Chondrodactylus bibronii
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Chondrodactylus bibronii, commonly known as Bibron's thick-toed gecko, Bibron's sand gecko, or simply Bibron's gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to southern Africa. C. bibronii has been used as an animal model in bioastronautic research examining the effects of spaceflight on the morphology and physiology of vertebrates.
The specific name, bibronii, is in honor of French herpetologist Gabriel Bibron, as are several common names. Bibron's gecko is distributed across the southern part of the African continent in Namibia, South Africa, and Eswatini. It is common in South Africa, where it is one of the largest gecko species.
C. bibronii has been introduced in the southeastern United States. Populations have been found in Manatee County, Florida. A moderate-sized gecko, C. bibronii reaches a total length (including tail) of 6 to 8 in (15 to 20 cm). It has a stockier build than most other geckos. The female is generally smaller than the male. Its base color is brown, and it has a beaded pattern dorsally, with black crossbars. The male has white dots; the female may, as well. The belly is white... Wikipedia →
Recording0:23
South Africa · 2020
© Marion Maclean · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 3 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VigoNature | 🇪🇸 Spain |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Bibron's Thick-toed Gecko sighting in Namib-Naukluft National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 34th most-seen of the 39 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–March, May, September–October and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Bibron's Thick-toed Gecko in Namib-Naukluft National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, April, June–August and November, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bibron's Thick-toed Gecko sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Bibron's Thick-toed Gecko sightings, Namib-Naukluft National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (South Africa, about 30%).
Same genus: Chondrodactylus
The closest relatives of the Bibron's Thick-toed Gecko that you can see in Namib-Naukluft National Park (genus Chondrodactylus, Comb-toed Geckos) are Fischer's Thick-toed Gecko (about 30%) and Namib Giant Ground Gecko (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bibron's Thick-toed Gecko is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Namib-Naukluft 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.
