Ctenotus coggeri
Silhouette: David Orr · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The brown-backed ctenotus (Ctenotus coggeri), also known commonly as Cogger's ctenotus, is a species of lizard in the subfamily Sphenomorphinae of the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the Northern Territory. The specific name, coggeri, is in honor of Australian herpetologist Harold Cogger.
The preferred natural habitat of C. coggeri is forest. C. coggeri is heavy-bodied and large for its genus. The maximum recorded snout-to-vent length (SVL) is 8.0 cm (3.1 in). C. coggeri is oviparous. Cogger HG (2014). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. ISBN 978-0643100350.
Sadlier RA (1985). "A New Australian scincid lizard, Ctenotus coggeri, from the Alligator Rivers Region, Northern Territory". Records of the Australian Museum 36 (3): 153–156. Wilson S, Swan G (2013). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Fourth Edition. Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 522 pp. ISBN 978-1921517280. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-backed Ctenotus sighting in Kakadu National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 43rd most-seen of the 54 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.
May, August and October–November
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-backed Ctenotus in Kakadu National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–July, September and December–April, the lowest months. Those are among Kakadu National Park's driest months, with about 35 mm of rain a month against 350 mm in January.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Brown-backed Ctenotus sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Brown-backed Ctenotus sightings, Kakadu National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Nitmiluk National Park (Australia, about 40%).
Same genus: Ctenotus
The closest relatives of the Brown-backed Ctenotus that you can see in Kakadu National Park (genus Ctenotus, Ctenotus Skinks) are Lowlands Plain-backed Ctenotus (about 20%) and Sharp-browed Ctenotus (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Brown-backed Ctenotus is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Kakadu 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.
