Sternocera orissa
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Sternocera orissa, the giant jewel beetle, is a species of beetles belonging to the Buprestidae family. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Jewel Beetle sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 147th most-seen of the 316 insects 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.
March
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Jewel Beetle in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to December, the lowest months. That is one of iSimangaliso Wetland Park's wettest months, with about 100 mm of rain against 30 mm in July.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Giant Jewel Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Giant Jewel Beetle sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Kruger National Park (South Africa, under 5%).
Same order: Coleoptera
The closest relatives of the Giant Jewel Beetle that you can see in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (order Coleoptera, Beetles) are Popeye Dung Beetle (about 30%), Kheper lamarcki (about 10%) and Diurnal Copper Dung Beetle (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Giant Jewel Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (12 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.
