Trachylepis homalocephala
Silhouette: David Orr · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
Trachylepis homalocephala, commonly known as the red-sided skink, is a small, slender species of skink in the subfamily Mabuyinae. T. homalocephala is indigenous to Southern Africa, where it typically occurs in coastal thicket and leaf litter along the South African coast, from Cape Town eastwards along the coast as far as Mozambique. A few tiny isolated populations also occur in moist mountainous areas further inland.
This small, elegant skink has a shiny, brightly striped body. Males change colour in the breeding season, developing bright red stripes on their flanks. The adult female red-sided skink lays around six eggs in summer. T. homalocephala was first described in 1828 by Wiegmann (who named it Scincus homolocephalus), based on specimens at the Natural History Museum in Berlin that were collected in South Africa by Ludwig Krebs.
Red-sided skinks are popular in the pet trade. Boulenger GA (1887). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III.... Scincidæ... London: Trustees of the British... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Red-sided Skink sighting in De Hoop Nature Reserve on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 8th most-seen of the 18 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October and December
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Red-sided Skink in De Hoop Nature Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in February–June and November, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-sided Skink sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Red-sided Skink sightings, De Hoop Nature Reserve has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Garden Route National Park (South Africa, about 20%) and West Coast National Park (South Africa, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red-sided Skink is recorded against all the reptiles logged in De Hoop Nature Reserve (15 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.
