Acontias plumbeus
Silhouette: David Orr · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Acontias plumbeus, the giant legless skink or giant lance skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. It is found in South Africa, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. Acontias plumbei live in seasonally dry savanna, woodland humus, and forest floor leaf litter throughout South Africa ranging from Eastern Cape to Zimbabwe.
It was previously believed that acontias plumbeus had no genetic variation and existed as a monotypic species, however the genetic structure analysis has revealed that acontias poecilus are morphological variations of acontias plumbeus. Its morphological variation now appends species of different colors including uniform light brown, dark brown, black, and intermediate gray. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Lance Skink sighting in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 13th most-seen of the 16 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Lance Skink in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to February, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Giant Lance 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.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Giant Lance Skink sightings, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa, about 10%) and Kruger National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Scincidae
The closest relatives of the Giant Lance Skink that you can see in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (family Scincidae, Skinks) are African Striped Skink (about 30%), Rainbow Skink (about 20%) and Variable Skink (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Giant Lance Skink is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (10 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.
