Range

The leopard gecko can be found in Asia throughout India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq.

Habitat

They make their home in rocky deserts and grasslands. The areas they call home are rocky with clay-gravel soil below the sand. This is used to create a burrow in which they can spend much of their day.

Photo Credit: Public Domain

Reproduction

Breeding takes place between January and March. This is after the geckoes have emerged from their winter dormant period.

Males will battle one another for breeding rights with the female. They will bite one another’s tail and wrestle with the victor gaining mating rights.

Despite their efforts the female may still reject the male and chase him away.

Females may produce as many as 5 clutches each breeding season. Each clutch includes two eggs which are buried in the sand. The eggs are visible through the females stomach while they develop.

The gender of the hatchlings is determined by the temperature at which they incubate. At higher temperatures males are produced while lower temperatures will produce males.

Following an incubation period of 45-53 days the eggs will hatch.

For the first week of a hatchlings life it survives on the yolk from the egg. They will undergo their first moult at the end of this week and at this time they begin to feed on their own. No parental care is provided to the hatchlings.

Sexual maturity is determined by weight occurring when the hatchling reaches 30g (1oz). This usually occurs between 1.5 and 2 years old.

Behavior

Communications used by the leopard gecko include a chirp if annoyed or alarmed. They also click to communicate with other geckoes. Shakes of the tail may be used to communicate.

During winter the leopard gecko will retreat to a burrow where they enter a semi-hibernation.

They are primarily nocturnal and emerge at night to hunt. During the day they shelter in a burrow or under a rock.

Throughout the year the leopard gecko will shed their skin. Once they remove the skin they eat it.

Photo Credit: Under License

Predators and Threats

Predators of the leopard gecko include foxes, birds, small mammals and reptiles such as snakes. To avoid predators they use their keen hearing and the color of their skin helps with camouflage.

Humans may collect them for the pet trade. This can lead to them being released in areas where they are an invasive species. They are readily bred in captivity and this has helped to remove this pressure.

Quick facts

Leopard geckoes are among the most popular pet reptiles.

A leopard gecko is unaffected if it is stung by a scorpion.