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Hemidactylus mabouia
The African tropical house gecko is a mainly nocturnal gecko species, and can attain a maximum length (snout to vent) of 12.7 cm (5 in). Learn more about gecko nocturnal vision in the notes.
Outside wall near the beach at the east of Zanzibar. Usually associated with human settlements. Distribution: native to sub-Saharan Africa. Introduced in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean
Geckos that are nocturnal have a tendency to have large eyes. When the intensity of the light changes, so does the pupil of the eye. When the light intensity increases, the pupil closes so that it becomes a vertical slit (second shot). Geckos have much more sensitive eyes than humans and have more sensitive photoreceptors. Also, the cones in the retina of nocturnal geckos have become much larger and more light-sensitive than those of their diurnal relatives. http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/new... http://www.journalofvision.org/content/9...
Spotted on Apr 20, 2012
Submitted on Jun 6, 2012
17 Comments
Thank you Ganesh!
Wonderful
Thank you Peyton Irby!
Luv it
Thank you Bernadette S!
Great photos and info!
Thank you Gopal!
love the smile:)
Thanks Satyen!
Awesome spot! Loved the second shot showing the eye. Wow!
Thanks Atul!
lovely As usual Daniele!
Thank you Scott! And Neil, I wholeheartedly agree.
You're welcome Daniele. I get the feeling that sometimes on PN, a spotting is just judged by the first photograph. In my opinion, a quality spotting takes into account all of the fields that are available when adding a new spotting. That way the page has a lasting, educational value.
Beautiful work. Great entry!
Neil, you make me blush! Thank you so much, as this is what I try to do here on PN:-)
My favorite spottings on Project Noah are those that combine outstanding photography with detailed, educational notes added. This is one of those spottings. Well done Daniele!