Lamprolepis smaragdina
Silhouette: B Neale · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Lamprolepis smaragdina, the emerald tree skink, is also sometimes (ambiguously) known as green tree skink or emerald green skink. It is a non-threatened species which is not commonly seen, but it is becoming more popular in the exotic pet trade.
The emerald tree skink is generally bright lime green in color, with large black eyes rimmed with yellow. However, their rear limbs or the lower half of their body may be medium brown with white speckling. In some cases, the entire body is brown or speckled with black. They are generally between 8.5-10" in total length.
It is known as 'kuka' in the Kotos Amarasi language of West Timor, Indonesia. In the Philippines, it is called 'tabili' in Cebuano and in Waray. Linkem, et al. (2013) found that the most divergent clades of L. smaragdina were in Sulawesi. Oceanic populations represent the most recent expansions. The origin of populations on most islands is attributed primarily to waif dispersals prior to human colonization, although human-aided dispersals cannot be ruled out for some populations.
It is found in arboreal forests of Taiwan, Palawan, Luzon... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Davao City | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 2 | Cebu City | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 3 | Denpasar | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ZooParc de Beauval | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Tierpark Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | California Academy of Sciences | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 5 | Abilene Zoological Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Kaliningrad Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 7 | Tallinn Zoo | 🇪🇪 Estonia | |
| 8 | Brookfield Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Chester Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 11 | Marwell Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 12 | Berlin Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 13 | Wrocław Zoological Garden | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 14 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Łódź Zoo | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 16 | Little Rock Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Hertfordshire Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 18 | Turtle Back Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | The Abilene Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 21 | St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 22 | Africarium | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 23 | Aquarium Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 24 | Birch Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 25 | terrarium ogrodu zoologicznego we Wrocławiu | 🇵🇱 Poland |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report an Emerald Tree Skink sighting in Raja Ampat on a given day, based on 42 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 33 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.
January, March and May
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report an Emerald Tree Skink in Raja Ampat on a given day, against about 30% in February, June and September, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Emerald Tree Skink 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 Raja Ampat, in our data
Raja Ampat is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Emerald Tree Skink sightings: about 40% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Scincidae
The closest relatives of the Emerald Tree Skink that you can see in Raja Ampat (family Scincidae, Skinks) are Pacific Bluetail Skink (about 50%), Indonesian Brown Skink Carlia (about 40%) and Littoral Whiptail-skink (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Emerald Tree Skink is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Raja Ampat (42 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.
