New Caledonian Giant Gecko
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| New Caledonian Giant Gecko | ||||||||||||
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New Caledonian Giant Gecko ( Rhacodactylus leachianus ) |
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| Rhacodactylus leachianus | ||||||||||||
| ( Cuvier , 1829) |
The New Caledonian Giant Gecko ( Rhacodactylus leachianus ) was first described by Cuvier in 1829 . It is the largest gecko of the genus Lappenfinger ( Rhacodactylus ) and at the same time one of the largest geckos in the world. Its body length is up to 360 mm.
Appearance
Its tail is very short and at the base of the tail it has an annular, wrinkled bulge. The underside of the tip of the tail is provided with two rows of broadened scales. These serve as additional support for him when climbing. The tail, which can be thrown off in danger, has no organs of attachment.
Subspecies
There are 3 subspecies of the New Caledonian Giant Gecko:
- Rhacodactylus leachianus aubrianus Bocage , 1873
- Rhacodactylus leachianus henkeli Seipp & Obst , 1994
- Rhacodactylus leachianus leachianus ( Cuvier , 1829)
Way of life and distribution
This species inhabits tall trees. Its distribution area is the southern and eastern parts of Grande Terre, the main island of New Caledonia , as well as the smaller islands. It feeds on insects , spiders and smaller vertebrates such as young birds, which it loots from their nests, and possibly also smaller lizards. In addition, sweet fruits such as bananas are on his menu.
Reproduction
In fights between male conspecifics for females it can happen that one of the opponents loses part or all of his tail. When excited, its color changes from a light olive gray to black-brown. The females of the New Caledonian Giant Gecko lay two oval eggs 2.5 centimeters long. These are deposited in crevices in the bark of trees. The young hatch from the eggs after an incubation period of 60 to 90 days.
Danger
Since this species is still widespread and no threats are known, it is classified by the IUCN as ( Least Concern ) not endangered.
literature
- Jiří Felix (eds.), Alena Čepická, Jaromír Knotek, Libuše Knotková: Wildlife of Australia and the Antarctic. Translated from the Czech by Ingeborg Šestáková. Arita, Prague 1986, p. 247.
- David Burnie (Ed.), Mariele Radmacher-Martens: Animals: The large picture encyclopedia with over 2,000 species. Translated from the English by Gabriele Lehari. Dorling Kindersley, Munich 2012, ISBN 978-3-8310-2232-8 , p. 419.
Web links
- Rhacodactylus leachianus in The Reptile Database
- Rhacodactylus leachianus inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.4. Posted by: Whitaker, AH & Sadlier, RA, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2016.