Ctenophorus isolepis
Silhouette: Caroline M. Dong · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Ctenophorus isolepis, commonly known as the central military dragon, military dragon or military sand dragon, is a species of agamid lizard occurring in the arid parts of central and western Australia. Adult central military dragons range in colour from yellowish to reddish-brown, with blotches and flecks ranging in colour from pale to dark. Adults have a total length (including its tail) of 21–26.5 cm (8.3–10.4 in).
The central military dragon lives in arid parts of central and western Australia areas of sand-ridge deserts and loamy flats usually in areas with spinifex ground cover which they will hide in if alarmed. They live entirely above-ground, usually avoiding elevated and exposed areas, instead preferring to forage in areas of bare ground between low vegetation. They occur in outback Western Australia, across into the southern half of the Northern Territory and north-western South Australia, as well as into south-western Queensland.
C. rubens was previously considered to be a subspecies of the central military dragon. 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 |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Military Dragon sighting in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 14th most-seen of the 25 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Military Dragon in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June, August and November–April, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Military 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 Military Dragon sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Military Dragon is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (6 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.
