The Gold dust day gecko (Phelsuma laticauda) is a small lizard native to Madagascar. It's typically seen in houses and various trees. The Gold dust day gecko is commonly known as the mascot of GEICO Insurance, and also the main character of the video game series, Gex.
Di
DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
Ca
CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
In
InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
He
HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
Fr
FrugivoreA frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
Pa
PalynivoreIn zoology, a palynivore is an herbivorous animal that selectively eats the nutrient-rich pollen produced by angiosperms and gymnosperms. Most true...
Ne
NectarivoreIn zoology, a nectarivore is an animal that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of the sugar-...
Ar
ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
Te
TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Ov
OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
So
SocialNo
Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
G
starts withLu
Lucky AnimalsThe body color of this lizard is a bright green or yellowish-green or rarely blue. Typical for this day gecko are the red speckles on the neck and the upper back. There are three rust-colored transverse bars on the snout and head; the upper part of the skin around the eye is blue. On the lower back, there are three tapering red bars. The tail is slightly flattened. The underside is off-white. Juveniles lack the red colorations and their tail and limbs appear off-white.
Gold dust day geckos live in northern Madagascar, and on the island of Comoros. They can be found in forests, shrubland, plantations, gardens, and urban areas.
Gold dust day geckos are diurnal creatures. They are social and often congregate in groups of many individuals when feeding off of one plant. The males of this species are rather aggressive and can be quite quarrelsome. They do not accept other males in their territory.
Gold dust day geckos are carnivores (insectivores) and herbivores (frugivores, palynivores, nectarivores). They feed on various insects and other invertebrates and are also capable of eating other smaller lizards. They also eat soft, sweet fruit and pollen and nectar from flowers.
Female Gold dust day geckos lay up to 10 eggs and the young usually hatch after 40 to 45 days. They measure 55-60 mm and reach reproductive maturity after 10-12 months of age.
There are no major threats facing Gold dust day geckos at present.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Gold dust day gecko total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...