Eublepharis macularius

The Leopard Gecko ranges in size from 8 to 10 inches, half of which is tail. The tail is used for fat storage. The underside is whitish and the top side has a yellowish background color with multiple small dark spots or blotches on the neck, back and legs. The tail markings appear banded. The back has small, evenly spaced tubercles which give it a wart-like or knobby appearance. The young have a different pattern than the adults. They are banded with yellow and black/mauve bars. The tubercles begin at about 1 week of age. This lizard is one of the few geckos that has functional eyelids, but still it uses its tongue to clean and lubricate the eyes. They are different from most other geckos in that they do not possess adhesive toe-pads (lamellae) and are therefore unable to climb smooth surfaces. Instead they have claws which enable them to climb rocks and logs.

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