#Rhacodactylus leachianus

[i-m-snek]

Trying different lighting setups with Nugget! I like the 3rd one the best I think.

[monstrfreek]

Skid Mark....

[jogabsha]

littlefoot is growing big real fast!

When I got him he was barely the length of my thumb and now he’s the full length of my hand. Love this little guy. Working on cleaning and rearranging his enclosure a bit tomorrow.

[herpsandbirds]

You have polite frogs, but do you have polite snakes and/or lizards?

Look at this polite man, smiling, while he waits for you to finish your story...

New Caledonian Giant Gecko (Rhacodactylus leachianus), family Diplodactylidae, endemic to New Caledonia

This is the longest and heaviest gecko species in the world, growing up to 17 inches total length, and weighing up to 300 g.

Photo via:  Mark Orfus, Northern Gecko Inc.

[midnight-mod]

She’s like, doubled in size, so proud of her 🥺

[sixquarksinatrenchcoat]

A few weeks back, I noticed this buried in Socks' enclosure (my leachianus gecko - Rhacodactylus leachianus, also sometimes referred to as a New Caledonian Giant Gecko, or affectionately, a Leachie).

At first I assumed it was an underground mushroom, but it wasn't growing or decaying... So I dug it up and found to my surprise:

Two eggs! one of which looked like it had an embryo inside! This was strange because I hadn't put Socks with any other geckos, let alone male geckos. I have had her since she was a baby - and half her current size! Here is what she looked like the day I got her:

and here she is more recently, almost two years later:

Apparently, Leachianus geckos are rumored to rarely exhibit a trait called "parthenogenesis", where a female individual lays fertile eggs, without the aid of a male, that hatch and mature into exact genetic clones of their mother.

I talk more about parthenogenesis in an unrelated species of gecko here

TLDR Harold, they're lesbians. The lizards are all gay and they all have gay sex.

Anyways, back to Socks and her eggs; it's too soon to tell whether Socks (a different species entirely) will exhibit true parthenogenesis, her egg would have to hatch and survive to adulthood, be female, be its parent's genetic clone, and lay more eggs just like her. All the other accounts of parthenogenesis in Leachies I have read about have involved the offspring having developmental issues and not lasting long after hatching. I mentioned that only one of the eggs had an embryo inside. I tried to incubate them both initially:

but the one without an embryo started to grow mold on it. A clear sign it wasn't going to develop, so I had to get rid of it before the mold spread.

But there's always a chance for the one I still have. It appears healthy and is still incubating. Here's hoping I get to see it hatch.

My stepdad suggested I name the baby Sandals. To match with its parent.

[i-m-snek]

*Chanting* Wizard lizard! Wizard lizard! Wizard lizard!

[marijuanadrugsmusicartv2]

This is my dream lizard. And it's my goal to make sure I have one this year.

[sitting-on-me-bum]

The New Caledonian giant gecko is the world’s largest

At 36 cm long from snout to tail, the New Caledonian giant gecko (Rhacodactylus leachianus) is the largest species of gecko on Earth. And it does all of that with an almost comically stubby tail.

Image credit: Nature Picture Library/Alamy

[jogabsha]

Gecko update!

Littlefoot is getting a lot bigger now! Over 7 inches at full length and only 2 years old

[herpsandbirds]

New Caledonian Giant Gecko (Rhacodactylus leachianus), family Diplodactylidae, endemic to New Caledonia

This is the longest and heaviest gecko species in the world, growing up to 17 inches total length, and weighing up to 300 g.

Photo via:  Coast To Coast Exotics Ltd

[jacqsreptiles]

i like how clearly you can see him calculating the height distance between my hand and the floor

[shinyx2]

When will my husband return from war...

[slytherfriends]

hannah waddled over to my table and hopped up onto my dad’s urn, slid down the top of it till she hit the tip of her snoot, and proceeded to hang there for a solid five minutes. figured she could feel my dad’s good vibes and wanted to hang out with him. (he loved animals and reptiles especially) i figure they would’ve really liked each other. 

[i-m-snek]

Her lil feeties 🥺

[geekasaur]

she is beauty, she is grace she do flop, on her face