Leopard gecko
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 Leopard gecko
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| Eublepharis macularius Blyth, 1854 |
The Leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) is a nocturnal ground-dwelling gecko found in the deserts of Pakistan, Western India, Afghanistan, and parts of Iran. Unlike most geckos it possesses eyelids. Leopard geckos have become well established in captivity, particularly the pet industry.
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[edit] Taxonomy
Leopard geckos were first described as a species by British zoologist Edward Blyth in 1854 as Eublepharis macularis.[1] The generic name Eublepharis is a combination of the Greek words Eu (true), and blephar (eyelid), as having eyelids is what distinguishes members of this subfamily from other geckos. The specific name, macularius, derives from the Latin word macula meaning "spot" or "blemish", referring to the animal's natural spotted markings.
There are five subspecies including the nominative species:Eublepharis macularius macularius ,[1] E. m. afghanicus(Börner 1976),[2] E. m. fasciolatus (Günther 1864),[3] E. m. montanus (Börner 1976),[2] and E. m. smithi (Börner 1981).[2]
[edit] Distribution
Leopard Geckos are native to south-eastern Afghanistan, throughout Pakistan, north-west India, and into Iran where it inhabits 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.[4]
[edit] Anatomy and morphology
The leopard gecko is a cream to yellow colored lizard with black spots and/or stripes similar to the markings of a leopard attaining a total length of 6 to 9 inches. However, selective breeding in captivity has produced different color morphs, including high yellow, tangerine, striped, patternless (no spots or stripes), lavender, blizzard (which are solid white or gray), and albino (no black pigments in markings) in addition to some captive specimens measuring 11 or more inches in length.
A Leopard Gecko's markings at birth are different from those of an adult. The skin has no spots, instead large dark bands and intermittent light yellow bands cover the body from head to tail. These bands fade within one year.
The leopard gecko is 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.[5] This helps the gecko keep its eyes clean and particle-free in its dusty environment. Like most other geckos, the leopard gecko can clean and moisten its eyes using its tongue.
Unlike other species of gecko, leopard geckos have small claws instead of adhesive toe pads, which prevents them from climbing vertically. However, their claws give extra traction on the ground and are helpful in digging.[5] These differences have been cited as a possible reason to name Eubelpharinae as a different family apart from geckoes.[5]
Like most lizards, the leopard gecko can drop its tail, in a process called caudal autotomy. When frightened or disturbed, muscles at the base of the gecko's tail constrict and snap the vertebrae, severing most of the tail. The detached and wriggling and spasming tail distracts the predator as the gecko makes its escape. Although the leopard gecko will grow a new one in time, the regenerated tail will differ from the original, appearing bulbous and inferior. The new tail will have spots instead of lines. Some regenerated tails may still have a "carrot-tail." When a leopard gecko drops its tail, there will be a pinkish stump. When the tail starts to grow it will start out as a pink cone shape. When the tail gets fatter, it will turn a red-violet color. As it grows larger it will become lavender, eventually a very light gray color.
[edit] Diet and longevity
Leopard geckos are primarily insectivorous, feeding on insects, spiders, crickets, grubs, and worms and even pinky mice(baby mice)if the gecko is large enough.
The Leopard gecko has a life span in captivity of 10 to 25 years with the longest confirmed life span at 35 years, a male at the St. Louis Zoo.
[edit] Reproduction
Leopard Geckos become sexually mature at around 10-14 months of age. The Leopard Gecko's gender can be determined once the animal reaches an adult length of 5+". Males are larger than females and have a V-shaped row of spots in front of their cloacal opening with a noticeable bulge at the base of the tail caused by the hemipenis.
Leopard Geckos breed from March through September, although the season may begin as early as January and finish as late as October. When a male encounters a female he will shake his tail. In response, the female silently sways her tail from side to side along the ground. Following this action, the male will lick her to obtain her scent and will begin 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, inserting one of his hemipenes into her cloaca.
Thirty days later, the female will lay one or two eggs with a leathery shell.[5] Clutches of two eggs will then be laid every two weeks to monthly throughout the rest of the mating season varying from each gecko according to age, with older females gradually laying less eggs with each year. The eggs will need to be incubated.
