Ctenophorus nuchalis
Silhouette: Caroline M. Dong · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The central netted dragon or central netted ground dragon (Ctenophorus nuchalis) is a species of agamid lizard occurring in a wide range of arid to semiarid regions of Australia. It is widespread across the continent, commonly found in open, sandy, desert habitats. It is a popular pet and can often be found in zoos.
The central netted dragon is a medium-sized terrestrial lizard with a pale reddish-brown to bright orange-brown body. It gets its name from the dark-chocolate brown, reticulated (net-like) pattern which overlays its head and body. This pattern acts as camouflage, helping the lizard to blend in with its habitat to avoid predators. Its limbs are short and strong, with long toes and strong claws, which allow it to run at great speeds and dig burrows.
The head is short and blunt in comparison to other iguanids and agamids, thought to be related to its herbivorous and burrowing behaviour. The ears are exposed, and a row of enlarged scales curves under each eye. Small spines surround the head. It has a low crest along the top of the neck, a narrow vertebral stripe along the length of the body, and the scales of the body are small and smooth to the touch... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alice Springs Desert Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Taronga Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Sydney Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Adelaide Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Sea Life Sydney Aquarium | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Wild Life Sydney | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Wildlife HQ Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Central Netted Ground-dragon sighting in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park on a given day, based on 77 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 25 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–February and April
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Central Netted Ground-dragon in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park on a given day, against about 30% in June, the lowest month. Those are among Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park's wettest months, with about 30 mm of rain a month against almost none in July.
Between 1 and 4 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Central Netted Ground-dragon sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Only Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, in our data
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Central Netted Ground-dragon sightings: about 60% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Central Netted Ground-dragon is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (77 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.
