Pedioplanis burchelli
Silhouette: Gustav Mützel · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Pedioplanis burchelli, known commonly as Burchell's sand lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is native to Southern Africa. The specific name, burchelli, is in honor of William John Burchell who was an English explorer and naturalist.
P. burchelli is found in Lesotho and the Republic of South Africa. The preferred natural habitats of P. burchelli are savanna, shrubland, and grassland. Adults of P. burchelli have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 4.5–5.5 centimetres (1.8–2.2 in). Coloration is very variable. The lower eyelid is opaque, without any transparent "window" scales. There are no enlarged temporal or tympanic shields.
P. burchelli is oviparous. Clutch size is 4-6 eggs. Each oval egg measures about 9 mm (0.35 in) by 11 mm (0.43 in). Each hatchling has a total length (including tail) of about 7.2 cm (2.8 in). Duméril AMC, Bibron G (1839). Erpétologie générale ou Histoire naturelle complète des Reptiles. Tome cinquième [Volume 5]. Paris: Roret. viii + 854 pp. (Eremias burchelli, new species, pp. 303–304). (in French).
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| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
No species of the same family or order lives in Golden Gate Highlands National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Burchell's Sand Lizard sighting in Golden Gate Highlands National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and October
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Burchell's Sand Lizard in Golden Gate Highlands National Park on a given day, against about 10% in February, May–June and August–September, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Burchell's Sand 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.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Burchell's Sand Lizard sightings, Golden Gate Highlands National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Burchell's Sand Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Golden Gate Highlands National Park (11 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.
