Microlophus albemarlensis
Silhouette: Kurtis Wothe and Giovanna Sainz · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Microlophus albemarlensis, the Galápagos lava lizard, also known as the Albemarle lava lizard or Isabela lava lizard, is a species of lava lizard. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands. The species was described as occurring on several islands in the western archipelago: the large islands Isabela, Santa Cruz, Fernandina, Santiago and Santa Fe, as well as several smaller islands: Seymour, Baltra, Plaza Sur, Daphne Major and Rábida. If true, this makes it the most widespread of the Galápagos species of Microlophus, the others only occurring on single islands. Some authors however, consider populations on Santiago, Santa Cruz, and Santa Fe (and associated small islands) to be distinct species (M. jacobii, M. indefatigabilis and M. barringtonensis, respectively).
George Baur first described the species in 1890 as Tropidurus albemarlensis, after an alternate name of the Isabela Island, Albemarle. He also described T. indefatigabilis from Santa Cruz Island (also known as Indefatigable Island). Darrel Frost, in 1992, classified all species of Tropidurus into Microlophus, based on a number of characteristics. The defining, most notable characteristic that contributed to this... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report an Isabela Lava Lizard sighting in Galápagos Islands on a given day, based on 1,025 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 31 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May–September and November–March
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Isabela Lava Lizard in Galápagos Islands on a given day, against about 30% in April and October, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Isabela 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.
Only Galápagos Islands, in our data
Galápagos Islands is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Isabela Lava Lizard sightings: about 40% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Microlophus
The closest relatives of the Isabela 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 Hood Lava Lizard (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Isabela Lava Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Galápagos Islands (1,025 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.
