Sphenomorphus indicus
Silhouette: Gopal Murali · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
Sphenomorphus indicus (Indian forest skink) is a species of skink. Its habit is lacertiform; the distance between the end of the snout and the fore limb contained about 1.6 times in the distance between axilla and groin. Snout short, obtuse; loreal region nearly vertical. Lower eyelid scaly. Nostril pierced in a single nasal, or between a nasal and a postnasal; no supranasal; rostral convex, largely m contact with the frontonasal, which is broader than long, and forms a narrow suture with the frontal; the latter as long as frontoparietal and parietals together, in contact with the first, second, and third supraoculars; 4 large supraoculars, followed by 2 very small ones; first supraocular not much longer than second; 9 or 10 supracilianes, first largest; frontoparietals and interparietal distinct, former a little longer than latter; parietals forming a short suture behind the interparietal; no nuchals; fifth and sixth upper labials largest and below the eye. Ear-opening oval, smaller than eye-opening; no auricular lobules. 36 or 38 smooth scales round the middle of the body, laterals smallest. A pair of large pre-anals. When the limbs are pressed against the body,... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 2 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Forest Skink sighting in Taipei on a given day, based on 334 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 4th most-seen of the 35 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Forest Skink in Taipei on a given day, against under 5% in December, the lowest month.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Indian Forest Skink sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
2nd of 7
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Indian Forest Skink sightings, Taipei ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Guiyang (China, about 50%).
Same family: Scincidae
The closest relatives of the Indian Forest Skink that you can see in Taipei (family Scincidae, Skinks) are Five-striped Blue-tailed Skink (about 10%) and Chinese Skink (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Indian Forest Skink is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Taipei (334 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.
