Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko

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Male Satanic Leaf-Tail Gecko

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Sauria
Family:	Gekkonidae

Binomial name

Uroplatus phantasticus

The Satanic Leaf Tailed Gecko, Uroplatus phantasticus, is an interesting species of gecko found in Madagascar. First described in 1987 by Brian Fischer, U. phantasticus is the smallest in body of the Uroplatus geckos, though there is an ongoing debate as to whether one of its cousins, U. ebanaui, is smaller because of its shorter tail. Its adult size is anywhere from 2.5-6 inches total length. The satanic leaf tailed gecko is also commonly known as the eyelash leaf tail gecko or fantastic leaf tail gecko.

U. phantasticus is an interesting looking gecko. As with all Uroplatus geckos, the tail is flattened and leaf-like. Some U. phantasticus even have notches in their tails to further resemble a decaying leaf. This is also thought to be a form of sexual dimorphism, as the trait seems more common in males of the species. In addition, U. phantasticus has an eyelash-like projection above each eye. During the daylight hours, these adaptations help the gecko blend into its surroundings. At night it helps the gecko when it hunts by providing camouflage.

The satanic leaf tail gecko come in a variety of colors, ranging through various hues of purple, orange, tan and yellow.

The satanic leaf tailed gecko may be kept in breeding pairs or trios. Two geckos may be kept in a commercially available 10 gallon aquarium with a screen lid. Males should not be housed together but females or a pair may be. They eat a variety of appropriately sized insects including crickets and moths. If breeding is successful in captivity, eggs will be laid every 30 days and take 90 days to hatch.

WWF, the World Wide Fund for Nature lists the Uroplatus species on their "Top ten most wanted species list" of animals threatened by illegal wildlife trade, because of it "being captured and sold at alarming rates for the international pet trade". ^[1]