Can't get enough? Other popular types of geckos

Other popular types of a Gecko

African Fat Tailed Geckos (Hemitheconyx Caudicinctus)

Hemitheconyx Caudicinctus, commonly known as the African Fat-tailed Gecko, is a nocturnal, ground-dwelling gecko.

The Fat-tailed gecko is from the subfamily Eublepharinae. Members of this subfamily include the leopard gecko of Iran. This subfamily has clearly different characteristics from other geckos. They are terrestrial, nocturnal, have moveable eyelids, have vertical pupils, and no adhesive lamellae (sticky feet).

The Fat-tailed gecko is found in West Africa, from Senegal to Cameroon. Their habitat is dry and arid, although they will spend most of their time in a dark, humid hiding place.

The Fat-tailed gecko will grow to be 6 to 10 inches. Females being 6 to 8 inches, and males being 8 to 10 inches. They will live 15 to 20 years. The normal coloring is brown and tan stripes, with a possible thin white stripe along the length of the back. The under belly is pale pink or off-white.

The Fat-tailed gecko is equipped with the natural defense of being able to lose their tails when attacked by a predator. The tail is also where they store their fat, an important energy reserve. If the tail is lost the new tail will look more similar to the head (fat and stubby), and may not match the coloration patterns of the body of the gecko. With its tail, an African fat tailed gecko can go days on end without food.


Flat-tailed Geckos (Genus Uroplatus)

There are few reptile genera that can boast more bizarre-looking species than the genus Uroplatus (Flat-tailed geckos). The largest member, Uroplatus fimbiratus, opens its mouth so wide during its threat display, it looks like it has a flip-top head, invoking images of childhood pez dispensers. One of the smaller members, Uroplatus phantasticus, has a morphology that so closely resembles a dead leaf, its tail even has irregular patches missing from the margin to simulate decay. The entire genus is endemic to Madagascar and contains a total of 9 species including Uroplatus fimbriatus, U. phantasticus, U. ebenaui, U. lineatus, U. sikorae, U. henkeli U. alluaudi, U. guentheri and the recently described U. malahelo. As this genus is generally found only in primary, undisturbed Madagascar forests, it is quite possible that more species will be discovered as more research efforts are directed at cataloguing Madagascar's native reptiles. Unfortunately, these magnificent geckos, and many other Malagasy natives, are plagued by extensive habitat disturbance as the primary forests are cut down to make way for agriculture and livestock. It is estimated that if deforestation continues at its present rate, only small patches of primary forest will remain in Madagascar by the year 2020 (Glaw and Vences, 1994). Many members of this genus have been reproduced in captivity, but not in enough numbers to supply the demand of the pet trade, so many Uroplatus species are still exported. With the strong threat of population decline through habitat loss, herpetoculturists should be encouraged to set-up and maintain viable colonies of this genus to relieve some of the collection pressure off of wild populations.