McMartinVille--Reptiles

 
NO NEED FOR A CAR, CLICKED YER MOUSE... AND HERE YOU ARE! "McMartinVille"
 

Texas Banded Gecko

Order:  Squamata (scaled reptiles)
Suborder:  Lacertilia (=Sauria; lizards)
Family:  Gekkonidae (geckos)
Subfamily:  Eublepharinae (geckos with eyelids)
Genus:  Coleonyx (banded geckos)

Scientific Name:  Coleonyx brevis Stejneger, 1893

Habitat:  Rocky areas, cliffs, and washes.

Koleos="covered," onyx="claw," brevis="short" in reference to the comparatively short nose of this species

Length:  to about 4.5 inches total.
Food:  Small insects and spiders. Texas Banded Gecko Range

This picture is of one of two female Texas banded geckos given to me late June 2002.  The picture was taken the day after I received them.  Neither individual had its original tail.

Texas Banded Gecko
The two geckos shared a 10-gallon aquarium furnished with tan sandstone rocks and a hide box made from a butter dish.  The picture at right is of the other specimen.  Its pattern was a little lighter and fainter.  Both lizards unfortunately died within a week of each other in mid/late September 2003. Texas Banded Gecko
One of the geckos was gravid when captured, and had laid its eggs between its capture and the day I picked up the geckos.  I didn't know if the eggs were still viable, but I tried incubating them just in case.  The picture at right is of the two eggs (the typical clutch size) with a United States dime for size comparison.  My patience was tested until approximately 76 days later when one of the two eggs hatched!  The only problem is that the baby was at my parents' house out of state, so I had to send them fruit flies and tell them how to feed and care for the gecko. Eggs!
This is the only picture I have of the baby.  All you can see is the lizard's tail as it runs for shelter underneath its makeshift hiding spot (a folded business card).  Note the difference in color pattern in the juvenile--there's a lot more bands on the tail; the bands typically fade with age.

Unfortunately, the baby gecko only lived for a month.  

Baby TX Banded Gecko

 I currently have one male and one female, purchased in March 2004.