Parker's day gecko, Pemba island day gecko
Phelsuma parkeri, commonly known as Parker's day gecko or the Pemba Island day gecko, is a diurnal species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Pemba Island, Tanzania, and typically inhabits banana trees and dwellings. The Pemba Island day gecko feeds on insects and nectar.
Both the specific name, parkeri, and one of the common names, Parker's day gecko, are in honor of English herpetologist Hampton Wildman Parker.
Diurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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...
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starts withParker's day gecko is a slender lizard and a mid-size day gecko. It can reach a total length (including tail) of about 16 cm (6.3 in). The body colour is bright green. A faint red stripe extends from the nostril to the eye. On the back and limbs tiny black spots and speckles are present. This species has yellow eye rings. The ventral side is white.
The Pemba Island day gecko is found only on 1,340-square-kilometre (517-square-mile) Pemba Island, which has a few much smaller islands around its coast, and which is 50 km (31 mi) from the Tanzanian mainland.
Phelsuma parkeri is often found on different large trees such as banana trees and palms. This species also lives near or on human dwellings.
The Pemba Island day gecko is quite shy and stays so, even in captivity.
Parker's day gecko feeds on various insects and other invertebrates. It also licks soft, sweet fruit, pollen and nectar.
The females of P. parkeri are colony nesters and many eggs can be found at one location. The neonates measure about 28 mm (1.1 in).