Trachylepis striata
Silhouette: David Orr · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The African striped skink (Trachylepis striata), commonly called the striped skink, is a species of lizard in the skink family (Scincidae). The species is widespread in East Africa and Southern Africa. It is not a close relation to the Australian striped skink, Ctenotus taeniolatus.
Both sexes grow to a total length (including tail) of 25 cm (9.8 in). Their tails are often missing due to predators. Striped Skink, Destination Kruger Park Media related to Trachylepis striata at Wikimedia Commons Boulenger GA (1887). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III.... Scincidæ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 575 pp. + Plates I-XL. (Mabuia striata, pp. 204–205; Mabuia wahlbergii, pp. 205–206).
Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 5 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Liwonde National Park | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 8 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 9 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 10 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 11 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 12 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 13 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 14 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 15 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 16 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 17 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maputo | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 2 | Lilongwe | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 3 | Addis Ababa | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 4 | Kigali | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 5 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Dar es-Salaam | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 7 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report an African Striped Skink sighting in Gorongosa National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 11 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.
October
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report an African Striped Skink in Gorongosa National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–May, July–September and December, the lowest months. That is one of Gorongosa National Park's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain against 210 mm in January. January has too few records to rate.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Striped Skink sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
9th of 17
Of the 17 parks where we can rate African Striped Skink sightings, Gorongosa National Park ranks 9th at about 30%. The best odds are in uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 60%), Arusha National Park (Tanzania, about 40%) and Kruger National Park (South Africa, about 30%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Striped Skink is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Gorongosa National Park (9 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.
