Ocellated Bronze Skink

Ocellated Bronze Skink

Chalcides ocellatus

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Tel Aviv

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%

10 Verified sightings at Tel Aviv
March Best month

About the Ocellated Bronze Skink

Chalcides ocellatus, or the ocellated skink (also known as the eyed skink or gongilo) is a species of skink found in Greece, southern Italy, Malta, Lebanon, UAE, Israel, Palestine, and parts of northern Africa. It is also found in Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka.

As an adult, it generally reaches about 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 in) of length with a 22 to 39 g weight and has a small head, cylindrical body, and five toes on each foot. They are very agile and are often found in arid areas. It is strongly related to Chalcides colosii, and C. colosii was formerly considered a subspecies of C. ocellatus. C. ocellatus is notable for the presence of ocelli and for its wide variety of coloration patterns. Females of the species give birth to 2-6 live young through viviparity.

Chalcides ocellatus is considered to be a generalist species and can be found in a wide variety of environments, such as farmland and gravel deserts around the Mediterranean coast. Its main escape tactic from predators is to run behind vegetation, most likely because it is not suited to run very fast. Although this species has very smooth scales and is capable of "sand-swimming" behavior in loose sand or soil... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Athens 🇬🇷 Greece
~30%
2 Dubai 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
~20%
3 Tel Aviv 🇮🇱 Israel
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Yaroslavl Zoo 🇷🇺 Russia In captivity
2 Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
3 Cologne Zoological Garden 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
4 Reserva Zoológica Oasys MiniHollywood 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
5 Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes 🇫🇷 France In captivity
6 Cologne Zoo Aquarium 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Ocellated Bronze Skink in Tel Aviv?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Ocellated Bronze Skink sighting in Tel Aviv on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 9th most-seen of the 14 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Ocellated Bronze Skink in Tel Aviv?

March

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Ocellated Bronze Skink in Tel Aviv on a given day, against under 5% in June–August and October–December, the lowest months.

Is Tel Aviv the best place to see an Ocellated Bronze Skink?

3rd of 3

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Ocellated Bronze Skink sightings, Tel Aviv ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Athens (Greece, about 30%) and Dubai (United Arab Emirates, about 20%).

Where does the Ocellated Bronze Skink sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Ocellated Bronze Skink is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Tel Aviv (10 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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