Gecko fact

Tail movement in leopard geckos communicates different things depending on speed and posture

Good to know

Quick answer: Slow undulating movement often relates to hunting focus or curiosity, while fast rattling combined with a raised body is more often a defensive or agitated signal..

Slow undulating movement often relates to hunting focus or curiosity, while fast rattling combined with a raised body is more often a defensive or agitated signal.

behaviourinteresting

See the full facts guide, or browse all 593 info pages.

Most active at dawn and dusk when temperatures in their native Pakistan and Afghanistan are ideal.

The tail stores fat reserves, not water

A widespread misconception is that the tail acts like a camel's hump storing water.

Dropped tails grow back, but never look the same

Autotomy — voluntary tail shedding — is a defence mechanism.

Leopard geckos cannot climb glass — they have claws, not sticky lamellae

Unlike most gecko species which use van der Waals forces to climb smooth surfaces, leopard geckos have conventional claws.

Leopard geckos can blink — most gecko species cannot

The moveable eyelid is unusual among geckos.

You can see through a leopard gecko's head via the ear canals

Hold your gecko up to a light source and look through one ear opening — you can see light through the other side.