Amazon Lava Lizard

Amazon Lava Lizard

Tropidurus torquatus

Silhouette: Heitor Campos de Sousa · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Rio de Janeiro

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

275 Verified sightings at Rio de Janeiro
192 In all 2 parks From 2019 to 2026
February Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Amazon Lava Lizard

Tropidurus torquatus is a species of lizard in the family Tropiduridae, the Neotropical ground lizards. Its common name is Amazon lava lizard. The species is endemic to South America. There are no subspecies. The specific name, torquatus, is Latin meaning "adorned with a neck chain or collar".

Native to South America, Tropidurus torquatus is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname. It is one of the most widely distributed species of the genus Tropidurus. Tropidurus torquatus is a medium-sized lizard with a relatively large head. Its scales are overlapping. The reproductively mature female ranges from 7 to 10 cm (2.8 to 3.9 in) snout-to-vent length (SVL). One sample of adult males had a mean SVL of 8.68 cm (3.42 in), while another found a mean SVL of 11 to 12 cm (4.3 to 4.7 in).

Tropidurus torquatus lives mainly in open habitat types, especially restinga, part of the Atlantic Forest biome. It may occupy disturbed and degraded restinga. It is also known from the Abrolhos Archipelago, indicating that it can colonize offshore islands. It lives in the Cerrado. It may be found... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
2 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
2 Niterói 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
3 Vitória 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
4 Brasilia 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
5 Belo Horizonte 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
6 Campinas 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
7 São Paulo 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%

Closest Relatives at Rio de Janeiro

No species of the same family or order lives in Rio de Janeiro, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Amazon Lava Lizard in Rio de Janeiro?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report an Amazon Lava Lizard sighting in Rio de Janeiro on a given day, based on 275 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the most-seen of the 16 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 an Amazon Lava Lizard in Rio de Janeiro?

February

In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report an Amazon Lava Lizard in Rio de Janeiro on a given day, against about 30% in April and June, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see an Amazon Lava Lizard?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Amazon 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 Rio de Janeiro the best place to see an Amazon Lava Lizard?

Yes

Of the 7 cities where we can rate Amazon Lava Lizard sightings, Rio de Janeiro has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Niterói (Brazil, about 40%) and Vitória (Brazil, about 30%).

Where does the Amazon Lava Lizard sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Amazon Lava Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Rio de Janeiro (275 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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