Rough-snouted giant gecko facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rough-snouted giant gecko |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Diplodactylidae |
| Genus: | Rhacodactylus |
| Species: |
R. trachyrhynchus
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| Binomial name | |
| Rhacodactylus trachyrhynchus Bocage, 1873
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The rough-snouted giant gecko (Rhacodactylus trachyrhynchus) is a cool type of gecko. People also call it the greater rough-snouted gecko or tough-snouted gecko. You can only find this special gecko in a place called New Caledonia.
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What Does This Gecko Look Like?
This gecko gets its name from the rough, bumpy scales on its snout. It has wide toes that help it grip things. Its tail can also grab onto branches, like a fifth limb!
The rough-snouted giant gecko has a mix of colors. It's usually grayish-green or brown, mixed with white spots. It's a pretty big gecko, growing to about 19 centimetres (7.5 in) long. Its tail is usually about the same length as its body.
How This Gecko Lives and Where It Lives
The rough-snouted giant gecko is a nocturnal animal. This means it hunts for food at night and rests during the day. It lives in forests, especially warm, wet tropical and subtropical ones. You can also find it in forests with evergreen trees.
What Does the Rough-Snouted Gecko Eat?
Like all geckos in its family (Rhacodactylus), this gecko is an omnivore. This means it eats both plants and animals. Its main diet includes insects and fruit. Sometimes, it might also eat small lizards, baby birds, or tiny rodents.
How Does This Gecko Reproduce?
The rough-snouted giant gecko is special because it gives live birth to its babies. Most other geckos lay eggs. Because it gives live birth, it has fewer babies than other geckos in its group.
Where Can You Find This Gecko?
The rough-snouted giant gecko lives in only a few small areas in New Caledonia. You can find small groups of them in the Province Sud and Province Nord. They live on Ile des Pins and some parts of Grand Terre, which is the main island.
They live in a total area of about 149 square kilometers. This is roughly the size of a small city. They can be found up to 500 metres (1,600 ft) above sea level.
Why Is This Gecko in Danger?
Sadly, the number of rough-snouted giant geckos is going down. Their homes are being destroyed by wildfires and large animals like pigs. Humans also clear forests to make farms.
Also, new animals like rodents and cats have been brought to New Caledonia. These animals hunt the geckos. Tiny fire ants (called Wasmannia auropunctata) are also a danger. People have also caught and traded these geckos illegally as pets.
Even though some areas where they live are protected, there aren't many special plans to help save them. Because their numbers are dropping and they live in such a small area, they are listed as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Rough-Snouted Geckos as Pets
Sometimes, you might see rough-snouted giant geckos kept as pets. Since they live in trees, they need a tall terrarium (a special tank for reptiles).
If you have male geckos, they should live alone or with females for breeding. Male geckos often fight if they live together. But female geckos are friendly and can live with other females.
The Gecko's Name and History
The rough-snouted giant gecko was first described by a scientist named José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage in 1873. Another gecko that was once thought to be a subspecies of this one is now known as its own species, called Rhacodactylus trachycephalus.
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