Trachylepis varia
Silhouette: David Orr · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The eastern variable skink (Trachylepis varia) is a species of skink found in East Africa. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 3 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Variable Skink sighting in Pretoria on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 9th most-seen of the 20 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Variable Skink in Pretoria on a given day, against under 5% in March and October, the lowest months. That is one of Pretoria's driest months, with almost no rain against 130 mm in December.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Variable Skink sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Variable Skink sightings, Pretoria has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Johannesburg (South Africa, about 10%) and Durban (South Africa, about 10%).
Same genus: Trachylepis
The closest relatives of the Variable Skink that you can see in Pretoria (genus Trachylepis, Afro-Malagasy Mabuyas) are Montane Speckled Skink (about 40%) and Smooth Variable Skink (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Variable Skink is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Pretoria (24 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.
