Crested Geckos

The crested gecko or Rhacodactylus ciliatus, also referred to as the "eyelash gecko"  is a small, prehensile-tailed gecko which originates in New Caledonia, a group of islands 750 miles east of Australia.  Native to Southern Grand Terre and New Caledonia.

Rhacodactylus, loosely translated, means "spine-toes," as these geckos' toes look as though they bend backward and up as they walk across flat surfaces. Ciliatus, roughly, means "eyelash,".

The Crested Gecko has hair-like projections found above the eyes, resembling eyelashes. It has a wedge shaped head and a crest that runs from each eye to the tail. The toes and the tip of the semi-prehensile tail are covered in small hairs called setae. Each seta is divided into hundreds of smaller (approximately 200 nanometres in diameter) hairs called spatulae. It is believed these structures exploit the weak van der waals force to help the gecko climb on most solid surfaces. The toes have small claws which aid in climbing surfaces to which their toes cannot cling.

Once they lose their tail it will not grow back.

The Crested Gecko has many naturally occurring color groups, some of which include: Grey, Brown, Red, Orange, and Yellow of various shades. They have variable markings, which include spots, straight stripes, and tiger-like stripes. The markings and coloration are not geographic indicators; offspring of the same clutch may display differing coloration and markings. The colors are brighter and more prominent at night.

The crested gecko has not been in captivity for very long, in comparison to many other reptiles. In 1994, they were rediscovered in the wild after having been thought extinct. Therefore, we do not yet have an exact average lifespan for these animals, but it is thought to be between 15 and 20 years with proper care.

An adult gecko will weigh on average of 40 grams with a tail, though some may get a fair bit larger than this, up into the 60-70 gram range. An average length for an adult from nose to tail tip is about 8 inches (20.3 cm).