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.
