Uroplatus

 

The Leaf tail Geckos are absolutely unreal, some are so cryptic that they camouflage themselves right into their surroundings and you could be looking right at them and not see them sitting there.  Perhaps the best example of this is Uroplatus phantasticus; below is a photograph of a section of our U. phantasticus aquarium with a female sleeping, can you see her?

A better photograph of one of our males is below, you can see just how much these little guys (only 10 cm in total length) resemble a leaf, they have the same colours and they even have the venation pattern of a dried up leaf, lying on the forest floor.

Uroplatus live in cool moist forests, so their captive care must reflect that,  they must be kept under cooler conditions. This is especially true in the summer months, care must be taken that these little geckos do not go above 26oC (80oF).  They must also be given proper surroundings so that they feel at home.  All reptiles and amphibians are affected by stress, but the leaf tail geckos are especially susceptible to stress.  Leaf tails will not last long if not provided with a planted aquarium, with high humidity, and a lot of leaves covering the substrate so that they can hide and feel at home.  Unfortunately U. phantasticus has yet to be bred with much success in captivity,  but Uroplatus enthusiasts are working hard to change that. 

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