Microlophus delanonis
Silhouette: Kurtis Wothe and Giovanna Sainz · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
Microlophus delanonis, the Española lava lizard or Hood lava lizard, is endemic to the Galapagos island of Española. The species is commonly attributed to the genus Microlophus but has been attributed to the genus Tropidurus.
Media related to Microlophus delanonis at Wikimedia Commons Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Hood Lava Lizard sighting in Galápagos Islands on a given day, based on 435 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 10th most-seen of the 31 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.
September
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Hood Lava Lizard in Galápagos Islands on a given day, against about 20% in May, July and December–March, the lowest months. That is one of Galápagos Islands's driest months, with almost no rain against 50 mm in March.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hood 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 Hood Lava Lizard sightings: about 30% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Microlophus
The closest relatives of the Hood 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 Hood Lava Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Galápagos Islands (435 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.
