The common flat-tail gecko (''Uroplatus fimbriatus'') is a

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates. They range from . Geckos are unique among lizards ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

. It is found in eastern Madagascar and on the islands Nosy Bohara and

Nosy Mangabe Nosy Mangabe is a small island reserve located in Antongil Bay about offshore from the town of Maroantsetra in north-east Madagascar. it is accessible by small boat and is part of the larger Masoala National Park complex. It is a tropical rainfo ...

. These geckos live in

tropical rain forests Tropical rainforests are dense and warm rainforests with high rainfall typically found between 10° north and south of the Equator. They are a subset of the tropical forest biome that occurs roughly within the 28° latitudes (in the torrid zo ...

. They reach a total length of 330 mm.

Etymology

The

generic Generic or generics may refer to: In business * Generic term, a common name used for a range or class of similar things not protected by trademark * Generic brand, a brand for a product that does not have an associated brand or trademark, other ...

name, ''

Uroplatus ''Uroplatus'' is a genus of geckos, commonly referred to as leaf-tail geckos or flat-tailed geckos, which are endemism, endemic to Madagascar and its coastal islands, such as Nosy Be. They are nocturnal, insectivorous lizards found exclusively ...

'', is a

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

ization of two

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

words: "ourá" (οὐρά) meaning "tail" and "platys" (πλατύς) meaning "flat". Its

specific Specific may refer to: * Specificity (disambiguation) * Specific, a cure or therapy for a specific illness Law * Specific deterrence, focussed on an individual * Specific finding, intermediate verdict used by a jury in determining the final ...

name ''fimbriatus'' is the Latin word for "fringed" based upon the gecko's unique appearance of fringed skin.

Description

It is a large

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

gecko. Because the eyes are extremely sensitive to light, 350 times more sensitive than the human eye, the species is able to see in colors even at night. By day it plasters itself to a small tree trunk and rests head down. If disturbed it will raise its tail and head, open its mouth and scream.

Threats

Habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

and

deforestation in Madagascar Deforestation in Madagascar is an ongoing environmental issue. Deforestation creates agricultural or pastoral land but can also result in desertification, water resource degradation, biodiversity erosion and habitat loss, and soil loss. It has b ...

is the primary threat to this animal's future as well as collection for the pet trade. The

World Wide Fund for Nature The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named th ...

(WWF) lists all of the ''Uroplatus'' species on their "Top ten most wanted species list" of animals threatened by illegal

wildlife trade Wildlife trade refers to the exchange of products derived from non-domesticated animals or plants usually extracted from their natural environment or raised under controlled conditions. It can involve the trade of living or dead individuals, tis ...

, because of it "being captured and sold at alarming rates for the international pet trade". It is a

CITES CITES (shorter acronym for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of inte ...

Appendix 2 protected animal. However, the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...

considers the commercial export as likely sustainable.

Gallery

File:UroplatusFimbriatus.JPG, Giant Leaf tail Gecko File:Leaf Tailed Gecko P9240101.JPG, Leaf Tailed Gecko File:Leaf Tailed Gecko P9240102.JPG, Leaf Tailed Gecko - from below File:Uroplatus fimbriatus (3).jpg, The underside of the Leaf Tailed Gecko clinging to

glass Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline solid, non-crystalline) solid. Because it is often transparency and translucency, transparent and chemically inert, glass has found widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in window pane ...

File:Uroplatus fimbriatus 003.jpg, Camouflage of the gecko

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q610404 fimbriatus Endemic fauna of Madagascar Reptiles of Madagascar Reptiles described in 1797 Reptiles as pets