Saltuarius swaini
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
Saltuarius swaini, also known as the southern leaf-tailed gecko or Border Ranges leaf-tailed gecko, is endemic to Australia where it is found in coastal mountain ranges of southeastern Queensland and northern New South Wales.
It inhabits rainforests and lives inside large tree root systems and hollows of strangler figs. Its scientific name is after Malcolm Swain of the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service. Southern leaf tailed geckos are a light to dark brown colour with darker patterns. The gecko is approx. 134 mm (5.3 in) long from snout to vent.
Their tails are broad and leaf-life hence their common name. When threatened or caught geckos can drop their tail to confuse predators. Eventually a new tail will be regenerated, although only the original tail will have the tubercules and matching colour and pattern to the torso; new tails will be very different in both colour and pattern.
Female southern leaf-tailed geckos usually lay one or two soft-shelled eggs in late spring. These eggs are up to 28 mm in length. The eggs are buried in moist soil or leaf litter to prevent their drying out. Left to develop unattended, 3 months later the offspring hatch... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures | 🇦🇺 Australia |
No species of the same family or order lives in Springbrook National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Leaf-tailed Gecko sighting in Springbrook National Park on a given day, based on 92 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 27 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Leaf-tailed Gecko in Springbrook National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June, the lowest month.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Leaf-tailed Gecko sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Southern Leaf-tailed Gecko sightings, Springbrook National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Lamington National Park (Australia, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Leaf-tailed Gecko is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Springbrook National Park (92 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.
