Southern leaf-tailed gecko – bayagin
What is a southern leaf-tailed gecko?
The southern leaf-tailed gecko, also known as a broad-tailed gecko, is a small lizard native to the Sydney basin and surrounds.
The scientific name for the species is Phyllurus platurus and the traditional Darug name for southern leaf-tailed geckos is bayagin.
Southern leaf-tailed gecko
Fast facts – Southern leaf-tailed gecko
Scientific name – Phyllurus platurus
Size – Up to about 15 cm long from snout to tail tip.
Appearance – Flat body with a broad leaf-shaped tail, rough spiky scales and mottled brown or grey pattern that matches sandstone rocks and bark.
Where they live – Coastal sandstone heath and Hawkesbury sandstone urban areas in the Sydney Basin, including rock crevices, under rocks, and even house foundations and garages.
Habits – Nocturnal; hide in crevices during the day and emerge at night to hunt.
Food – Insectivores that eat invertebrates such as spiders, crickets, moths, beetles and cockroaches.
Life cycle – e: Lay up to three clutches of 1–2 eggs each year; average lifespan is around 8 years in the wild.
Behaviour – Ectothermic; bask in the sun to warm up; usually shy and try to escape from people rather than bite.
What do southern leaf-tailed geckos look like?
Southern leaf-tailed geckos have a flat body with a distinctive broad leaf-shaped tail. They are covered in rough, spiky scales that are a brown or grey mottled pattern, resembling the sandstone habitat in which they live. Unlike other geckos they have claws rather than pads on the ends of their toes.
Leaf-tailed geckos can grow to a length of 15 centimetres from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail.
Southern leaf-tailed geckos have a mottled pattern to help them camouflage.
Where do southern leaf-tailed geckos live?
The southern leaf-tailed gecko lives in coastal sandstone heath and Hawkesbury sandstone urban areas. They use their colour to camouflage against bark or rock.
During the day leaf-tailed geckos shelter in sandstone rock crevices or under rocks. They also shelter in people’s house foundations and garages, camouflaging with the brick walls.
What do southern leaf-tailed geckos eat?
Southern leaf-tailed geckos are insectivorous and eat invertebrates such as spiders, crickets, moths, beetles and cockroaches.
Being nocturnal, southern leaf-tailed geckos hide and sleep during the day and then emerge at night to feed. They are ambush predators so will rest motionless and wait for prey before grabbing it.
What is the life cycle of southern leaf-tailed geckos?
Southern leaf-tailed geckos can lay up to 3 clutches of eggs a year with one to 2 eggs in each clutch. They live an average of 8 years in the wild.
What adaptations do southern leaf-tailed geckos have to their environment?
Southern leaf-tailed geckos are nocturnal therefore they are commonly found sheltering in sandstone crevices during the day. Their flat body is ideal for squeezing into these areas and the mottled brown pattern of their scales helps them to camouflage against the rock.
Southern leaf-tailed geckos have claws at the ends of their toes which they use for gripping when climbing. Like other geckos, they can cling to vertical surfaces.
Southern leaf-tailed geckos can cling to vertical surfaces. This one is clinging to a brick wall.
Southern leaf-tailed geckos store fat in their tails. This allows them to go extended periods without having to eat frequently such as during the cooler winter months.
Like other geckos, southern leaf-tailed geckos don't have eyelids and clean their eyes by licking them with their tongue.
When a southern leaf-tailed gecko is threatened or attacked it will discard its tails as a decoy so it can escape to safety. This strategy is called caudal autotomy. It will re-grow another tail and the missing tail will decompose if not eaten. New tails are smooth unlike the original tail which is spiky.
Southern leaf-tailed geckos blend in well with their surroundings.
Related fact sheets
More reptile fact sheets
Habitats and environments used by geckos
- Leaf litter habitats
- Ground cover habitats
- Rock and log habitats
- Eucalypt forest
- Field of Mars Reserve
Animals linked through food webs
- Invertebrates – overview (shared habitats, leaf litter prey)
- Huntsman spider
- Gastropods (prey)
Attributions
References
Australian Museum, 2020. Southern leaf-tailed geckos. [online] Australian Museum. Available at:
<https://australian.museum/learn/animals/reptiles/southern-leaf-tailed-gecko/>
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