14 April 2018 - THE ENCHANTING GECKO

THE ENCHANTING GECKO
G'day folks,
Here is a creature that has always enchanted me, and I've seen many.

The gecko is a small to medium speciesof lizardthat is found in the more temperate and tropical regions of the world. Geckos are more commonly found around the Equator and in the Southern Hemisphere although a few speciesof gecko are found north of the Equator in warmer regions.



There are thought to be over 2,000 different speciesof gecko found around the world and it is widely believed that there are more speciesof gecko that ate yet to be discovered. Geckos are found in a wide variety of coloursand have various different markings on their bodies depending on the speciesof gecko.Geckos are found in a wide variety of habitatsin the warmer parts of the world including rocky deserts, mountains, jungles, rainforests, grasslandsand even in urban areas where it is common to find geckos in houses.



Geckos can range in sizefrom just a few centimetre to more than 50 cm in length. The largest speciesof gecko is the Delcourt's gecko (which is now believed to be extinct), native to New Zealand and it grows to nearly 60 cm in length. The Jaragua Sphaero found in the Dominican Republic in South America, is the smallest speciesof gecko in the world and averages less than 2cm in length.
Geckos are well known for their amazing ability to walk up vertical surfaces even those as smooth as glass. The feet of the gecko are covered in tiny hairs that stick to surfaces like sucker pads. This adaptation means that the gecko is a very agile animal.




Geckos are carnivorous reptilesso the dietof the gecko is based on meat from other animals. Geckos primarily eat insectsand worms, but some of the larger speciesof gecko hunt small birds, reptilesand even small mammalssuch as mice. Some speciesof gecko are also known to eat a small amount of plant matter such as moss.




Due to their small size, geckos have a number of natural predatorsaround the world, with the snakebeing the main predatorof the gecko. Other animalsthat preyon the gecko include large spiders, birdsand some mammalspecies.
After mating, the female gecko lays 2 sticky eggs, that have a soft shell and are white in colour. The gecko eggs quickly harden so that the developing gecko inside is more protected. The eggs of the gecko can take between 1 and 3 months to hatch but the incubation period is largely dependent on the speciesof gecko and the area in which it inhabit. The female gecko is not known to nurse or look after the baby geckos after they hatch.




 Today, many speciesof gecko are considered to be threatenedwith extinction due to habitatloss and pollution. Geckos are also popular pets around the world and many are caught in the wild to be sold into the exotic pet trade.

Clancy's comment: Cute, eh? Magnificent colours, and they have an amazing ability to camouflage themselves. When I lived in Thailand, I used to open the backdoor and often be frightened by a big gecko who'd pop his head out of a cupboard. But, it was better than a snake or a scorpion.
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