Scelotes fitzsimonsi
Silhouette: David Orr · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Scelotes fitzsimonsi, commonly known as Fitzsimons' dwarf burrowing skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is indigenous to southern Africa. The specific name, fitzsimonsi, is in honor of South African herpetologist (Mr.) Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons.
S. fitzsimonsi has neither front legs nor back legs. Dorsally, it is light bronze on the body and bluish gray on the tail. Ventrally, it is greyish white. Adults have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 4.5–6.5 cm (1.8–2.6 in). The tail length is equal to or slightly greater than SVL.
S. fitzsimonsi is found in Mozambique and South Africa. The preferred natural habitat of S. fitzsimonsi is coastal dune forest, up to an altitude of 100 m (330 ft). S. fitzsimonsi is ovoviviparous. Bates MF, Branch WR, Bauer AM, Burger M, Marais J, Alexander GJ, de Villiers MS (2014). Atlas and Red List of the Reptiles of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Suricata 1. Pretoria: South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). xvii + 485 pp. ISBN 978-1-919976-84-6. (Scelotes fitzsimonsi, p. 274... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Fitzsimons' Dwarf Burrowing Skink sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 31st most-seen of the 43 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Fitzsimons' Dwarf Burrowing Skink in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in February to September, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Fitzsimons' Dwarf Burrowing Skink sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only iSimangaliso Wetland Park, in our data
iSimangaliso Wetland Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Fitzsimons' Dwarf Burrowing Skink sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Scelotes
The closest relatives of the Fitzsimons' Dwarf Burrowing Skink that you can see in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (genus Scelotes, Burrowing Skinks) are Lowveld Dwarf Burrowing Skink (about 10%) and Coastal Dwarf Burrowing Skink (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Fitzsimons' Dwarf Burrowing Skink is recorded against all the reptiles logged in iSimangaliso Wetland 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.
