Sceloporus variabilis
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
Sceloporus variabilis, commonly known as the rose-bellied lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is found from Central America to southern Texas Sceloporus variabilis can be found from southern Texas to northern Costa Rica, often in more arid regions.
Sceloporus variabilis is found in a variety of habitats including ocean beaches, grassland, shrubland, and forest, at elevations from sea level to 2,500 m (8,200 ft). Sceloporus variabilis is one of the smaller species of the genus Sceloporus. Adults may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 54 mm (2.1 in). With an unbroken tail, it may reach a maximum total length of 140 mm (5.5 in).
Dorsally, it is tan or olive, with a double series of dark brown spots. There are two yellowish dorsolateral stripes, one at each side of the back. Males are darker on the side below the dorsolateral stripe. Ventrally, it is dirty white or yellowish. Males have a large pink blotch on each side of the belly, which is bordered with dark blue, and they also have a black mark on the axilla.
The supraoculars are small, and they are bordered medially by a row of... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Ostional Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Las Baulas Marine National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Celaque National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 5 | Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 6 | Santa Rosa National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Cañón del Sumidero National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 8 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 9 | Lago de Yojoa | 🇭🇳 Honduras |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tegucigalpa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 2 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Managua | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | |
| 4 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Rose-bellied Lizard sighting in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park on a given day, based on 159 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 43 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.
October
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Rose-bellied Lizard in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park on a given day, against about 10% in December, the lowest month.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rose-bellied Lizard sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
8th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Rose-bellied Lizard sightings, Cumbres de Monterrey National Park ranks 8th at about 30%. The best odds are in Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve (Costa Rica, about 50%), Ostional Wildlife Refuge (Costa Rica, about 40%) and Las Baulas Marine National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Sceloporus
The closest relatives of the Rose-bellied Lizard that you can see in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (genus Sceloporus, Spiny Lizards) are West Gulf Rough-scaled Lizard (about 20%), Texas Spiny Lizard (about 20%) and Crevice Swift (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rose-bellied Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (159 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
