Microlophus grayii
Silhouette: Kurtis Wothe and Giovanna Sainz · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Microlophus grayii, also commonly known as the Floreana lava lizard, Gray's lava lizard, and Gray's Pacific iguana, is a species of lava lizard in the family Tropiduridae. The species is endemic to the Galapagos island of Floreana.
The species, Microlophus grayii, is commonly assigned to the genus Microlophus but has been assigned to the genus Tropidurus. It has also been assigned to the family Tropiduridae. The specific name, grayii, is in honor of British herpetologist John Edward Gray.
M. grayii is found on Floreana Island including its islets Champion and Gardner, in the Galapagos, Ecuador. The preferred natural habitat of M. grayii is shrubland, at altitudes from sea level to 640 m (2,100 ft), but it has also been found in urban areas.
M. grayii is oviparous. Bell T (1843). The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle Under the Command of Captain Fitzroy, R.N., during the years 1832 to 1836. Edited and Superintended by Charles Darwin... Naturalist to the Expedition. Part 5. Reptiles. London: Smith, Elder and Company. vi + 51 pp. + Plates 1-20. (Leiocephalus... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Floreana Lava Lizard sighting in Galápagos Islands on a given day, based on 270 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 13th most-seen of the 31 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Floreana Lava Lizard in Galápagos Islands on a given day, against about 10% in February, April–July and October, the lowest months. That is one of Galápagos Islands's driest months, with almost no rain against 50 mm in March.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Floreana Lava Lizard sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Galápagos Islands, in our data
Galápagos Islands is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Floreana Lava Lizard sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Microlophus
The closest relatives of the Floreana Lava Lizard that you can see in Galápagos Islands (genus Microlophus, Pacific Iguanas) are Santa Cruz Lava Lizard (about 50%), San Cristobal Lava Lizard (about 40%) and Isabela Lava Lizard (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Floreana Lava Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Galápagos Islands (270 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.
