Helmet head gecko
| Helmet head gecko | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crested gecko ( Tarentola chazaliae ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Tarentola chazaliae | ||||||||||||
| ( Mocquard , 1895) |
The helmeted gecko ( Tarentola chazaliae , syn .: Geckonia chazaliae ), also known as the helmeted gecko , is a nocturnal and crepuscular lizard that belongs to the family of leaf finger geckos (Phyllodactylidae). It is widespread from southern Morocco (only along the coast) via western Sahara and Mauritania to Senegal .
features
The helmet head gecko is about 10 centimeters long, including a four centimeter long tail. The head is set apart from the trunk and covered with large, helmet-like hump scales at the back, from which it owes its German name. The pupil is four times lobed and vertical, eyelids are missing. Its body is broad, and it stores fat reserves on the abdominal sides. The slightly prickly tail is thin. During the day the helmet head gecko is brown with dark and light spots on its back. The belly is whitish and has many small dots. At night the gecko turns a light gray color.
It is noteworthy that the helmet-head gecko is the only vertebrate species that can see colors at night. The geckos owe this property to their extremely light-sensitive eyes. According to researchers at Lund University in Sweden, the rod cells in the retina of the helmet gecko are around 350 times more sensitive to light than those of the human eyes in twilight.
Way of life
Helm-headed geckos are ground-dwelling and live in dunes and hammadas (rock and stone deserts) overgrown with euphorbias and salt plants . They feed on insects and other arthropods . At night they make rasping, melodic noises. The lizards are aggressive towards one another. In cooler regions of their range, they hibernate in the cold season from late December to early February . After that, the breeding season begins. When mating, the male bites into the neck of the female. On average, 13 eggs are laid, which have a size of about 13-15 × 10-11 millimeters. In a terrarium offspring, the young hatched after 47 days. They were then 37 to 40 millimeters long and colored dark gray. After half a year they reached the size of their parents.
literature
- Manfred Rogner : Lizards. Keeping, care and breeding in the terrarium. Volume 1: geckos, pinnipeds, agamas, chameleons and iguanas. Ulmer, Stuttgart 1992, ISBN 3-8001-7248-8 .
- Oliver Drewes: Terrarium animals from A to Z. Reptiles, amphibians, arachnids, insects. Gräfe & Unzer, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-7742-6316-7 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Lina SV Roth, Linda Lundström, Almut Kelber, Ronald HH Kröger, Peter Unsbo: The pupils and optical systems of gecko eyes. In: Journal of Vision. Vol. 9, No. 3, 2009, Article 27, doi : 10.1167 / 9.3.27 .
Web links
- Tarentola chazaliae in The Reptile Database
- Tarentola chazaliae onthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Wilms, T., Wagner, P., Geniez, P., Mateo, JA, Joger, U., Pleguezuelos, J., Slimani, T. & El Mouden, EH, 2004. Retrieved January 31, 2014 .