Variable Skink

Variable Skink

Trachylepis varia

Silhouette: David Orr · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Gorongosa National Park

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

6 Verified sightings at Gorongosa National Park From 2019 to 2026
59 In all 5 parks
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Variable Skink

The eastern variable skink (Trachylepis varia) is a species of skink found in East Africa. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
2 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
~20%
3 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
4 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
5 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Pretoria 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
2 Johannesburg 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
3 Durban 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Variable Skink in Gorongosa National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Variable Skink sighting in Gorongosa National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 11 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Variable Skink in Gorongosa National Park?

May

In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Variable Skink in Gorongosa National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June, August–September and November–December, the lowest months. That is one of Gorongosa National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 210 mm in January. January has too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Variable Skink?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Variable Skink sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Gorongosa National Park the best place to see a Variable Skink?

Among the best

Of the 5 parks where we can rate Variable Skink sightings, Gorongosa National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 20%).

Where does the Variable Skink sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Variable Skink is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Gorongosa 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.

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