Strophurus ciliaris
Silhouette: Beth Reinke · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The northern spiny-tailed gecko (Strophurus ciliaris) is a species of lizard in the family Diplodactylidae. The species is endemic to Australia. The meaning of the scientific name or binomial, Strophurus ciliaris, comes from strophurus meaning "turning-tail" and ciliaris meaning "eyelashed", referring to the spines above the eyes.
S. ciliaris is highly variable in colour. This species can vary from a uniform grey colour, with few black or orange scales, to rich brown, with a mottled pattern of grey, white, and orange scales. Spines are present along the tail, and long spines are generally present above the eyes, giving the impression of being eye-lashed.
The average length for a member of this species is 89 mm (3.5 in). Females are known to be significantly larger than males. S. ciliaris an oviparous species that has a clutch size of two. Members of the genus Strophurus have the ability to squirt a harmless, smelly, fluid from their tails. This is used as a deterrent for birds and other predations whilst they are perching in shrubs. Another defence mechanism that S. ciliaris has is bright palate colour. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Spiny-tailed Gecko sighting in Kakadu National Park on a given day, based on 7 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–June and November
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Spiny-tailed Gecko in Kakadu National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September–October and December–April, the lowest months. Those are among Kakadu National Park's driest months, with about 40 mm of rain a month against 350 mm in January.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Spiny-tailed Gecko sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
5th of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Northern Spiny-tailed Gecko sightings, Kakadu National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Cape Range (Australia, about 40%), Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (Australia, about 30%) and Ningaloo Marine Park (Australia, about 30%).
Same family: Diplodactylidae
The closest relatives of the Northern Spiny-tailed Gecko that you can see in Kakadu National Park (family Diplodactylidae, Australasian Geckos) are Dotted Velvet Gecko (about 20%) and Giant Cave Gecko (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Spiny-tailed Gecko is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Kakadu National Park (7 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.
