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  • Electric blue gecko

Electric blue gecko

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RepTopia
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Quick facts

Lifespan

Lifespan

Not well-studied

Estimated 5 years or more

Diet

Diet

A variety of small insects

Habitat

Habitat

Tropical rainforests

Range

Range

Tanzania

In Africa

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The electric blue geckos

Same species, different shades

Same species, different shades

Males have a bright turquoise-blue body with a striking orange belly. Females and subordinate males tend to be greenish-bronze with bluish overtones and a cream or pale orange underside. From the time they’re hatched till they reach sexual maturity, both male and female young look like adult females, just tinier. Females retain the same colour throughout their life but males develop in one of two ways. Males kept solo and males that have dominant personalities will develop the famed electric blue colour. Non-dominant males look just like females and can only be differentiated by their femoral pores.
Of courtship and eggs

Of courtship and eggs

To court a female, the male flattens his body, puffs out his black throat patch and bobs his head. After courtship, females usually lay one or two eggs, every four weeks during the breeding season. An egg-gluer, she sticks her eggs onto the surface of any suitable substrate she can find, taking pains to ensure they’re hidden from sight. The white, hard-shelled eggs may take anywhere from 50 days to three months to hatch.
Poached from homes of pandan

Poached from homes of pandan

This diurnal gecko is found only in Tanzania's Kimboza and Ruvu Forest Reserves, where it dwells exclusively on pandan plants, which are associated with swamps or limestone within the forest. Each plant usually has a male, one or more females and several juveniles living among its thick stalks and above-ground roots. Because of this, the geckos were easily targeted by poachers. In 2005, when the first electric blue geckos appeared on the market, reptile enthusiasts worldwide fell in love with their electric blue colour. An alarming 15% of the wild population was illegally removed and exported for the pet trade between 2005 and 2009.

Special experiences

Baby Boom

RepTopia hatchery

Come visit our little electric blue gecko hatchlings here! To date, we’ve welcomed more than eight newborns. Unlike the brilliantly-hued dominant males, these little ones are green or copper in colour. The wee critters are less than a centimetre long when they’re first hatched. Our keepers keep a keen eye on the older hatchlings to make sure they don’t pick on the younger ones.

Together, we protect wildlife

Lighting up the electric blue’s future

Lighting up the electric blue’s future

Ongoing deforestation in the form of activities like illegal timber logging and clearing for agriculture, combined with the increasing fire outbreaks, are resulting in the loss and fragmentation of these geckos’ habitat. The very limestone formations where the pandanus (their host plants) grow are being mined.

They’re also heavily collected for the pet trade. The hope is for hobbyists to become aware of these geckos' fragile position in the wild and support a halt to illegal trade.

Our hatchlings add to the 250-strong population in zoos worldwide. The species will soon be managed internationally under a European Studbook Programme.

The IUCN Status

CR

Critically Endangered

At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.

DD

Data Deficient

Unknown risk of extinction

LC

Least Concern

At relatively low risk of extinction

NT

Near Threatened

Likely to become vulnerable in the near future

VU

Vulnerable

At high risk of extinction in the wild

EN

Endangered

At very high risk of extinction in the wild

CR

Critically Endangered

At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild

EW

Extinct in the Wild

Survives only in captivity

EX

Extinct

No surviving individuals in the wild or in captivity

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Every visit to our parks comes with

Every visit to our parks comes with
Find out how, together, we're creating a better future for wildlife and the planet.

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8.30am - 6.00pm (Last entry at 5.00pm)

We're open every day of the year.

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80 Mandai Lake Road
Singapore 729826

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