Tree dtella, Variegated dtella, Varied dtella
Gehyra variegata, the tree dtella, variegated dtella or varied dtella, is a species of gecko in the genus Gehyra, native to inland Australia.
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
An insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
A territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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starts withThe tree dtella's body (snout-vent) reaches a length of 55mm and a tail length of 70mm.The tree dtella has a highly variable dorsal colour which can likely be attributed to there being more than one species under the current name. Colours range from population to population from grey to brown with chequered dark and pale blotches and marbling in the eastern populations with western populations being marked with white to pale brown spots with dark bars. These patterns form an irregular reticulate pattern over the entire dorsal surface.
The tree dtella lives in arid to sub-humid areas, including woodland, shrubland and rocky environments where dry conditions are common. It is both arboreal and saxicolous, found under loose bark and hollows on trees, and in crevices and under exfoliating rock. In trees, the tree dtella prefers sheltered sites greater than 1 metre from the ground and can also be found under ground debris.
Inland Australia, except in the north-west and south-east. Field studies have shown that the tree dtella exhibits metapopulation structure within its geographical region.
The tree dtella has the ability to survive in small patches of disturbed land, due to its ability to alter its habitat use in response to changes in the environment. Examples of this are seen in population in nature reserves populating shrubs, while populations in small fragmented remnant vegetation sheltering in logs and eucalyptus trees.
The tree dtella is an ectotherm, falling into the subgroup of thigmotherms that depend on heat exchange with the substrate for maintenance of body temperature. The arboreal dwelling tree dtella exhibits this trait by changing its location under the bark of trees as the sun warms different parts of the tree throughout the day. This behavioural thermoregulation is believed to be related to high thermal requirements for digestion.
Although a nocturnal animal, in the cooler months it basks in the sun and is also active under cover during the day. Males are territorial with several females and one male often sharing a site.The tree dtella also lives in human dwellings and can be seen around street lights at night hunting insects. The tree dtella can also emit a shrill squeak.
The diet of the tree dtella consists of beetles, termites, grasshoppers, cockroaches and spiders. The tree dtella forages in the first 3 hours after dark and tends to stay within 10 metres of its home.
The tree dtella has a lifespan of at least 5 years reaching maturity at the age of 3.It is oviparous with one hard shelled egg being laid beneath cover, usually bark, logs and holes under rocks twice in a breeding season usually 1 month apart. These eggs measure 10 by 11 mm with the first egg laid during late November. The gestation period for the eggs is approximately slightly longer than 2 months with hatching occurring after 61–79 days. ). Hatchlings are 45mm in total length. Nests are often communal, with 35 eggs in one nest having been found.
