Wahlberg's velvet gecko
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| Wahlberg's velvet gecko | |
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| Species: | H. wahlbergii
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| Binomial name | |
| Homopholis wahlbergii A. Smith, 1849
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| Distribution in southeast Africa | |
Wahlberg's velvet gecko (Homopholis walbergii)[a] is a large gecko up to 21 cm (av. 14–18 cm) that occurs exclusively in southern Africa. It is endemic to Miombo and Mopane bushveld of Botswana, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. It shelters under tree bark, rocks, empty bird nests, and other places in coastal bush and mesic and arid savannas. [2] It is so called because the skin looks and feels like velvet. Its back varies from dark grey to soft grey-brown and may be crossed with paler chevrons or crossbars or have mottled paler areas nestled along the centre of its back and spine. The largest part of their range covers Zimbabwe.
Behaviour
These geckos are nocturnal; however, they have been observed to occasionally be active during the day.[3] They venture far from their usual roost only at night, when courtship generally occurs. They are frequently found in Boabab trees and in the roofs and walls of traditional mud-huts and other human dwellings. They are mainly insectivores. [4]
Breeding
The female lays pairs of large, hard-shelled eggs that start soft and adhesive. She conceals them under bark overhangs, rock crevices, etc.
References
- Branch, Bill (2002). A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Southern Africa (2nd ed.). Cape Town: Struik. ISBN 1868726193.
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/178204/0
- Whiting, M. J., L. T. Reaney, J. S. Keogh. 2007. "Ecology of Wahlberg's velvet gecko Homopholis wahlbergii in southern Africa", "African Zoology", 42(38-44).