Have you heard of the Eublepharis Macularius? It is a fascinating lizard, known as a Leopard gecko. This fascinating creature is about 8-10 inches in length, and has spots and stripes, like a leopard! To survive the wild, it has developed many characteristics to help it. Some of these interesting features include powerful jaws, (Help to crush insects and scorpions.) and a detachable tail (to escape predators). The leopard gecko is brightly colored while young, but as they mature, their color fades. Their grainy colored skin allows them to blend into their environment.

 

Leopard geckos live mainly in rocky areas, or on hard clay. They have many characteristics that make them perfect for this environment, such as the ability to go long periods without water, and the ability to move quickly over rock. If you are in the Americas, and you want to capture one for a pet, tough luck! They are found mainly in Iraq, Pakistan, India, Iran, and Afghanistan.

 

The population of these guys is fairly stable, not endangered and not overpopulated. However, little by little, the population is growing, due to captivity, care, and little construction. If we conserve these creatures, they will be around for a long time to come. However, population growth is being slowed slightly by, predation.

 

The leopard gecko is mainly peaceful, disrupted only by small amounts of construction, and predators. It has very few predators, but the ones it does have, consist mainly of foxes, snakes, and birds of prey. To avoid being eaten, it has two choices: Run for safety, or detach tail to distract foes and escape. The leopard gecko is fascinating, because it has better night vision than all lizards, and because it can drop its own tail and the tail will still have enough nerve impulses in it to live for a short time! I learned that the leopard gecko has many characteristics that allow it to evade capture, and allow it to survive in the wild.

 

Author: Makay J

Published: 02/2009

 

Sources: "LEOPARD GECKOS (Eublepharis macularius)." Long Island Herpetological Society. 03 Feb. 2009 Rosamond Gifford Zoo. 03 Feb. 2009

 

Photo Credit: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eublepharis_macularius.jpg