Cat gecko

Aeluroscalabotes felinus

The cat gecko, ''Aeluroscalabotes felinus'', is a species of gecko found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia and Thailand. It is the only species within the genus ''Aeluroscalabotes'', and the only genus found within the taxonomic Subfamily Aeluroscalabotinae. It is commonly called the cat gecko because of its habit of curling up with its tail around itself when it sleeps, similar to a cat.
Malaysian Cat Gecko Malaysian Cat Gecko - Aeluroscalabotes felinus, seen during a night walk. They get their name for the way they curled their tail, like a cat. There is only one species in the genus and also the only genus within the sub-family of Aeluroscalabotinae. First time to see this Cat Gecko and the next day when I asked one of the Rangers to help me with the ID, he said its a fairly common Gecko. Still, happy to see this one. They can also be found in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia. Aeluroscalabotes felinus,Animalia,Cat gecko,Chordata,Eublepharidae,Geotagged,Kubah,Malaysia,Reptilia,Sarawak,Spring,Squamata

Appearance

The cat gecko is a lightly built gecko, typically red-brown in color with white spots on its body, and solid white under its chin, and sometimes to the belly. Some specimens have brown blotching along the back. It is considered to be one of the more primitive geckos, and is physically quite similar in body structure to the few fossils of early geckos which have been discovered. They can grow to approximately 18 cm , with males typically being smaller than females. Unlike most arboreal geckos it does not have toe pads which allow it to climb sheer surfaces. It instead relies on small retractile claws, and a prehensile tail

Status

Exact population counts of the Cat gecko are unknown, though it is not considered to be common throughout its range. It does not hold any particular conservation status, except in Thailand, where collection and export is prohibited.

Behavior

semi-arboreal and preferring cool, humid, montane rainforest habitats, the cat gecko is primarily nocturnal and insectivorous, consuming a wide variety of small insects.

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyEublepharidae
GenusAeluroscalabotes
SpeciesA. felinus
Photographed in
Malaysia