Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko.



I'll admit, this one's a little freaky. Still, very cool. They are endemic to Madagascar and are sometimes called the "fantastic leaf-tailed gecko" or the "eyelash leaf-tailed gecko."

As you can see from the 2nd picture - they come in a variety of shades and have incredible camouflage. To the point that sometimes even the leaf-shaped tail has veins to look even more like a decaying leaf. It's surprisingly also one of the most threatened illegally traded animals in the world. So, don't buy one if you see it. You'll know it might be one because you'll have to buy them in a black market. At which point you might figure most purchases might not be legal and sketchy at best.

3 comments:

  1. i don't even see it in that second picture. you're lying, rosh. that is a picture of a branch, and there is no animal involved.

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  2. Neither of the pictured geckos are Satanic Leaf Tails. The top one is a Uroplatus fimbriatus and the second is either a U. fimbriatus, U. henkeli, or U. sikorae. You should do a bit more research before posting photos and improperly educating people...

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  3. Also, Uroplatus phantasticus are sometimes legally bred in captivity. It is possible to buy them from reputable breeders. So to say "You'll know it might be one because you'll have to buy them in a black market," is not true.

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