Leopards of the Lizard World

What am I looking at?

This image shows two leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius) climbing up the face of a carved wooden statue. Notice the light green coloring around their eyes (1) and the fact that, in contrast to most geckos, they do have eyelids; you can also see their clawed, padless feet (2) and their meaty tails (3).

Biology in the background

These geckos live on the ground in dry, rocky grassland and desert regions of Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, India, and Nepal. They have lost the gripping pads on their toes that are characteristic of most geckos and therefore cannot climb on smooth surfaces. This most likely occurred due to the lack of trees and smooth surfaces in their natural habitat, making the ability to climb on such surfaces unnecessary.

However, they have developed other traits that help them survive in their dry, rocky habitat. Their tails are thick, enabling them to store fat and fluids that can be used when food or water is scarce, much like a camel’s hump. And when threatened, they can detach, or autotomize, their tail – which continues to wiggle for a short time, distracting the predator while the gecko flees. They can eventually regenerate a missing tail, though it may be slightly shorter and stumpier than the original tail.

These geckos are very popular pets due to their soft scales, docile nature, and extensive breeding in captivity.

Leopard geckos can grow to around 20 centimeters long (about 8 inches).

Technique

These images were created using macrophotography.