Microlophus indefatigabilis
Silhouette: Kurtis Wothe and Giovanna Sainz · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The Santa Cruz lava lizard (Microlophus indefatigabilis) is a species of lava lizard endemic to the Galapagos island of Santa Cruz. Endemic to Santa Cruz Island, it is found within volcanic rock areas, dry shrublands, dry grasslands, deciduous forests, and urban areas, and prefers shaded locations.
They are identifiable by a brown body with scattered black and white blotches with a distinctive red and black throat and a black chest. Females have a more uniform brown body, a bright orange face, and a black mark at shoulder level. The species is able to shed its tail without mortal injury.
Harems are kept, and are competed for by males using a pushup ritual to avoid physical injury. Males have a higher stamina and greater body size compared to the female. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Santa Cruz Lava Lizard sighting in Galápagos Islands on a given day, based on 1,920 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 31 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–June and December–February
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Santa Cruz Lava Lizard in Galápagos Islands on a given day, against about 50% in March and July–November, the lowest months. Those are among Galápagos Islands's wettest months, with about 25 mm of rain a month against almost none in August.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz Lava Lizard sightings: about 50% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Microlophus
The closest relatives of the Santa Cruz Lava Lizard that you can see in Galápagos Islands (genus Microlophus, Pacific Iguanas) are San Cristobal Lava Lizard (about 40%), Isabela 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 Santa Cruz Lava Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Galápagos Islands (1,920 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.
