Trachylepis striata
Silhouette: David Orr · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The African striped skink (Trachylepis striata), commonly called the striped skink, is a species of lizard in the skink family (Scincidae). The species is widespread in East Africa and Southern Africa. It is not a close relation to the Australian striped skink, Ctenotus taeniolatus.
Both sexes grow to a total length (including tail) of 25 cm (9.8 in). Their tails are often missing due to predators. Striped Skink, Destination Kruger Park Media related to Trachylepis striata at Wikimedia Commons Boulenger GA (1887). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III.... Scincidæ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 575 pp. + Plates I-XL. (Mabuia striata, pp. 204–205; Mabuia wahlbergii, pp. 205–206).
Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 5 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Liwonde National Park | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 8 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 9 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 10 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 11 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 12 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 13 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 14 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 15 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 16 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 17 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maputo | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 2 | Lilongwe | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 3 | Addis Ababa | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 4 | Kigali | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 5 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Dar es-Salaam | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 7 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report an African Striped Skink sighting in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, based on 63 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 18 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.
June
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report an African Striped Skink in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, against about 10% in August, the lowest month. That is one of uMkhuze Game Reserve's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 120 mm in February.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Striped Skink sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 17 parks where we can rate African Striped Skink sightings, uMkhuze Game Reserve has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Arusha National Park (Tanzania, about 40%) and Kruger National Park (South Africa, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Trachylepis
The closest relatives of the African Striped Skink that you can see in uMkhuze Game Reserve (genus Trachylepis, Afro-Malagasy Mabuyas) are Rainbow Skink (about 30%) and Variable Skink (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Striped Skink is recorded against all the reptiles logged in uMkhuze Game Reserve (63 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.
