Gonatodes caudiscutatus
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The shieldhead gecko (Gonatodes caudiscutatus) is a species of lizard in the Sphaerodactylidae family native to Ecuador and Colombia. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Machalilla National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guayaquil | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
No species of the same family or order lives in Machalilla National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Shieldhead Gecko sighting in Machalilla National Park on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 13 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Shieldhead Gecko in Machalilla National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–July and September–January, the lowest months. That is one of Machalilla National Park's wettest months, with about 130 mm of rain against 5 mm in September.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Shieldhead Gecko sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Shieldhead Gecko sightings, Machalilla National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Galápagos Islands (Ecuador, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Shieldhead Gecko is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Machalilla National Park (15 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.
