Thursday, February 2, 2012

Tiny Tiny Gecko

I was so delighted to find this little creature on my kitchen floor recently.  It is a hatchling gecko,   Sphaerodactylus glaucus to be exact.  Geckos in the genus Sphaerodactylus are the tiniest reptiles in the world with the adult S. glaucus  not a great deal bigger than the baby pictured here.  They do seem to like being in houses.  Every place we've lived in Belize, there have always been a couple on hand -- we call them "house geckos."  Sadly though, there is a much larger introduced species of Asian gecko that has become common in Belize, and even in Gallon Jug.  They are voracious, and while I appreciate that they eat roaches and other creatures I'd just as soon not live alongside of, I'm afraid they also eat this tiny lizard.  Certainly their numbers have diminished in recent years, so it is a rare pleasure to be able to photograph this little fellow.

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