Leopard geckos are used as a research model species in regeneration and reproductive biology studies
Their capacity for tail regeneration and temperature-dependent sex determination has made them a subject of ongoing scientific research into vertebrate tissue regrowth and sex determination mechanisms, alongside their long-standing role in the pet trade.
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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.