Classification, Origin, and Evolution
Despite some obvious differences between leopard geckos and wall-climbing geckos they have been placed in the same family due to genetic and anatomical similarities, Woods (2001) and Seaworld (2016) state them as belonging to the Gekkonidae family. However Woodland Park Zoo (2016) suggests that some taxonomists believe leopard geckos should belong to their own family, Eublepharidae. Bergman (2006) agrees with this by stating the Eublepharidae family is comprised of more than 20 species and subspecies across five genera, see table 2 – Bauer (2013) also states Gekkonidae and Eublepharidae as separate families, see figure 1. See table 1 for classification and figure 2 for the full taxonomic lineage of the leopard gecko.
Fig 1. An evolutionary/phylogenetic tree of the living gecko families (Bauer, 2013).
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Table 1 - Leopard gecko classification (UniProt, 2016a).
Table 2 – Eublepharidae genera and the locations they are found (Bergman, 2006).
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Fig 2. The full taxonomic lineage of the leopard gecko (UniProt, 2016a).
The ancestors of the leopard gecko date back 20 million years making them some of the oldest reptiles on the planet (Hamper, 2004). During this time thousands of gecko species have evolved specialised adaptations to cope and survive in their environment, these geckos are no different by developing specialised traits to survive the arid and hot conditions they live in, see table 3 (Hamper, 2004). Leopard geckos can be found throughout Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, and India, see figure 3; their scientific name, Eublepharis macularius, is a combination of words describing what the leopard gecko is – Eu means good or true, blephar means eyelid and macularius means spotted (Hunziker, 1994, Woods, 2001, De Vosjoli et al., 2005 and Purser, 2008).
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Fig 3. Natural distribution of leopard geckos (The Bearded Dragon, 2016b).
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Table 3 – Evolutionary traits of the leopard gecko (Hamper, 2004).
Natural Behaviour
Leopard geckos are found in hot, arid, deserts with rocky terrain and sparse vegetation, as well as mountainous regions with rocky outcrops and scrublands, they are a terrestrial species unlike most other geckos but will climb on rocks putting their small claws to use (Mazorlig, 2001, Woods, 2001, Morgan and Morgan, 2002 and Hamper, 2004).
They are nocturnal and will shelter under rocks and in burrows during the day to escape from the desert heat which can range from 40°C to 25°C at night – during the winter months of December to February they will semi-hibernate before their breeding season starts (Zimmermann, 1995, Woods, 2001 and Hamper, 2004). They rely on the stored fat in their tails for nourishment if they have not dropped it whilst trying to escape a predator, the tail will twitch violently until the nerve impulses stop (Birkhead et al., 1994 and Hamper, 2004).
Like many other gecko’s leopard geckos can autotomise or shed their tail when threatened by a predator to provide a distraction so they can escape (see video 1); they have a specialised fracture point found in some of their tail vertebrae that can separate when their muscles spasm and blood vessels are clamped off to prevent haemorrhaging – a new tail will begin to grow immediately (see video 2) however it will have a flexible rod of calcified cartilage instead of bony vertebrae (The Bearded Dragon, 2016c and Woodland Park Zoo, 2016).
When a leopard gecko begins to shed (as known as sloughing) its skin, it will rub its snout against a rough surface to loosen the skin so it can then eat it and gain any nutrients that could be lost, see figure 5 (Staniszewski, 1990 and Walls and Walls, 1998). Some authors, such as Manning (2008), believe this will aid in avoiding predators reducing the risk of being detected.
Being nocturnal means these geckos avoid the dangerous heat during the day and avoid some predators, such as snakes, foxes, and birds; their dull spotted colouration and knobbly skin help to camouflage them from these predators by breaking up their outline, see figure 4 (Hamper, 2004 and Rosamond Gifford Zoo, 2006).
They are nocturnal and will shelter under rocks and in burrows during the day to escape from the desert heat which can range from 40°C to 25°C at night – during the winter months of December to February they will semi-hibernate before their breeding season starts (Zimmermann, 1995, Woods, 2001 and Hamper, 2004). They rely on the stored fat in their tails for nourishment if they have not dropped it whilst trying to escape a predator, the tail will twitch violently until the nerve impulses stop (Birkhead et al., 1994 and Hamper, 2004).
Like many other gecko’s leopard geckos can autotomise or shed their tail when threatened by a predator to provide a distraction so they can escape (see video 1); they have a specialised fracture point found in some of their tail vertebrae that can separate when their muscles spasm and blood vessels are clamped off to prevent haemorrhaging – a new tail will begin to grow immediately (see video 2) however it will have a flexible rod of calcified cartilage instead of bony vertebrae (The Bearded Dragon, 2016c and Woodland Park Zoo, 2016).
When a leopard gecko begins to shed (as known as sloughing) its skin, it will rub its snout against a rough surface to loosen the skin so it can then eat it and gain any nutrients that could be lost, see figure 5 (Staniszewski, 1990 and Walls and Walls, 1998). Some authors, such as Manning (2008), believe this will aid in avoiding predators reducing the risk of being detected.
Being nocturnal means these geckos avoid the dangerous heat during the day and avoid some predators, such as snakes, foxes, and birds; their dull spotted colouration and knobbly skin help to camouflage them from these predators by breaking up their outline, see figure 4 (Hamper, 2004 and Rosamond Gifford Zoo, 2006).
Vid 1. A leopard gecko tail wriggling after it has been dropped (Gaemon5, 2010).
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Vid 2. Timelapse regeneration of a leopard gecko tail (Galewood, 2011).
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Vid 3. A leopard gecko tail wagging whilst hunting (Herps R Life, 2015).
Leopard geckos live alone (mostly males as they are territorial) or in small groups in the wild and will use a variety of behaviours to communicate with each other, see table 4 and video 3 (Manning, 1998 and Manning, 2008).
Table 4 – Communication behaviours (The Bearded Dragon, 2016c).