Carrot-Tail Viper Gecko

ANIMAL:
Carrot-Tail Viper Gecko Hemidactylus imbricatus

Type of Animal:
Gecko

Habitat:
Arid rocky areas, rocky desert, shrubland, cities

Location(s):
SE Pakistan & small tiny border area in India

Appearance:
Small gecko w/ unique ladder pattern w/ black/gray/beige/white colors, tapered carrot/turnip shaped tail, latticed appearance, keeled dorsal viper-like scales, smoother smaller ventral scales, long slender limbs, males have more bulgy tails, females have flatter tails, catlike eyes

Food/Diet:
Crickets, roaches, moth larvae, beetles, beetle larvae, flies, fly larvae

Status in Wild:
Stable

Conservation:
Breeding in zoos & herpetoculture

Lifestyle:
Groups of 3-8 geckos w/ 1-2 males & rest being females.

Additional Info:

Called:
Male
Female
Young: Hatchling
Group: Leap/Colony

Weight:
0.12-0.17 oz

Gestation:
2 months 

Life Span:
7-10 years

Body Length:
Adult: 2.5-3 in
Young: 1 in

Tail Length:
1 in

Also called Turnip-Tailed Geckos.
 
Females lay eggs in pairs & can lay up to 12-14 times a year.
 
Active at night (nocturnal).
 
These geckos like to dig.
 
Sexually mature at 6-7 months old, males mature before females.
 
Coloration aids in camouflage.
 
Though primarily terrestrial, they do climb sometimes.
 
These geckos can be fairly fast.
 
Sometimes do tail-wave before striking food.
 
Females sometimes have bite marks on them after mating.

Fun Fact(s):
Prone to obesity in captivity & fat-tailed females sometimes mistaken for males.
 
Newborn hatchlings small enough to fit completely on fingernail.
 
These small geckos make decent pets. Pets should be sourced from captive-bred sources.
 
Get viper name from keeled scales. This appearance could possibly deter predators.
 
Fat tail comes in handy for storing fat/water.
 
While these lizards do tame down, handling needs to be very gentle due to small size/fragile body.
 
If handled roughly, they can drop tail. Tail will eventually grow back.

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