Southern Leaf-tailed Gecko

Saltuarius swaini

The southern leaf-tailed gecko has two species. One, ''Saltuarius wyberba'', lives in the granite belt of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland, Australia. They do their foraging at night on massive rock faces. They have been observed active at temperatures colder than −10°C.

The other species, ''Saltuarius swaini'', inhabits rainforests and lives inside large tree root systems and hollows of strangler figs.
Cryptic Leaf-tailed gecko Without eye shine from head torches this species would be extremely difficult to find! This healthy adult still has an original tail. Australia,Fall,Geotagged,Saltuarius swaini,Southern Leaf-tailed Gecko,Spring

Behavior

Female southern leaf-tailed geckos usually lay one or two soft-shelled eggs in late spring. These eggs are up to 28 mm in length. The eggs are buried in moist soil or leaf litter to prevent their drying out. Left to develop unattended, 3 months later the offspring hatch and begin fending for themselves, catching insects within only a few days of birth. They take up to two years to fully mature and then can survive for up to eight more years.
Southern Leaf-Tailed Gecko A Southern Leaf-Tailed Gecko perched on a rock crevice Australia,Geckos,Geotagged,Lizards,Reptiles,Saltuarius swaini,Sothern Leaf-tailed Gecko,Southern Leaf-tailed Gecko

Food

The southern leaf-tailed gecko eats mostly insects.

References:

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Status: Not evaluated
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyCarphodactylidae
GenusSaltuarius
SpeciesS. swaini
Photographed in
Australia