Microlophus occipitalis
Silhouette: Kurtis Wothe and Giovanna Sainz · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
Microlophus occipitalis, colloquially known as the knobbed Pacific iguana, is a lizard included within the Tropiduridae family. It is a member of the Microlophus genus and thus also considered a lava lizard. The knobbed Pacific iguana is found primarily in Western Peru and Ecuador, lining the coasts. The habitats of the knobbed Pacific iguana can be considered to be both broad and diverse as they are typically found in many different places such as beaches, lomas, and all the way to desert regions. This diversity is furthered as these lizards can also be found in open areas, between rocks, or bushes.
The knobbed Pacific iguana displays distinct sexual dimorphism as seen by the different sizes and appearances of the male and females. Males are significantly larger and as a whole species, knobbed Pacific iguanas can range from 50–80 mm (2.0–3.1 in) in snout-vent length. The two sexes also possess different coloration with males most often lacking color and females having a range of red to white lateral neck folds. These varying colors play a role in a prominent feature of knobbed Pacific iguanas in that these different shades can represent distinct stages of reproduction and signal information to mates.
Like most other lizards, the knobbed Pacific iguana is cold-blooded and relies on basking and other strategies of thermoregulation to maintain an ideal body temperature. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Machalilla National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Knobbed Pacific Iguana sighting in Machalilla National Park on a given day, based on 122 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 13 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and November
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Knobbed Pacific Iguana in Machalilla National Park on a given day, against about 30% in April, the lowest month. Those are among Machalilla National Park's wettest months, with about 75 mm of rain a month against 5 mm in September.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Knobbed Pacific Iguana 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 Machalilla National Park, in our data
Machalilla National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Knobbed Pacific Iguana sightings: about 70% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Knobbed Pacific Iguana is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Machalilla National Park (122 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.
