Round Island Day Gecko    [06-09-2008] The Round Island day gecko is the largest of 27 species of day geckos. It is about 28 centimeters long. The smallest day gecko is only about 8 centimeters long. Round Island day geckos are grayish or grayish brown in color. The Round Island day gecko lives on palm trees and is perfectly camouflaged against the brown bark of the main stem of the tree. The Round Island day gecko can only be found on Round Island, near the island of Mauritius. Mauritius is located in the southwest Indian Ocean. Geckos have special feet to help them climb up smooth surfaces. Their flattened toes have long scales. The scales are made up of thousands of tiny, hooked bristles that can hold on to any surface. So they can climb up palm trees easily. They can also hide on the underside of leaves easily using their feet. Round Island day geckos have a unique way of defending themselves. If attacked, the tail just drops off and lies moving around on the ground. While the enemy is paying attention to the tail, the gecko escapes! The stump quickly heals, and they will eventually grow a new tail. Round Island day geckos eat any insects that land on the palm tree. When they find an insect, they move closer to their prey and grab it with their mouth. Sometimes, they just wait until it walks closer. The geckos also eat pollen and nectar from palm flowers. Sometimes they leave the palm tree to search for food. Their breeding season is from February to September. However, female geckos lay eggs in June. Each female lays about one or two eggs at a time. The eggs are sticky and can be placed on the underside of palm leaves or under rocks for protection. The eggs will hatch after about 53-68 days. The babies are 75 millimeters long. Sadly, these geckos are endangered today.     출처: 어린이 영자신문 키즈타임즈 (www.kidstimes.net)