Amazon Lava Lizard

Amazon Lava Lizard

Tropidurus torquatus

Silhouette: Heitor Campos de Sousa · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Vitória

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

60 Verified sightings at Vitória
192 In all 2 parks From 2019 to 2026
January 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%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Amazon Lava Lizard in Vitória?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report an Amazon Lava Lizard sighting in Vitória on a given day, based on 60 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the most-seen of the 7 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.

When is the best time to see an Amazon Lava Lizard in Vitória?

January and October

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Amazon Lava Lizard in Vitória on a given day, against about 10% in May, the lowest month.

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 Vitória the best place to see an Amazon Lava Lizard?

3rd of 7

Of the 7 cities where we can rate Amazon Lava Lizard sightings, Vitória ranks 3rd at about 30%. The best odds are in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil, about 40%) and Niterói (Brazil, about 40%).

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 Vitória (60 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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