Sphenomorphus dussumieri
Silhouette: Gopal Murali · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
Sphenomorphus dussumieri, commonly known as Dussumier's forest skink and Dussumier's litter skink, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to southern India. S. dussumieri is found in the Western Ghats of India, in the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The specific name, dussumieri, is in honor of Jean-Jacques Dussumier, a French voyager who collected zoological specimens in South Asia in the early 19th century. It is locally known as "അരണ (arana)". The head of S. dussumieri is distinct from the neck, and the snout is short. The tympanum is situated on the surface, not sunk as in other skinks. The body is slender. The dorsal scales are smooth, with fine striations. The limbs are relatively short. The dorsum is bronze brown, with dark spots. There is a light dorso-lateral stripe running from the eye to the side of the body, its inner edge with a dark brown, white spotted streak. There is also a broad stripe on the sides that is edged with white below. The venter is creamy.
S. dussumieri is a diurnal skink, which inhabits evergreen, moist deciduous, and plantation forests... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thiruvananthapuram | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Kochi | 🇮🇳 India |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Dussumier's Litter Skink sighting in Kochi on a given day, based on 121 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 23 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and September
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Dussumier's Litter Skink in Kochi on a given day, against about 20% in February–March, May and December, the lowest months.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Dussumier's Litter Skink sightings, Kochi ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Thiruvananthapuram (India, about 50%).
Same family: Scincidae
The closest relatives of the Dussumier's Litter Skink that you can see in Kochi (family Scincidae, Skinks) are Keeled Indian Mabuya (about 20%), Peters' Tree Skink (about 10%) and Common Dotted Garden Skink (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Dussumier's Litter Skink is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Kochi (121 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.
