Painted Leopard Gecko

Painted Leopard Gecko Latest News

A rare nocturnal reptile – a Painted Leopard Gecko – was recently spotted at Dilmili railway station in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district, drawing the attention of the forest department.

About Painted Leopard Gecko

• It is a colourful terrestrial gecko species.
• Scientific Name: Eublepharis pictus
• Eublepharis is a small genus in the lizard family Eublepharidae, which contains 44 species in six genera distributed in parts of North and Central America, West and East Africa, Middle East, South Asia, and the Malayan Archipelago.
• First described in 1827, the genus is currently represented by seven species, of which five are known from India.

‹ ›

Painted Leopard Gecko Habitat and Distribution

• It was scientifically described in 2022 from the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
• The Brahmani River, which runs through the Eastern Ghats, separates it geographically from the East Indian Leopard Gecko, with which it shares a lot of similar traits.
• It prefers dry evergreen forests mixed with scrub and meadows.

Painted Leopard Gecko Features

• It measures 11.7 cm (4.6 inches) in length.
• It is usually brown and yellow in colour.
• Its tail stands out, marked with contrasting black and white bands, unlike the rest of its body. 
• It possesses over two dozen large, pointed scales.
• It is strictly nocturnal, actively foraging along trails in forest after dusk. 
• While foraging, the species has been observed licking surfaces as it moves, likely the tongue is used as a sensory organ. 
• During daylight, it remains concealed inside burrows, under rocks, or within dense shrubs.

Source: ETVB