The golden gecko (''Gekko badenii''), also known commonly as Baden's Pacific gecko, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Gekkonidae Gekkonidae (the common geckos) is the largest family of geckos, containing over 950 described species in 64 genera. Members of the Gekkonidae comprise many of the most widespread gecko species, including house geckos (''Hemidactylus''), tokay ge ...

. The species is native to

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

Etymology

The specific name, ''badenii'', refers to '' Núi Bà Đen'' (Black Lady Mountain where ''Bà Đen'' is ''Black Lady''), to which this species is indigenous. Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011).''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Baden", p. 14).

Description

The golden gecko gets its

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

from the gold-colored scales on its body. Males grow to around in total length (including tail), while females stay around . Males have a longer tail base, with fleshy knobs at the base of the tail. Pores appear on the insides of the legs. Females have none of these.

Geographic range

''G. badenii'' has been reported from the Tây Ninh Province and Kon Tum Province of southern Vietnam (the latter following the recognition of ''Gekko ulikovskii'' as a synonym of this species).

Habitat

The preferred natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

of ''G. badenii'' is granite rocky areas including those in lowland rainforest, at altitudes from sea level to .

Diet

The golden gecko is primarily an insectivore but will also take some fruit. The golden gecko hydrates by drinking water from rainfall collecting on leaves.

Reproduction

''G. badenii'' is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

. www.reptile-database.org.

As a pet

The golden gecko is not very popular in the pet trade, so most specimens are wild caught. It requires a terrarium of a minimum of 20 US gallons (about 80 litres) for an adult, though a vertical 18 in x 18 in x 24 in (about 45 cm x 45 cm x 60 cm) Exo Terra tank could accommodate an adult due to the greater space. Two golden geckos of the same sex should not be housed together because they will fight. Captive hatchlings feed daily, and adults only need food every 5–6 days. Juveniles and adults will eat crickets and meal worms, wax worms, and fruits, such as bananas and mangos, which are rich in calcium.