Rhoptropus afer
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The Namib day gecko (Rhoptropus afer) is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is found in the deserts of Namibia and southern Angola. It is the type species of the genus Rhoptropus. The Namib day gecko has a maximum snout-to-vent length (SVL) of about 50 mm (2.0 in). The dorsal surface is a well-camouflaged, dappled greyish-brown with small, rounded scales. The throat and the undersides of the tail and the limbs are bright yellow, the tail being "flashed" at other geckos as a signal. This gecko has long legs and long digits, apart from the abbreviated inner toe. The tips of the digits are flared, and the underside of the central digit has five or six scansors (specialist structures that help a gecko's feet to adhere to almost any surface).
R. afer is native to southwestern Africa, where its range includes southern Angola and northern Namibia. It is adapted to desert life and is found in a range of habitats both on the Atlantic coast and many kilometres inland.
The Namib day gecko is a diurnal species and feeds mostly on ants and beetles. On hot but breezy days, it may cool itself by climbing onto an... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Namib Day Gecko sighting in Namib-Naukluft National Park on a given day, based on 114 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 39 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, June and October
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Namib Day Gecko in Namib-Naukluft National Park on a given day, against about 20% in August–September and November, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Namib Day 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.
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 Namib Day Gecko sightings: about 40% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Rhoptropus
The closest relatives of the Namib Day Gecko that you can see in Namib-Naukluft National Park (genus Rhoptropus, Namib Day Geckos) are Bradfield's Namib Day Gecko (about 30%) and Barnard's Namib Day Gecko (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Namib Day Gecko is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Namib-Naukluft National Park (114 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.
