''Stenodactylus petrii'', known as the dune gecko, Anderson's short-fingered gecko, or Egyptian sand gecko, is a small, mostly nocturnal

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from . Geckos ar ...

of the genus ''

Stenodactylus ''Stenodactylus'' is a genus of Middle-Eastern and North-African geckos, commonly known as short-fingered geckos. Classification of genus ''Stenodactylus'' *Iranian short-fingered gecko, '' Stenodactylus affinis'' *Middle Eastern short-fingere ...

''. It's not a frog-eyed gecko. They are found across northern Africa and in Israel in arid regions. From head to base of tail, they are about long, a very small dwarf gecko. The tails are quite long compared to their size, . If a tail is dropped, it will grow back, only shorter and stubbier. Unlike other geckos, dune geckos cannot climb up smooth surfaces. Instead, they prefer to dig. During the day, they usually hide in burrows or in caves, though often these are out and about in the day. They sometimes appear slow, but they can be extremely fast. Camouflage in the sand helps them remain inconspicuous, especially when hunting. They eat mainly

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

s and mealworms. The dune gecko, if kept as a pet, should not be handled too often because it stresses them out and can cause severe health problems. Also they can be relatively social but are also known to live by themselves before mating.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q781711 petrii Reptiles described in 1896