Lygodactylus is a genus of diurnal geckos with 72 species. They are commonly referred to as dwarf geckos. They are mainly found in Africa and Madagascar although two species are found in South America. Lygodactylus picturatus, the best known species, is found in Kenya and commonly known as the white-headed dwarf gecko. Recently, illegal importation from Tanzania of brightly colored, Lygodactylus williamsi, known as electric blue geckos, has been gaining attention for Lygodactylus geckos in the reptile trade.
Pachydactylus is a genus of insectivorous geckos, lizards in the family Gekkonidae. The genus is endemic to Africa, and member species are commonly known as thick-toed geckos. The genus also displays rich speciation, having 57 distinct species identified when compared to other closely related gecko genera like Rhoptropus, most of which have emerged since 35Ma. It has been suggested that the reason for this rich speciation not from adaptive radiation nor nonadaptive radiation, but that the genus represents a clade somewhere between the two drivers of speciation. P. bibronii geckos have been used by NASA as animal models for experimentation.
The leopard gecko or common leopard gecko is a ground-dwelling lizard native to the rocky dry grassland and desert regions of Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, India, and Nepal. The leopard gecko has become a popular pet, and due to extensive captive breeding it is sometimes referred to as the first domesticated species of lizard.
Autotomy or self-amputation, is the behaviour whereby an animal sheds or discards one or more of its own appendages, usually as a self-defense mechanism to elude a predator's grasp or to distract the predator and thereby allow escape. Some animals have the ability to regenerate the lost body part later. Autotomy has multiple evolutionary origins and is thought to have evolved at least nine times independently in animalia.
Christinus marmoratus, also known as marbled gecko or marbled southern gecko, is a species of Gekkonidae (gecko) native to southern mainland of Australia, from Victoria to Western Australia. The species is well adapted to a variety of habitats, including city dwellings..
Nature's Valley is a holiday resort and small village on the Garden Route along the southern Cape coast of South Africa. Nature's Valley lies between the Salt River, the foothills of the Tsitsikamma Mountains, the Indian Ocean and the Groot River lagoon. Nature's Valley has a balmy climate and is surrounded by the de Vasselot Nature Reserve which is part of the Tsitsikamma Park, and in turn part of the Garden Route National Park.
Bernard's dwarf gecko, also commonly known as FitzSimons' dwarf gecko, is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Zimbabwe.
Blanc's dwarf gecko is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to central Madagascar. They are the least known species of dwarf geckos in Madagascar. Blanc's dwarf geckos are one out of eleven gecko species that are protected in Madagascar. Hence, collecting them is only allowed with an appropriate permit.
Bradfield's dwarf gecko is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Southern Africa.
Lygodactylus williamsi is a critically endangered species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to a small area of Tanzania. Common names include turquoise dwarf gecko, William's dwarf gecko, and, in the pet trade, electric blue gecko.
The yellow-headed dwarf gecko or dwarf yellow-headed gecko is a small species of dwarf gecko found in the rocky areas of southern Kenya, Somalia, eastern Tanzania, and Zanzibar. It can grow up to 90 millimetres (3.5 in), but on average attains a length of 80 millimetres (3.1 in) with a snout-vent (body) length of 39 millimetres (1.5 in). The tail length can be equal to the length of the body from snout to the anus.
The Okavango dwarf gecko or Chobe dwarf gecko is a species of gecko found along the Chobe and Zambesi Rivers and into the Okavango Delta, and into Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons, born in Pietermaritzburg, was a notable herpetologist in South Africa. Also, he contributed to the collection of spermatophyte samples for the National Herbarium which has become part of the South African National Biodiversity Institute at the Pretoria National Botanical Garden. In 1937, together with Anna Amelia Obermeyer, he collected some of the earliest plant specimens from the Eastern Highlands of Rhodesia.
Pachydactylus labialis, commonly known as the Calvinia thick-toed gecko, Western Cape gecko, or Western Cape thick-toed gecko, is a gecko species endemic to the Western and Northern Cape in South Africa, often found taking shelter under stones.
Strophurus williamsi, also known commonly as the eastern spiny-tailed gecko, the soft-spined gecko, and Williams' spiny-tailed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Diplodactylidae. The species is endemic to semi-arid regions of eastern Australia including Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. it has become a popular species as a pet for its distinctive tail features. S.williamsi has been grouped within a clade of seven other species that are believed to have diverged from their ancestors around 16 million years ago S.williamsi can be distinguished from closer relatives by arboreality and diurnal (day-active) activity.
Lawrence's dwarf gecko is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to Southern Africa.
Stevenson's dwarf gecko is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to southern Africa.
Bradfield's Namib day gecko is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Namibia. This species was first described in 1935 by the British-born, South African zoologist John Hewitt, who gave it the name Rhoptropus bradfieldi in honour of the South African naturalist and collector R.D. Bradfield (1882–1949).
