Calotes ceylonensis
Silhouette: Vijay Karthick · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Calotes ceylonensis, commonly known as the painted-lipped lizard or the Ceylon bloodsucker, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. It is one of four Calotes species endemic to Sri Lanka.In Sinhalese language, it is known as "Thol Visithuru Katussa - තොල් විසිතුරු කටුස්සා"
C. ceylonensis is confined to monsoon forests, plantations, and home gardens in the dry and intermediate zones of Sri Lanka. Localities in Sri Lanka at which C. ceylonensis has been collected include Mankulam, Elahera, Nilgala, Minneriya National Park, Sigiriya, Kandalama, Laggala, Kumana National Park, Puttalam and Kumbalgamuwa, up to elevation of about 400 m (1,300 ft).
C. ceylonensis is a colorful, arboreal agamid. The length of the head is one and half times the width. The body is laterally compressed. The tail is long and slender, about or over twice the head-body length. The cheeks are swollen. Two separated spines can be seen above the tympanum. The nuchal crest is formed with low spines. Midbody scale rows number 54–60.
The dorsum is brown, with indistinct brown crossbands. The head and anterior part of body are blackish-brown. There is a bright... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 3 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Ceylon Bloodsucker sighting in Wilpattu National Park on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 8th most-seen of the 14 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Ceylon Bloodsucker in Wilpattu National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February and December, the lowest months. That is one of Wilpattu National Park's driest months, with about 65 mm of rain against 320 mm in November.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ceylon Bloodsucker sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Ceylon Bloodsucker sightings, Wilpattu National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Yala National Park (Sri Lanka, about 20%) and Minneriya National Park (Sri Lanka, about 20%).
Same genus: Calotes
The closest relatives of the Ceylon Bloodsucker that you can see in Wilpattu National Park (genus Calotes, Oriental Forest Lizards) are Oriental Garden Lizard (about 70%) and Common Green Forest Lizard (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ceylon Bloodsucker is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Wilpattu National Park (17 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.
