Leopard gecko
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 Leopard gecko, four months old
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| Eublepharis macularius Blyth, 1854 |
The Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius) is a nocturnal ground dwelling gecko commonly found in the desert areas of Pakistan, Western India and Afghanistan. The etymology of their name is 'eu blephar' (true eyelid, in reference to their eyelids, something which most gecko species lack) and 'macularius' (spotted, in reference to the spots which cover the body).
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[edit] Characteristics
The leopard gecko gets its common name from the adult coloration of wild specimen, which is generally a cream to yellow ground color with black spots/stripes. However, artificial selection in captivity has produced a number of color morphs, distinct from this 'wild-type', possessing many varied colors and patterns. Some of these include: High yellow, orange, striped, patternless (no spots or stripes), lavender, blizzard (which are solid white or gray), and amelanistic (no black pigments in markings).
The leopard gecko is one of the few geckos that don't have pads. Pads are the visible "flat" areas on the toes. These "flat" areas are covered in many microscopic hairs that allow the gecko to stick on to trees, leaves, rocks, glass etc. The leopard gecko does not have these pads and instead uses claws for climbing.
The average size of Leopard Geckos is 6-8 inches. In captivity, genetic variants have occurred leading to some reaching sizes of 9-11 inches("giants")[1], though these are rare.
Leopard geckos are one of only a few gecko species (all of them members of the subfamily Eublepharidae, a small family of tropical/subtropical species found in the Americas, Africa, and Asia) that have eyelids. This helps the gecko keep its eyes clean and particle-free in its dusty environment. Most geckos clean and moisten their eyes with their tongues. Another interesting difference in leopard geckos from most other gecko species is the absence of adhesive toe pads. Instead, they have small claws. Leopard geckos cannot climb walls or glass, although their claws give extra traction on the ground and are helpful in digging; the same applies for the same group of old world geckos having eyelids. Like all geckos, they shed their tail, in a process called caudal autotomy if frightened or disturbed. Muscles at the base of the tail constrict to snap the vertebrae, severing most of the tail. The tail distracts the predator (wiggling and writhing on the ground) as the gecko makes its escape. Although they will eventually grow a new one, the regenerated tail will differ from the original, appearing bulbous and inferior. If handled often as a baby, they may become accustomed to handling.
In its natural environment, the leopard gecko lives under rocks or in small caves to avoid temperature extremes. Like many desert dwelling species it is nocturnal or active at night. It hunts spiders, and small insect species. Occasionally they will hunt very small mammals.
Incubation temperatures of 78-82 degrees produce females, 82-84 degrees produce both sexes, and 84-90 produce males.
As pets, leopard geckos will gradually adopt non-nocturnal behavior, however, some remain the same. The best way to ensure this is to handle them frequently, and only during day time. It sometimes is best to keep their night habits, as they see better during that time. For the leopard gecko's diet, the diet consists a meal of crickets and meal worms. They also enjoy eating butterworms, silkworms and at times pinkie mice (baby mice) as a variety in their diet. Waxworms are also acceptable, however due to the high fat content of the worm they are not recommended as a regular item in the gecko's diet.
Since Leopard Geckos are naturally found in the desert, it is important that their dwellings in captivity mimic the dry environment which they are used to. Leopard Geckos do NOT fare well in humid environments. For this reason, it is recommended that any source of excess moisture be avoided in their enclosure (i.e. use fake plants instead of natural plants, and do not spray the enclosure as you would for some other types of lizards). Excessive humidity can lead to respiratory infections in Leopard Geckos.
Leopard Geckos in captivity should be provided with a continual source of calcium, as they are quite prone to bone problems when calcium is not supplimented. A calcium powder can purchased from any pet sore which sells leopard geckos. It can either be sprinkled onto their food or it can be left in a dish in their enclosure, for them to help themselves to when needed. It is also important to note that many commercial sand companies include calcium in their sand for this reason, however there are risks involved in using these sands in the enclosure. Many geckos will eat the sand in order to obtain the necessary calcium, and in doing so will damage their bodies when the sand hardens inside of their intestines. There are many cases of leopard geckos dying from sand impaction within their bodies. It is best to avoid this risk entirely, and use substrates other than sand, while also providing additional calcium suppliments.
[edit] Distribution
The Leopard Gecko is native to south-eastern Afghanistan, most of Pakistan, and north-west India, and inhabits primarily the rocky, dry grassland regions of these countries. As nocturnal creatures, they spend the day hidden under rocks or in dry burrows to escape the daytime heat, emerging at dusk to hunt insects. Leopard Geckos are considered among the most recommendable lizards with which to start the hobby of caring for herps.
[edit] Leopard Geckos in Captivity
Leopard geckos are often recommended to beginning herpetoculturists for several reasons: their small size, ease of care, cleanliness (they tend to defecate in one corner of their enclosure), long life span (the longest confirmed life span was 27 years, with 19-22 years being average), tolerance of handling, and wide color range. They can usually be handled well by older children, but the close supervision of an adult is still recommended as the gecko's tail can fall off if the animal is stressed or frightened.
