Crested Gecko
Common Name: Crested Gecko
Scientific Name: Correlophus ciliatus
Physical Description: Crested Geckos are the largest Gecko species, growing up to 14 inches, and weighing 8-12 ounces. The Crested Gecko is a dull yellow, brown or green, with white marking on its body, and can climb near vertically due to their lamella on their toes and Van der Walls forces of attraction. Males have a broader head and more slender body than females1.
They have a semi-prehensile tail that can grip items and be dropped from the body to distract predators.
Habitat: They live in the canopies of rainforests on the islands. Their habitat and home range are threatened by human encroachment and development, such as logging, poaching, and urbanization, as well as non-native and invasive species introduction.
Range: New Caledonia Islands
Diet: They will eat invertebrates, fruits, and the occasional very small vertebrate.
Life Span: They can live up to 20 years in human care.
Social Structure: They are solitary animal who only come together to breed.
Status: Vulnerable2
Other: The Crested Gecko was thought to be extinct for over a century before being rediscovered in 1994.
1 https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/new-caledonian-gecko
2 https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/176173/123253756
Scientific Name: Correlophus ciliatus
Physical Description: Crested Geckos are the largest Gecko species, growing up to 14 inches, and weighing 8-12 ounces. The Crested Gecko is a dull yellow, brown or green, with white marking on its body, and can climb near vertically due to their lamella on their toes and Van der Walls forces of attraction. Males have a broader head and more slender body than females1.
They have a semi-prehensile tail that can grip items and be dropped from the body to distract predators.
Habitat: They live in the canopies of rainforests on the islands. Their habitat and home range are threatened by human encroachment and development, such as logging, poaching, and urbanization, as well as non-native and invasive species introduction.
Range: New Caledonia Islands
Diet: They will eat invertebrates, fruits, and the occasional very small vertebrate.
Life Span: They can live up to 20 years in human care.
Social Structure: They are solitary animal who only come together to breed.
Status: Vulnerable2
Other: The Crested Gecko was thought to be extinct for over a century before being rediscovered in 1994.
1 https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/new-caledonian-gecko
2 https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/176173/123253756
