Satanic leaf-tailed gecko

The Satanic Leaf Tailed Gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus), is a species of gecko. It is only native to the island of Madagascar. It was first described in 1888 by George Albert Boulenger.

Satanic leaf-tailed gecko
ALiman phantasticus.jpg
Male Satanic Leaf-Tail Gecko
Conservation status
Scientific classification
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Binomial name
Uroplatus phantasticus
Uroplatus phantasticus distribution.png

They look a lot like a dead leaf. Its veins are showing and look just like the veins on a leaf. Its tail looks like it has been rotted or nibbled by insects. They are mostly mottled brown. They have small brown dots on their underside, which helps people tell them apart from other species.[4] It may also be known as the eyelash leaf tailed gecko or the fantastic leaf tailed gecko.

Area

Satanic leaf-tailed geckos are native to the central and northern tropical forests of Madagascar. They climb on the trees and bushes. Satanic leaf-tailed geckos are found only in the mountainous rainforests in the southern two-thirds of Madagascar. They are found at the base of trees distinguishing itself as leaf litter.

Size and weight

They weigh about 10 to 30 grams. Adults are normally about 3-6 centimeters long including their tail, but sometimes they can be up to 9 centimeters long.

Diet

The geckos eat different kinds of insects, flies, worms, and spiders. They can eat large insects because of their big mouth.

References

  1. IUCN Red List[dead link], retrieved 16 February 2012
  2. "Uroplatus phantasticus Boulenger, 1888". The Reptile Database. J. Craig Venter Institute. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
  3. Boulenger, G. A. (1888). "Descriptions of new Reptiles and Batrachians from Madagascar". Annual Magazine of Natural History. 6 (1): 101–107.
  4. Leaf-Tailed Gecko. A-Z Animals, 2008. Web. 15 Nov. 2012.