Phelsuma mutabilis
—
Thick Tail Gecko
Also known as:
Thicktail Day Gecko
We found this gecko and a couple of others on a wooden shelter in the National Park.
Here is a list of all the reptiles and frogs I saw on this 2023 trip to Madagascar.
It rained most of this day, but when the sun came out for a little while so did the day geckos, high up on Pandanus plants.
Hmm, what could be hiding behind that thin leaf? Aha!
I was pleased to discover that most of the trees on the grounds of our lodge included at least one resident gecko.
The tails on this species range from brown to grey to green to turquoise, with or without white spots. I am curious about why, but have no clues.
On the morning of our last day in the field, I took one more opportunity to wander the grounds of our lodge and look for geckos on the trees.
Online references:
- Phelsuma mutabilis account on The Reptile Database
- Phelsuma mutabilis account on iNaturalist
- Angelica Crottini, Philip-Sebastian Gehring, Frank Glaw, D. James Harris, Alexandra Lima & Miguel Vences, 2010. Deciphering the cryptic species diversity of dull-coloured day geckos Phelsuma (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Madagascar, with description of a new species
Printed references:
- Glaw, F., Vences, M. 2007. A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar, Third Edition