| African Fat-tail Gecko | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Lacertilia |
| Family: | Gekkonidae |
| Subfamily: | Eublepharinae |
| Genus: | Hemitheconyx |
| Species: | H. caudicinctus |
| Binomial name | |
| Hemitheconyx caudicinctus (Duméril, 1851)[1] |
|
Hemitheconyx caudicinctus, commonly known as the African Fat-tailed Gecko, is a nocturnal, ground-dwelling gecko.
The Fat-tailed gecko is from the subfamily Eublepharinae. Members of this subfamily include the leopard gecko of Iran. This subfamily has clearly different characteristics from other geckos. They are terrestrial, nocturnal, have moveable eyelids, have vertical pupils, and no adhesive lamellae (sticky feet).
The Fat-tailed gecko is found in West Africa, from Senegal to Cameroon. Their habitat is dry and arid, although they will spend most of their time in a dark, humid hiding place. In captivity, it is important to provide these geckos with a source of humidity that mimics these conditions.
The Fat-tailed gecko will grow to be 6 to 10 inches. Females being 6 to 8 inches, and males being 8 to 10 inches. They will live 15 to 18 years. The normal colouring is brown and tan stripes, with a possible thin white stripe along the length of the back. The under belly is pale pink or off-white.
The Fat-tailed gecko is equipped with the natural defense of being able to lose their tails when attacked by a predator. The tail is also where they store their fat, an important energy reserve. If the tail is lost the new tail will look more similar to the head (fat and stubby), and may not match the coloration patterns of the body of the gecko. With its tail, an African fat tailed gecko can go days on end without food.
The Fat-tailed Gecko is medium-sized among geckos. It comes from the Sahara desert
In the pet trade the African fat-tailed gecko has gained some popularity though is still not as popular of a pet lizard as the closely related Leopard Gecko. Unlike the Leopard Gecko these geckos tend to be more docile but do have a higher humidity requirement. Through selective breeding the reptile trade has been able to produce numerous color variations of the African fat-tailed gecko including tangerine, albino, patternless, white out, and aberrant fat-tails.