Description
''Phelsuma gigas'' was one of the largest known geckoes. It reached a total length of about . The body colour was grayish or grayish brown. On the back there were irregular black spottings. The tail had some striping and was charcoal- or dark grey-coloured. The tongue had a pink colour and the ventral side of the body was light yellow. The original collected specimens that were used to describe this species have been lost. Today, only a few portions of some skeletons remain.Behaviour
Leguat described the species:Distribution
This species inhabitedHabitat
''P. gigas'' was an arboreal lizard living on trees within the forests of Rodrigues. ''P. gigas'' became extinct due to human-induced deforestation and predation by introduced cats and rats.Diet
These day geckos fed on various insects and other invertebrates. As observed in other species of day geckos, it was assumed that ''P. gigas'' also liked to lick at soft, sweet fruit, pollen and nectar.References
* Günther (1877)'' Journal of the Linnean Society'', Zoology, 13:322-327 * Liénard (1842) ''Rapport de la Société d'Histoire Naturelle de Maurice'', (13):55-57 * McKeown, Sean (1993) ''The general care and maintenance of day geckos''. Advanced Vivarium Systems, Lakeside CA. * Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is listed as extinct {{Taxonbar, from=Q146475 Extinct reptiles Reptile extinctions since 1500 Phelsuma Reptiles described in 1842