Pachydactylus geitje
Silhouette: Emmanuel Jimenez · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Pachydactylus geitje, also known commonly as the ocellated gecko, the ocellated thick-toed gecko and the Cradock thick-toed gecko, is a tiny species of thick-toed gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is indigenous to the Western Cape of South Africa.
P. geitje is a very colourful, mottled little gecko. Its smooth (almost silky) body is usually covered in dark-edged white spots. P. geitje typically lives on the ground among debris and under rocks. Further inland it only lives higher in the mountains where rocky outcrops provide it with sufficient places to hide.
Pachydactylus geitje lays a clutch of two tiny eggs in the summer. Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume I. Geckonidæ.... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 436 pp. + Plates I-XXXII. (Pachydactylus ocellatus, pp. 205–206).
Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cradock Thick-toed Gecko sighting in Garden Route National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 32nd most-seen of the 35 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, April, June and October–November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cradock Thick-toed Gecko in Garden Route National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–March, May, July–September and December, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cradock Thick-toed Gecko sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Cradock Thick-toed Gecko sightings, Garden Route National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, about 20%) and West Coast National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Gekkonidae
The closest relatives of the Cradock Thick-toed Gecko that you can see in Garden Route National Park (family Gekkonidae, Typical Geckos) are Cape Dwarf Gecko (about 30%), Marbled Leaf-toed Gecko (about 20%) and Tropical House Gecko (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cradock Thick-toed Gecko is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Garden Route National Park (6 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.
