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Spiny-tailed Gecko
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- Order: Squamata (scaled reptiles)
- Suborder: Lacertilia (=Sauria) (lizards)
- Family: Gekkonidae (geckos)
- Genus: Diplodactylus
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Scientific Name: Diplodactylus
ciliaris |
| Habitat: A wide range,
from arid regions to tropical coastal forest. Arboreal in
forests, but terrestrial in arid regions. |
Diplo="double," dactylus="finger,"
ciliaris="eyelashes"
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| Length: Around 6 inches
total. |
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| Food: Insects and
arachnids. |
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This highly-variable gecko is found in all sorts
of habitat. I encountered it exclusively in the spinifex
grass regions of the "Red Centre" in Northern
Territory. As well as occupying a wide range of
environments, it also comes in a variety of colors, from white and
orange to gray. The examples I found were primarily
gray. Some were patternless but some had a faint diamond
pattern along their backs. |
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| I found quite a few of these
geckos while driving the Northern Territory roads at night.
Some were missing their tails, which are covered with spines
(hence the common name). One individual's hind legs had been
run over, and it was pulling itself along with its front
legs. Its tail was missing as well, and ants had already
found it and had begun to eat it alive. It wasn't going to
make it through the night. |
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| The pictures here are of a healthy
adult. The second picture is a close-up of its head. |
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