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Crested gecko (juvenile female)

Rhacodactylus ciliatus

Description:

he Crested Gecko has hair-like projections found above the eyes, resembling eyelashes. It has a wedge shaped head and a crest that runs from each eye to the tail. The toes and the tip of the semi-prehensile tail are covered in small hairs called setae. Each seta is divided into hundreds of smaller (approximately 200 nanometres in diameter) hairs called spatulae. It is believed these structures exploit the weak van der Waals force to help the gecko climb on most solid surfaces. The toes have small claws which aid in climbing surfaces to which their toes cannot cling. Once they lose their tail it will not grow back.

Habitat:

House pet. The Crested Gecko is endemic to South Province, New Caledonia. There are three disjunct populations, one found on the Isle of Pines and surrounding islets, and there are two populations found on the main island of Grande Terre. One population is around the Blue River, which is a protected provincial park, and the other is further north, just south of Mount Dzumac.

Notes:

Captive bred

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4 Comments

KarenL
KarenL 10 years ago

Thanks Juan!

Juan DiTrani
Juan DiTrani 10 years ago

Nice picture. I wonder why it wasn't more popular

KarenL
KarenL 10 years ago

Thanks Alice!

AliceGreenup
AliceGreenup 10 years ago

Gorgeous! I love the crests!

KarenL
Spotted by
KarenL

Franklin, Tennessee, USA

Spotted on May 30, 2013
Submitted on May 30, 2013

Spotted for Mission

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