Leopard geckos are easily available commercially. They are one of the few lizard species regularly bred in captivity in large enough numbers that captive-produced specimens are easily obtained at pet stores. As with crested geckos, leopard geckos are a good choice for someone who wants a pet lizard but doesn't want to keep wild-caught animals. These geckos are very inexpensive especially in contrast to other reptiles and in the context of their beauty, tolerance of being handled, simplicity of care, simplicity to breed & other plusses.
A 'regular' leopard gecko generally consists of mostly black blotches & stripes on a yellow background. The younger the gecko, the more stripes. As the gecko matures the stripes break up into spots, which is why most adult geckos have few, if any, stripes left. Such a gecko can be purchased at most pet stores that have a reptile department.
In recent years, breeders have created special morphs of leopard geckos to obtain more attractive colouring patterns. These morphs range in terms of costing, and are typically more expensive than one with an ordinary colour phase. Patternless leopard geckos can cost a great deal more than those with regular markings, and are often referred to as "albinos". Generally these expensive morphs will not be found in most pet stores and need to be ordered from breeders who specialize in selective bred or newly discovered morphs. Some may carry genetics for these morphs though. Most pet stores do however carry leucistic leopard geckos, characterized as the name implies by a white, often colourless skin. Some pet stores also carry leopard geckos with reduced or unusual spotting, which often have anything ranging from unusual bands to no pattern at all.
[edit] Reproduction
Leopard Geckos become sexually mature at around 10-14 months of age. In order to produce healthy hatchlings, females are best at a minimum weight of 60 grams. Males however do not need to be of any specific weight once sexual maturity is reached (though an obese male may be reluctant to mate).
Leopard Geckos usually breed from around March to September, though it may begin as early as January and finish as late as October. They are also influenced to reproduce by subtle drops in temperature during winter.
If upon inspection of the translucent abdominal skin on a female there is the visual appearance of developing eggs, the female should mate immediately when introduced to a male. Two matings should be allowed to take place in order to insure that successful fertilisation has occurred.
When a male and female are introduced, the male begins to beat his tail against the ground producing a thumping noise. In response, the female silently sways her tail from side to side along the ground. Following this, the male will lick her to obtain her scent, then begin gently biting her from the lower body upwards. If the female does not wish to mate, she will bite back and the male will cease his activity. If she accepts, he will continue up to her neck, making his body parallel to hers and placing his hind leg over her tail, and inserting one of his hemipenes.
Roughly a month later, the female will lay either one or two eggs. Clutches of two eggs will then be laid monthly throughout the rest of the mating season, though this varies from female to female according to age, with older females laying less.
The Leopard Gecko's sex(gender) can be found at the adult length(6") by looking at the bottom near the anal pore. In males there will be a V-shaped row of spots. Though the male has visible evidence of its gender the female does not. Males are also notably larger if put side-by-side with a female.
[edit] Egg Incubation
Use a plastic Rubbermaid container with a fitted lid to incubate the eggs in. Mix equal parts vermiculite with water (by weight) so that the vermiculite feels just barely moist when touched. Without changing how the eggs were laid (i.e. the eggs must not be rotated at all, lest the embryo fatally separate from the egg wall), place them carefully into the moistened vermiculite, half burying them in it. Place a small container of water into the vermiculite too to help keep the humidity up. Close the container and keep it closed except when checking the eggs. This allows for ample air circulation, but too much air circulation will cause the humidity to go down, jeopardizing the eggs.
If eggs are incubated at 79 F, the majority of all neonates will be female. If incubated at 85F, you will get an almost equal number of each sex. If incubated at 90 F, most will be male. When incubated at 92 F, practically all will be males. Females hatched from these eggs are generally more aggressive than other females, which generally makes them unsuitable for breeding. Anything lower than 79 F or higher than 92 F will cause deformities and usually death of the neonates incubated at these temperatures.
Eggs will hatch in 6-12 weeks, with the higher temperatures hatching sooner than lower temperatures.
[edit] Hatchlings
Approximately 6-12 weeks after being laid, the eggs will hatch. First, the gecko will break the surface of the egg and push its head out, remaining in this position for as little as 2 or as many as 4 hours. During this state, it is important that the neonate is not touched or otherwise disturbed, as they are gradually adapting to lung breathing and obtaining oxygen from the egg membranes as well as absorbing yolk from inside the egg.
A Leopard Gecko's markings at birth are extremely different to those of an adult. The skin has no spots, instead large dark bands (usually purple)and intermittent light bands (usually yellow) cover the body from head to tail.
For the first few days of life, the gecko will turn down any food offered, its hunger sustained by the absorbed yolk still in its system.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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The external links in this article may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links. Please remove this tag when this is done. This article has been tagged since February 2007. (talk) |
- Photos of Leopard Gecko Morphs and Caresheet - Geckos Etc. - Steve Sykes
- Selective and Simple Recessive Combinations.
- www.leopardgecko.com
- Leopard Gecko Care
- Leopard Gecko Forum on Gecko Forums dot Net
- The Gecko Spot, UK, Comprehensive Caresheets/Information and Forum
- Leopard Gecko Starter Checklist
