Jeypore Indian gecko facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jeypore Indian gecko |
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Cyrtodactylus
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jeyporensis
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The Cyrtodactylus jeyporensis, also known as the Jeypore Indian gecko or Jeypore ground gecko, is a special kind of gecko. It lives in India and was once thought to be extinct (meaning it had completely disappeared). This gecko is now considered an endangered species, which means it's at high risk of disappearing forever.
Scientists first described this gecko in 1877 from just one animal. It was then "lost" for a long time. But in 2010, it was excitingly found again in the Eastern Ghats mountains of Odisha state, India!
Contents
Finding the Lost Gecko: A Story of Rediscovery
The First Discovery in 1877
A British army officer named Lt Col Richard Henry Beddome first described the Jeypore ground gecko in 1877. He found a single male gecko in the forests of "Patinghe hill" near Jeypore, in what is now Odisha. This spot was high up, about 1,300 metres (4,200 ft) above sea level. The original gecko specimen is now kept safely in the Natural History Museum, London.
The Search for a "Lost" Species
For many years, no one saw this gecko again. It became known as a "lost" species. Then, in 2009, a student named Ishan Aggarwal from the Indian Institute of Sciences in Bangalore decided to look for it. He was studying a group of geckos called Geckoella and hoped to find the Jeypore gecko. Finding it would help scientists understand how these geckos evolved.
Ishan and his team started by tracing Beddome's old travel routes in the Eastern Ghats. After months of careful research, the Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES) and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) organized trips. They explored high mountain areas in southern Odisha in September 2010 and northern Andhra Pradesh in November 2011.
The Exciting Rediscovery
Their hard work paid off! On September 20, 2010, Ishan Agarwal and Aniruddha Datta-Roy found a young male gecko in Koraput district, Odisha. This was the first time the Jeypore ground gecko had been seen in over 130 years! This gecko was then added to the collection at the BNHS.
About a year later, on October 9, 2011, a second adult male gecko was found. This one was in Galikonda, Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh. This discovery showed that the gecko lives in a wider area than first thought.
What Does the Jeypore Ground Gecko Look Like?
The Jeypore ground gecko is a small lizard. Its head is somewhat large and oval-shaped. Its snout (nose area) is longer than its eye. The gecko's body is a bit flat and short. It has moderate limbs and short toes. The toes are round at the base and flatter at the end, with special pads underneath.
Its head is covered with small, flat bumps. The body has flat, square-like scales that are arranged neatly, like bricks in a wall. The scales on its belly are smooth and round, but smaller than the ones on its back. This gecko does not have any special scales or pores near its legs or tail.
The tail is round and gets thinner towards the end. It's covered with smooth scales. The gecko is light yellowish-brown on top. It has large reddish-brown spots with black edges, often arranged in pairs. There are also two spots on its neck, with the back one shaped like a crescent moon. Its head has smaller dark spots and a streak from its eye to its ear. The underside of the gecko is brownish-white.
Measurements of the Gecko
Here are some typical measurements for this gecko:
- Total length (from snout to tail tip): 92 millimetres (3.6 in)
- Head length: 16 millimetres (0.63 in)
- Body width: 11 millimetres (0.43 in)
- Body length (snout to vent): 38 millimetres (1.5 in)
- Front leg length: 20 millimetres (0.79 in)
- Back leg length: 27 millimetres (1.1 in)
- Tail length: 38 millimetres (1.5 in)
Where Does the Jeypore Ground Gecko Live?
This gecko seems to live in semi-evergreen forests. These are forests that stay green all year round. It prefers high-altitude areas, usually above 1,200 metres (3,900 ft), in the Eastern Ghats mountains. Specifically, it's found in southern Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh.
Unfortunately, the areas where this gecko lives are facing big problems. People are cutting down trees (deforestation) and digging for minerals (mining). These activities threaten the gecko's home. Scientists believe this gecko might be a "relict" species. This means it's a leftover from a time when India was wetter. As the land became drier, these geckos got stuck in these high, wet forest areas. Protecting these forests is very important for the survival of the Jeypore ground gecko.
