Uroplatus sikorae
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
Uroplatus sikorae, commonly referred to as the mossy leaf-tailed gecko or the southern flat-tail gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Madagascar. It is a CITES II protected animal due to habitat loss.
The specific name, sikorae, is a Latinization of the surname of Franz Sikora, an Austrian fossil-hunter and explorer of Madagascar. The species was first described by German zoologist Oskar Boettger but not published until three years after his death. Its common name refers to the mossy-like camouflage patterns and colors of the lizard's skin. The whole complex of U. sikorae is in need of taxonomic revision and probably contains numerous new, undescribed species.
The genus Uroplatus contains 14 species endemic to Madagascar. The species Uroplatus sameiti was considered to be a subspecies of U. sikorae until 2007, when it was proposed to be elevated to species level on the basis of its pale oral mucosa, in contrast to the dark oral mucosa of U. sikorae. Subsequent publications have maintained this separate status, which has now also been verified molecularly. However, in the most recent review of the taxonomy of... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ranomafana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Mantadia National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edinburgh Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Buffalo Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Lemur Island | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 5 | Mandraka Reptile Farm | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Mossy Leaf-tailed Gecko sighting in Ranomafana National Park on a given day, based on 34 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 11th most-seen of the 29 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Mossy Leaf-tailed Gecko in Ranomafana National Park on a given day, against about 10% in February and March, the lowest months. That is one of Ranomafana National Park's driest months, with about 120 mm of rain against 450 mm in January.
Between 5 and 8 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mossy Leaf-tailed Gecko sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Mossy Leaf-tailed Gecko sightings, Ranomafana National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Mantadia National Park (Madagascar, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mossy Leaf-tailed Gecko is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Ranomafana National Park (34 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.
