A larder in its tail
It stores fat in its tail and can live on it for weeks.
Lizards · Time every day
Leopard gecko
Lizard · from Pakistan, Afghanistan and north-west India
A plump yellow gecko spotted with black, with a fat, banded tail and large eyes.
- Size
- 18 to 25cm long
- Lives for
- 15 to 20 years
- Suits
- Beginners: small, hardy and handleable
Creeps after you, tail waving. Move your pointer and see.
Good to know
Six things about the leopard gecko
A tail that comes off
If grabbed, it can shed its tail and run. A new one grows, but never looks quite the same.
It can blink
Unlike most geckos it has eyelids, and no sticky toe pads, so it cannot climb glass.
It eats its old skin
It sheds its skin every few weeks and eats it, which leaves no trace for a hunter to find.
A built-in smile
The shape of its mouth makes it look as if it is always smiling.
Out at dusk
It hides by day and comes out to hunt at dusk and dawn.
The real thing
Photos of the leopard gecko
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
Looking after one
It needs a tank about 90cm long with a warm end of around 30 degrees, a moist hide for shedding and live insects dusted with calcium.
Before you get one
Leopard geckos are gentle and easy to handle, and need less space than most lizards. They can live twenty years.
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