The Cape dwarf gecko (''Lygodactylus capensis'')('lygodactylus' = 'flexible fingers') is a species of dwarf gecko found in the woodlands and forests of central and southern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. It also occurs commonly in towns and cities and is sometimes kept as a pet.

Range

It occurs in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

Eswatini Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

, the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

and

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

, including

Pemba Island Pemba Island ( ar, الجزيرة الخضراء ''al-Jazīra al-khadrā'', literally "The Green Island"; sw, Pemba kisiwa) is a Tanzanian island forming part of the Zanzibar Archipelago, lying within the Swahili Coast in the Indian Ocean. Geog ...

.''Lygodactylus capensis''
The Reptile Database Its distribution within South Africa has expanded south- and westwards towards the coastal areas since 1981.

Habits

They are often seen on garden walls in towns and cities. When moulting it actively assists the process by detaching skin flakes and consuming them. They have the ability to detach their tails from the rest of their bodies as a mechanism for survival. The high observed frequency of tail loss, coupled with rapid and complete regeneration, suggests that caudal autotomy is an important survival tactic in this species. Although caudal autotomy may allow the Cape Dwarf Gecko to escape its predator, there have been documented downsides to this survival mechanism. For example, the gecko loses its ability to successfully climb vertical surfaces quickly due to a decrease in balance and adhesion brought about by the loss of its tail, which contains an adhesive pad at the tip of it.

Description

Lygodactylus capensis subsp capensis, Pretoria, a

Length (snout to vent length) is 39 mm for males, 43 mm for females. Throat is stippled with grey or brown while the belly is cream coloured. The back is grey-brown with dark streak from snout to shoulder or beyond. Its tail is remarkable for having the underside covered in adhesive lamellae enabling its use as a fifth limb.Rose, Walter (1962). ''The Reptiles and Amphibians of Southern Africa'' Maskew Miller.

References

* Smith, A. (1848). ''Illustrations of the zoology of South Africa, Reptilia.'' Smith, Elder & Co., London. * Spawls, S.; Howell, K.; Drewes, R.C. & Ashe, J. (2001). ''A field guide to the reptiles of East Africa.'' Academic Press, 543 pp.

External links

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''Lygodactylus capensis''
GeckoList Lygodactylus Geckos of Africa Reptiles described in 1849 Lizards of Africa Reptiles of South Africa {{Lygodactylus-stub