Species Fact Profile: New Caledonian Giant Gecko (Rhacodactylus leachianus)

New Caledonian Giant Gecko

Rhacodactylus leachianus (Cuvier, 1829)

Range: New Caledonia (main island and smaller surrounding ones)
Habitat: Rainforest
Diet: Invertebrates, Small Vertebrates, Fruit, Nectar, Sap
Social Grouping: Solitary
Reproduction: May lay several clutches per year, each consisting of 2 eggs.  Eggs hatch after 60-90 day incubation period, their sex being determined by the temperature at which they are incubated.
Lifespan: 20 Years+
Conservation Status: IUCN Least Concern

• World's largest living gecko, measuring up to 36 centimeters long, including tail,, weighing 250-350 grams.  Heavy-bodied with a short, stumpy tail and loose skin.  Males have broader heads, more slender bodies than females.  Considered an example of island gigantism
• Skin color may be green, gray, or brown, covered with white or cream-colored mottling that serves as camouflage.
• Highly arboreal. Primarily active at from dusk until dawn, but sometimes seen basking during the day.  Usually shelters for the day in tree crevices
• Capable of dropping their tails when in danger and growing new ones at a later date.
• Scientific name honors the English zoologist William Elfrod Leach.  Sometimes affectionately known as the Leachie
• Up to three subspecies have previously been described; today, none are considered valid
• Feared by the local Kanak people, who called it "the devil of the trees" and believed that it could steal a person's soul.  Capable of making a loud growling noise when threatened.
• Declining due to habitat loss (including electrocution from power lines), as well as predation from introduced mammals, such as cats and rats.  Collected illegally for the pet trade.