Helmeted gecko
Helmet Head Gecko ( Geckonia chazaliae )
The Helmet Head Gecko ( Geckonia chazaliae, Syn: Tarentola chazaliae ), also called helmet gecko is a nocturnal and crepuscular lizard belongs to the family of geckos ( Gekkonidae ). He is from southern Morocco widespread ( just along the coast ) over the Western Sahara and Mauritania to Senegal and the only species of the genus Geckonia.
Features
The helmet head gecko is about 10 inches long, including a four -inch-long tail. The head is separated from the fuselage and rear trimmed with large helmet -like protuberance shed, which it owes its German name. The pupil is four- lobed and perpendicular, eyelids missing. His body is broad, to the abdomen pages it stores fat reserves. The slightly spiky tail is thin. During the day the helmet gecko head is brown with dark and light spots on the back. The belly is whitish and provided with many small dots. At night, take the gecko to a light gray color.
It is noteworthy that the helmet head gecko can recognize as the only vertebrate species at night colors. This property have the Geckos owe their extremely light-sensitive eyes. The rod cells of the retina of the helmet geckos are about 350 times more sensitive to light than that of the human eye in dim light, according to researchers at the University of Lund in Sweden.
Way of life
Helmet Head geckos are ground -dwelling and live in with euphorbia and salt plants vegetated dunes and Hammadahs ( rocky and stony deserts ). They feed on insects and other arthropods. At night, they enter buzzing melodic sounds. Among themselves, the lizards are aggressive. In cooler regions of their range to keep them in the cold season from late December to early February, a winter sleep. After the breeding season begins. During mating, the male bites into the neck of the female. It will be placed on average 13 eggs, which have a size of about 13-15 x 10-11 mm have. In a terrarium offspring the juveniles hatched after 47 days. They were then 37 to 40 millimeters long and colored dark gray. After half a year they reached the size of the parents.