Zootoca vivipara
Silhouette: Audrey Ely · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The viviparous lizard or common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) is a Eurasian lizard. It lives farther north than any other non-marine reptile species, and is named for the fact that it is viviparous, meaning it gives birth to live young (although they will sometimes lay eggs normally). Both "Zootoca" and "vivipara" mean "live birth", in (Latinized) Greek and Latin respectively. It was called Lacerta vivipara until the genus Lacerta was split into nine genera in 2007 by Arnold, Arribas & Carranza.
Zootoca vivipara lives in very cold climates, yet participates in normal thermoregulation instead of thermoconformity. They have the largest range of all terrestrial lizards which even include subarctic regions. It is able to survive these harsh climates as individuals will freeze in especially cold seasons and thaw two months later. They also live closer to geological phenomena that provide a warmer environment for them.
Zootoca vivipara is a small lizard, with an average length between 50 and 77 mm (2–3 in) and an average mass of 2 to 5 g (0.1–0.2 oz). They exhibit no particular colour, but can be brown, red, grey, green, or black. The species exhibits some sexual dimorphisms... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 3 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 4 | Gauja National Park | 🇱🇻 Latvia | |
| 5 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 6 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 7 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 9 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 10 | Hohe Tauern National Park | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 11 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 12 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 13 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 14 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 2 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Moscow | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 5 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Yekaterinburg | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 7 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 8 | Nizhny Novgorod | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 9 | Munich | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Twycross Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Wilhelma | 🇩🇪 Germany |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Viviparous Lizard sighting in Moscow on a given day, based on 191 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Viviparous Lizard in Moscow on a given day, against under 5% in October to March, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Viviparous Lizard sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 11
Of the 11 cities where we can rate Viviparous Lizard sightings, Moscow ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Helsinki (Finland, about 20%), London (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Viviparous Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Moscow (191 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.
