Leopard gecko colour darkening is a temperature and stress response, not an active camouflage mechanism used to match surroundings
Unlike chameleons, which can shift colour deliberately for display and camouflage, a leopard gecko's darkening is a comparatively limited physiological response rather than a controllable disguise.
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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.