Pale knob-tailed gecko

Nephrurus laevissimus

Nephrurus is a genus of nine species of gecko, commonly known as knob-tailed geckos. They are easily distinguished by their short bodies, large heads, small legs, and short, carrot-shaped tails that often end in a small knob.

The common name of Nephrurus laevissimus is the pale Knob tail, referring to this species pale ghostly appearance. This species can range in color from shades of red and pink to nice shades of orange. It is a member of the smooth scaled thin tailed group of knob-tails and has a reputation of being very delicate.

The pale knob-tail gecko has an extensive range throughout western and central Australia, overlapping with ranges of other species of Nephrurus like N. amyae, N. vertebralis, N. levis pilbarensis, and N. l. levis. These geckos inhabit sand dunes, burrowing into the cool, moist layers of sand by day to avoid the heat of interior Australia, and adopting a nocturnal lifestyle, hunting for prey among the vegetation of the sandy habitat.