(Eublepharis Macularius)
Size: 8″
Holding Permitted.
The genus Eublepharis, of which one known type is the leopard geckos, were first described by the British zoologist John Edward Gray in 1827. The etymology of their name is ‘eu’ = good (=true) |’blephar’ = eyelid, and all have fully functional eyelids. Members of this genus are found in eastern and southwestern Asia where they reside in rocky grassland habitats. These geckos are sturdily built. Their tail is shorter than their snout-vent length and their body is covered with numerous wart-like bumps. The toes do not have adhesive lamellae or membrane (Eublepharis cannot climb like their other gecko cousins). Eublepharis are crepuscular or nocturnal ground-dwellers. Included in this group is the popular pet gecko: the leopard gecko. It is especially popular in the United States, where there are nearly 3 million captive bred leopard geckos. A common misconception about leopard geckos is that they live in dry, arid deserts, but they are from rocky grasslands in southwestern Asia, including northern India, Afghanistan and Pakistan. They avoid deserts and places with low water.
