14 DAY TRIAL // This past February 17, staff at Houston Zoo in the United States welcomed a baby fantastic leaf-tailed gecko.
Mind you, it’s not that I am utterly impressed by the tiny lizard, but, as surprising as this may sound, this is actually what the species is called.
The baby lizard, pictured above, is so small that it can fit on the end of a pencil.
In fact, it is so tiny that I for one am having trouble understanding how it was that staff at Houston Zoo spotted it and figured out that it had emerged from its egg to begin with.
Zoo Borns tells us that the species is native to Madagascar, and can presently be found in this part of the world alone.
These lizards have evolved to look very much like dead leaves and twigs, hence the fact that they are extraordinarily gifted when it comes to blending in with their surroundings.
The same source informs that fantastic leaf-tailed geckos are nocturnal creatures, and that their diet chiefly comprises insects.
Due to the fact that they sport raised brow ridges, they are sometimes referred to as satanic leaf-tailed geckos.
The trouble is that, as a result of the expansion of human society, this species has lost a significant portion of its natural habitat over the years.
Consequently, Madagascar's population of such lizards has significantly decreased, and it could be only a matter of time before the species becomes an endangered one.