Leopard geckos are sometimes confused with the related, less commonly kept fat-tailed gecko, Hemitheconyx caudicinctus
The two species share a similar general body plan and family but differ in native range, tail shape, and some care specifics, and are not the same species despite superficial similarity.
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Most active at dawn and dusk when temperatures in their native Pakistan and Afghanistan are ideal.
A widespread misconception is that the tail acts like a camel's hump storing water.
Autotomy — voluntary tail shedding — is a defence mechanism.
Unlike most gecko species which use van der Waals forces to climb smooth surfaces, leopard geckos have conventional claws.
The moveable eyelid is unusual among geckos.
Hold your gecko up to a light source and look through one ear opening — you can see light through the other side.