Zootoca vivipara
Silhouette: Audrey Ely · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 |
No species of the same family or order lives in Saint Petersburg, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Viviparous Lizard sighting in Saint Petersburg on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Viviparous Lizard in Saint Petersburg on a given day, against under 5% in September to July, the lowest months. That is one of Saint Petersburg's wettest months, with about 100 mm of rain against 40 mm in February.
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.
11th of 11
Of the 11 cities where we can rate Viviparous Lizard sightings, Saint Petersburg ranks 11th at under 5%. 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 Saint Petersburg (13 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.
