Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko Facts
- Amazingly, the extremely distinctive term of the Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko serves as one of the common names for a truly unique reptile. Understandably, that truly attention-grabbing common name directly derives from the remarkable appearance of the reptile.
- This incredible living marvel of the resourcefulness of Nature and evolution, however, also sometimes goes by several other appellations. These other terms include such highly unusual designations as the eyelash leaf-tailed gecko and the phantastic leaf-tailed gecko.
- Its scientific name, meanwhile, remains that of the comparatively difficult to pronounce moniker of Uroplatus phantasticus. But, regardless of what name one chooses to use when referring to it, this unique product of natural processes truly stands out from its related species.
- The respected Belgian naturalist, George Albert Boulenger became the first person to officially recognize it as a separate species. This scientifically noteworthy recognition occurred in 1888. In addition to its unusual appearance, it’s also one of the smallest members of its genus.
- Fortunately, although its demonstrated habitat range isn’t especially large, its population appears to be significant, and stable. This apparently holds true throughout the entirety of it. The IUCN, therefore, currently lists the incredible Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko as Least Concern.
- This fortunate status presently appears on the organization’s published Red List of Threatened Species. Nevertheless, the magnificent reptile does face some potential threats to its existence. In this respect, at least, the lizard remains like a great many other species around the world.
- Understandably, the simple fact that the amazing gecko has a highly limited native range makes it especially vulnerable to such endangering factors as habitat loss. However, its greatest threat most likely comes from the utterly devastating ongoing effects of climate change.
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Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko Physical Description
The amazing Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko does deserve appreciation from those who observe it, to be quite certain. This evaluation does not, however, occur due to its sheer physical size. That statement holds true due to the simple fact that this particular species remains a very small form of reptile.
In point of fact, even among the other geckos around the world, it ranks as notably diminutive. Truly amazingly, this species attains a size of less than half the average overall length of a gecko. An approximately average length for its kindred measures roughly 7 – 8 in (17.8 – 20.3 cm).
Intriguingly, although by no means the smallest of its kind, this eye-catching species only grows to about 3.5 in (9 cm) in overall length. Like those numerous relations, this lizard does display a slight degree of the natural trait of sexual dimorphism. In its case, though, this has nothing to do with size.
Like the majority of those above-referenced kin, of course, the Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko appears in an impressively wide range of colors. More specifically, this great range of hues most commonly includes several shades of brown, with small black dots also manifesting on the underside.
This reptile nevertheless also develops various patterns of differing hues, typically consisting of shades of orange, tan, yellow, and sometimes even purple. The gender-based difference, however, has nothing to do with its patterns of color. This actually appears in regards to the tail of the animal.
That’s the case since this astounding appendage develops highly flattened in nature, like a leaf, thus, the common name. But, this tail also has multiple notches in it, further emulating a leaf. The gender differences present themselves in the fact that males display more notches than females.
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Reptilia
- Order: Squamata
- Family: Gekkonidae
- Genus: Uroplastus
- Species: U. phantasticus
Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko Distribution, Habitat, and Ecology
The remarkably mesmerizing Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko evolved as endemic to a limited part of the earth’s surface. That, though, is an area of the world already renowned for its incredible flora and fauna. Quite unfortunately, however, that same region also represents one of its limiting factors.
In fact, this native zone of habitation constitutes an extremely small and isolated region of the globe. More specifically, this holds true due to the fact that this true marvel of Nature apparently evolved as indigenous solely to the equally astounding island of Madagascar, placed near Africa.
Incredibly, even there the mesmerizing animal only inhabits a very specific portion of the island. In point of fact, it only appears within the southern two-thirds of the eastern section of the island. In addition to this limitation, this region consists almost exclusively of mountainous rainforests.
Nature apparently took all of these complicated factors into consideration, though. The particular characteristics of its environment serves as the reason for the bizarre evolution of its unique tail. This appendage further assists the awesome lizard in blending in with any fallen foliage.
The extremely fascinating Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko further spends the great majority of its waking periods practicing patience. This time it spends waiting near the base of the trunks of various trees. But it sometimes climbs them as well, up to a height extending up to about 6 ft (1.83 m).
Here, the marvelous natural camouflage that evolution devised for it allows the small carnivore to feed on a broad variety of prey. As a result, its general diet consists of a relatively wide variety of locally prevalent insects. It in turn mainly falls prey to such predators as snakes and birds of prey.
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