Species Fact Profile: Giant Leaf-Tailed Gecko (Uroplatus fimbriatus)

 Giant Leaf-Tailed Gecko

                                               Uroplatus fimbriatus (Schneider, 1797)

Range: Eastern Madagascar

Habitat: Lowland Rainforest (up to 800 meters elevation)

Diet: Insects, Snails, other invertebrates

Social Grouping: Unknown in wild - can be found at high population densities, suggesting semi-social nature, though sexually mature males will fight if housed together in captivity

Reproduction: Females lay 2-3 eggs per clutch on the forest floor, which hatch after about 95 days.  Up to three clutches may be laid per year.  Hatchlings are about 5 centimeters at birth

Lifespan: 5-10 Years

      Conservation Status: IUCN Least Concern, CITES Appendix II

• Long, flat body with a triangular head and a broad, leaf-like tail.  Body length 25-30 centimeters
• Mottled pattern of greys, greens, tans, and brown, resembling bark with lichens growing on it.  The eyes are large and marbled, with concentric striations against a background of silver or tan
• The eyes are extremely sensitive to light (350 times more so than a human), capable of seeing in color even at nighttime
• Nocturnal, spends the days pressed flat against a tree trunk with its head point downwards.  The skin is covered with small fringes and flaps which obscure the animal’s outline when it is pressed against a tree.  This also greatly increases the surfaces area, helping to reflect and refract light
• If touched or otherwise disturbed, it will open its jaws wide (exposing a red mouth), stick up its tail, and scream loudly.  It may also bite if threatened
• Obtain moisture from water droplets forming on leaves and other surfaces (rarely drink standing water)
• Latin name consists of the Latinization of the Greek words for “Flat” and “Tail” for the genus and the word for “fringed” (based on the appearance of the skin) for the species name
• Habitat loss through deforestation is the primary threat, though capable of tolerating some habitat disturbance through logging and grazing. 
• All leaf-tailed gecko species are very sought after in the pet trade, though the IUCN considers the trade in this species in particular to have the potential to be sustainable (an export quota is set under CITES).  Most specimens on the pet trade are wild-caught, with captive bred individuals fairly rare