Meroles squamulosus
Silhouette: Gustav Mützel · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Meroles squamulosa is a species of African lizard originally placed in the genus Ichnotropis, however phylogenetic evidence moves this species to the genus Meroles. The species is commonly called the common rough-scaled lizard or savanna lizard. It is largely found in southern Africa. These lizards are terrestrial and found in the range of mesic savannah. The common rough-scaled lizard is medium in size and well distributed in parts of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Angola, Tanzania, and Zambia.
Common rough-scaled lizards are medium-sized lizards each with a small head, body, and a long tail. The frontonasal is divided and has small body scales in 42 to 58 rows at the midline. The backs of these lizards are brownish grey with narrow dark blotches and rows of pale spots.
Unlike the Ichnotropis species, M. squamulosus does not have subocular scales bordering the lip. These lizards can be found in semi-arid, shrub savannas in Africa such as Ngamiland, Botswana. They dig branching burrows in the soft sand usually at the base of Acacia trees that may be shared with several individuals. These lizards are insectivorous and actively hunt during... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Rough-scaled Lizard sighting in Kruger National Park on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 40th most-seen of the 62 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 to April
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Rough-scaled Lizard in Kruger National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to October, the lowest months. Those are among Kruger National Park's wettest months, with about 70 mm of rain a month against almost none in August.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Rough-scaled Lizard sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Kruger National Park, in our data
Kruger National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Common Rough-scaled Lizard sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Rough-scaled Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Kruger National Park (18 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.
