Chondrodactylus angulifer
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Chondrodactylus angulifer, also known as the common giant ground gecko, the South African ground gecko, or the Namib sand gecko, is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to southern Africa.
Chondrodactylus angulifer is found in Namibia, southernmost Botswana, and western South Africa. Chondrodactylus angulifer is a medium sized gecko. Adults average 7 to 9 cm (2.8 to 3.5 in) snout-to-vent length (SVL). The record size is a male 11.3 cm (4.4 in) SVL.
An adult female C. angulifer may lay a clutch of one or two eggs. The eggs are almost spherical, 18 by 16 mm (0.71 by 0.63 in). Each hatchling is approximately 7 cm (2.8 in) total length (including tail). There are two subspecies which are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.
Chondrodactylus angulifer subsp. angulifer W. Peters, 1870 Chondrodactylus angulifer subsp. namibensis Haacke, 1976 Haacke WD (1976). "The burrowing geckos of southern Africa, 4 (Reptilia: Gekkonidae). Annotated taxonomic account (cont.) E. Genus Chondrodactylus Peters". Annals of the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Namib Giant Ground Gecko sighting in Namib-Naukluft National Park on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 18th most-seen of the 39 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–February and July
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Namib Giant Ground Gecko in Namib-Naukluft National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–May and December, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Namib Giant Ground 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 Namib Giant Ground Gecko sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Chondrodactylus
The closest relatives of the Namib Giant Ground Gecko that you can see in Namib-Naukluft National Park (genus Chondrodactylus, Comb-toed Geckos) are Fischer's Thick-toed Gecko (about 30%) and Bibron's Thick-toed Gecko (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Namib Giant Ground Gecko is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Namib-Naukluft National Park (20 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.
