Chondrodactylus bibronii
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Chondrodactylus bibronii, commonly known as Bibron's thick-toed gecko, Bibron's sand gecko, or simply Bibron's gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to southern Africa. C. bibronii has been used as an animal model in bioastronautic research examining the effects of spaceflight on the morphology and physiology of vertebrates.
The specific name, bibronii, is in honor of French herpetologist Gabriel Bibron, as are several common names. Bibron's gecko is distributed across the southern part of the African continent in Namibia, South Africa, and Eswatini. It is common in South Africa, where it is one of the largest gecko species.
C. bibronii has been introduced in the southeastern United States. Populations have been found in Manatee County, Florida. A moderate-sized gecko, C. bibronii reaches a total length (including tail) of 6 to 8 in (15 to 20 cm). It has a stockier build than most other geckos. The female is generally smaller than the male. Its base color is brown, and it has a beaded pattern dorsally, with black crossbars. The male has white dots; the female may, as well. The belly is white... Wikipedia →
Recording0:23
South Africa · 2020
© Marion Maclean · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 3 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VigoNature | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bibron's Thick-toed Gecko sighting in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 38th most-seen of the 41 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and February
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Bibron's Thick-toed Gecko in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March to December, the lowest months. Those are among Table Mountain National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain a month against 110 mm in June.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bibron's Thick-toed Gecko sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Bibron's Thick-toed Gecko sightings, Table Mountain National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (South Africa, about 30%) and Namib-Naukluft National Park (Namibia, about 10%).
Same family: Gekkonidae
The closest relatives of the Bibron's Thick-toed Gecko that you can see in Table Mountain National Park (family Gekkonidae, Typical Geckos) are Marbled Leaf-toed Gecko (about 30%) and Cape Dwarf Gecko (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bibron's Thick-toed Gecko is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Table Mountain National Park (10 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.
