THE STEINHART AQUARIUM - Gulf of Guinea Science ...

Klemmer’s Yellow-headed Day Gecko
Phelsuma klemmeri (Gekkonidae)
Geckos
Distribution: Found only in northwest
Madagascar.
Habitat: Medium-sized bamboo in fragmented
“bamboo islands.” When disturbed they hide
in the cracks in older dead bamboo.
Appearance: Dorsal color is brown to turquoise
with turquoise bands. A black lateral line runs
from the eyes to the hind legs. The head and
neck are yellow. The ventral surface is whitish;
scales are small and smooth. Adults are about
9 cm long.
Diet: In captivity, eat a variety of insects,
including crickets and fruit flies, but will also
eat fruit baby foods. They also eat fruits such as
guava, papaya, and peaches. In the wild, they
avoid the hotter part of the day and usually
hunt and forage in the early morning, late
afternoon, or right after a shower.
Reproduction and Development: Males reach
sexual maturity at about 6 months and females
will start producing eggs at around 8 months.
Sexual maturity depends on size more than
age. Breeding can occur at anytime of year,
and females will lay eggs every 3–5 weeks.
The developing eggs become visible through
the underside of the female before the eggs
are laid. By this time her once flattened body
is so large it looks as though she’ll explode!
Like most geckos, usually lay 2 eggs at a time,
often inside a hollow piece of bamboo. The
babies are iridescent and look like tiny copies
of the adults. Newborn klemmeri weigh a mere
0.1 g at birth.
Mortality/Longevity: No specific information
found. Many geckos live between 5 and 10
years.
Conservation Status: Species is widespread
on the Ampasindava peninsula; they may not
be as threatened as once feared. Their habitat
was confined to fragmented “bamboo islands,”
but the slash and burn techniques to clear land
actually increased habitat, since bamboo forests
have replaced previously cleared lands.
Remarks: This species of Phelsuma was first
described in 1990.
Geckos have very special feet that contain
millions of hairs capable of producing electrical
forces, probably van der Waals forces. These
California Academy of Sciences
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forces, which are molecular and not caused by
a sticky substance, allow the gecko to attract
any surface, even polished glass.
Standing’s Day Gecko
Phelsuma standingi (Gekkonidae)
Geckos
Distribution: Limited range within southwest
Madagascar.
Habitat: Dry thorn forests. Arid to semi-arid
regions where vegetation consists of thorny
succulent plants and baobab trees.
Appearance: Large for a gecko, mostly stocky
25 cm. total length. Individuals can occasionally
reach 30 cm. Base color is usually light gray
or brown with darker fine reticulations.
Hatchlings have much brighter coloration
with strong green and blue banding on a dark
background. The pattern and colors gradually
fade as the animals grow.
Diet: Insects, fruit, nectar and possibly other
lizards.
Reproduction and Development: Established
adult pairs will tolerate juveniles until they
reach sexual maturity. Eggs most often laid in
pairs that are “glued” to each other. As in many
reptile species, sex of newborns is temperature
dependent.
Remarks: If inactive, the coloration of this
day gecko is often duller, giving it an overall
grey appearance. When cool it takes on darker
colors to help absorb light and heat and when
hot it turns pale.
Kuhl’s Flying Gecko
Ptychozoon kuhlii (Gekkonidae)
Geckos
Distribution: Southeast Asia, including
southern Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo,
Indonesia, and Singapore.
Habitat: Nocturnal arboreal animals, found in
lowland and mid-level rainforests.
Appearance: Weird looking with big heads,
bulging lidless eyes, and elaborate webbed
feet. Gliding apparatus is composed of a large
flap of skin along the flank. These flaps remain
rolled across the belly until the lizard jumps
off a tree. Then the flaps open passively in
the air, acting as a parachute during descent.
Additional flaps lie along the sides of the head,
neck, and tail. These geckos are nocturnal and