Pachydactylus kochii
Silhouette: Emmanuel Jimenez · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The Cape Cross thick-toed gecko (Pachydactylus kochii), also known commonly as Koch's gecko and Koch's thick-toed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to southern Africa. The specific name, kochii, is in honor of Austrian-born South African entomologist Charles Koch.
P. kochii is found in Namibia and in South Africa (southern Namaqualand). The preferred natural habitats of P. kochii are desert and savanna, at altitudes of 10–800 m (33–2,625 ft). Adults of P. kochii have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 4–5 cm (1.6–2.0 in). The body is slender. Dorsally, the ground color is grayish with a lavender tinge, and there are five reddish-brown crossbands. Ventrally it is white.
P. kochii is terrestrial. It shelters in burrows dug by other animals. P. kochii is oviparous. Bauer AM, Lamb T (2005). "Phylogenetic relationships of southern African geckos in the Pachydactylus group (Squamata: Gekkonidae)". African Journal of Herpetology 54 (2): 105–129. (Colopus kochii, new combination, p. 105).
FitzSimons V (1959... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Cross 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 36th 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 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Cross Thick-toed Gecko in Namib-Naukluft National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–August and November, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cape Cross Thick-toed Gecko sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Namib-Naukluft National Park, in our data
Namib-Naukluft National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Cape Cross Thick-toed Gecko sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Pachydactylus
The closest relatives of the Cape Cross Thick-toed Gecko that you can see in Namib-Naukluft National Park (genus Pachydactylus, Typical Thick-toed Geckos) are Namib Sand Gecko (about 40%) and Pointed Thick-toed Gecko (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cape Cross 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.