Like many other egg-laying reptiles the sex of Leopard geckos are determined by incubation temperature. Eggs incubated at 79 F will result in a majority of female neonates, where as eggs incubated at 85 - 87 F will result in a more even sex ratio and eggs incubated at 89 - 90 F in the first four weeks will result in more males. Females hatched from these eggs are generally more aggressive than other females, and they tend to reach sexual maturity later if at all. An incubation temperature lower than 77 F or higher than 97 F will cause deformities and usually death of the neonates incubated at these temperatures.
The eggs hatch 6-12 weeks after being laid depending on temperature. The gecko breaks the surface of the egg and pushes its head out, remaining in this position from 2 to 4 hours adapting to lung breathing and obtaining oxygen from the egg membranes as well as absorbing yolk from inside the egg.
[edit] Number of eggs laid by age
| Year | Eggs |
|---|---|
| 0 | |
| 1 | 6 |
| 2 | 8 |
| 3 | 12 |
| 4 | 16 |
| 5 | 14 |
| 6 | 10 |
| 7 | 10 |
| 8 | 8 |
| 9 | 6 |
| 10 | 4 |
| 11 | 4 |
| 12 | 2 |
| 13 | 0 |
[edit] Color morphs
There are various leopard gecko mutations also known as 'morphs', each morph having its own specific genetics and traits. Multiple morphs can be 'mixed' or 'bred' together to make combination morphs and on occasion, a whole new morph will develop.
Some morphs include:
- High Yellow - an animal with mostly yellow pigmentation
- Lavender - Like a normal, but with purple bands on back
- Patternless/Leucistic - a recessive gene where the animal has no spots
- Blizzard - Patternless and grey in colour
- Blazing Blizzard - Patternless and light pink in colour, an albino blizzard, also known for red "blazing" eyes
- Patternless Albino - Patternless X Albino
- Eclipse
- Sunglow
- Hypo - hypomelanistic, submorphs include Hypo Snow/Super Hypo Snow
- Hypo Tangerine - an animal with strong presence of orange in its coloration, and reduction of spots
- Mack Snow - is a pimp body coloration of white and yellow with reduced banding
- Super Snow - presence of the "Mack Snow" gene and one other trait
- Mack Snow and Super Snow Albinos
- Snowglows - Snow X Sunglow
- APTOR
- RAPTOR
- Tremper Albino (Texas) - Recessive Gene
- Bell Albino (Florida)- Recessive Gene
- Rainwater Albino (Las Vegas) - Recessive Gene
- Enigma - various submorphs ie. Tremper Enigma, Mack Enigma, Super Snow Enigma, Enigma RAPTOR
- Diablo Blanco - RAPTOR X Tremper Blazing Blizzard
- Emerald/Emerine
- Tremper Giant
- RADAR Bell
- Ember - Tremper Albino X Patternless X RAPTOR
- Pastel
- Phantom
- Tangerine Tornado - extreme orange colouration
- Normal- typical colouration, medium yellow with stripes or bands of grayish lavender, black spots.
- Tangerine albino-lavender stripes with orange bodies and white and brown tails (no black pigmentation)
There are also a larger form of Leopard Gecko Morph:
- Giant- Heterozygous form of the Super Giant therefore making it Co-Dominant
- Super Giant- Homozygous form of the Giant
These are determined by size and weight, often classfied at sub-adult/adult age
[edit] References
- ^ a b Blyth,E. 1854. Proceedings of the Society. Report of the Curator, Zoological Department. J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 23 [1854]: 737-740
- ^ a b c Borner A R 1976. Second contribution to the systematics of the southwest Asian lizards of the geckonid genus Eublepharis Gray 1827: materials from the Indian subcontinent. SAUROLOGICA (No. 2) 1976: 1-15
- ^ Günther, A. 1864. Description of a new species of Eublepharis. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (3) 14:429-430
- ^ - {{citation - | last = Rosenfeld - | first = Arthur - | title = Exotic Pets - | publisher = Simon & Schuster - | location= New York - | pages = 107 - | date= 1989 - | isbn = 067147654
- ^ a b c d Cogger, Harold & Zweifel, Richard (1992), Reptiles & Amphibians, Sydney, Australia: Weldon Owen, pp. 146, ISBN 0831727861 your all gay
