Bradypodion occidentale
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The Namaqua dwarf chameleon or the western dwarf chameleon (Bradypodion occidentale) occurs in beach vegetation, along the west coast of South Africa and Namibia. The Namaqua is relatively large for a Dwarf Chameleon, reaching up to 16 cm in length. It also has a relatively stocky build, and the shortest tail of its genus. It has several distinctive "gular" grooves under its chin, running from its mouth down to the top of its chest. In colour it is a dull, mottled brown-grey.
This species occurs along the coastal regions of the far west of South Africa. It is found in a belt from Melkbosstrand (near Cape Town) in the south, up to Lüderitz, Namibia. In this range, it favours the coastal Strandveld vegetation and is only very rarely found further inland. In the south, near Cape Town, its range slightly overlaps with that of the Cape Dwarf Chameleon, but the two favour different habitats. They can also easily be distinguished as the Cape Dwarf Chameleon has far brighter colouration, with a lighter build, longer tail, and blunter nose and casque.
In the vicinity of human habitation, they have a tendency to fall victim to domestic cats. They are... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
No species of the same family or order lives in West Coast National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Namaqua Dwarf Chameleon sighting in West Coast National Park on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 13th most-seen of the 23 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.
October and November
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Namaqua Dwarf Chameleon in West Coast National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, July, September and December–January, the lowest months. Those are among West Coast National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain a month against 70 mm in June.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Namaqua Dwarf Chameleon sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Only West Coast National Park, in our data
West Coast National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Namaqua Dwarf Chameleon sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Namaqua Dwarf Chameleon is recorded against all the reptiles logged in West Coast National Park (13 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.
