizard in Fortaleza?

Likely

About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Peters' Lava Lizard sighting in Fortaleza on a given day, based on 83 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the most-seen of the 12 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Peters' Lava Lizard in Fortaleza?

February and November

In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Peters' Lava Lizard in Fortaleza on a given day, against about 30% in March, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see a Peters' Lava Lizard?

Between 1 and 4 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Peters' Lava Lizard sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Fortaleza the best place to see a Peters' Lava Lizard?

5th of 10

Of the 10 cities where we can rate Peters' Lava Lizard sightings, Fortaleza ranks 5th at about 50%. The best odds are in Recife (Brazil, about 70%), Salvador (Brazil, about 50%) and Manaus (Brazil, about 50%).

Where does the Peters' Lava Lizard sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Peters' Lava Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Fortaleza (83 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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