The Leachianus Gecko is a large species of Gecko that is native to the island of New Caledonia in the South Pacific Ocean.
This species is also commonly called the New Caledonian Giant Gecko so whichever name you see, just know that it refers to the exact same species of lizard.
Leachianus Gecko Taxonomy
In the Animal Kingdom, Taxonomy is used as the science and practice of classifying different species and sub-species based on their biological and genetic makeup.
Family
The family of lizards that the Leachianus Gecko belongs to is called Diplodactylidae. The lizards in this family are native to Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia.
This is a large family of geckos with 25 different genera and over 150 different recognised species in the family.
Some if the lizards in this family include the Velvet Geckos and the Mossy Geckos.
Genus
The genus that the Leachianus Gecko belongs to is called Rhacodactylus. This is a genus of Geckos that are native to New Caledonia.
There is a lot of debate about this genus with a number of species being debated or moved into other genera.
Depending on what literature you read, there can be up to 6 different species in the genus.
However, it is widely accepted that the Crested Gecko doesn’t belong to the Rhacodactylus genus and has since been moved back to its previous genus.
Species
The scientific name for the Leachianus Gecko is Rhacodactylus leachianus and there are currently no recognised sub-species.
The species was first described in 1829 by a French Zoologist named Georges Cuvier.
Leachianus Gecko Description
The Leachianus Gecko is the largest living species of gecko in the world, reaching a maximum length of over 40cm including their tail.
The very large size of this lizard in comparison to other species of geckos is considered an example of island gigantism.
The large species in the Rhacodactylus genus have been cut off and isolated on the islands of New Caledonia, allowing them to evolve to much larger sizes.
It can come in a range of different colors from brown, greenish or grey. They often have spots or blotches that can be white, pink or even orange in color.
They are a heavy bodied lizard with loose skin and a small stumpy tail.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
The Leachianus Gecko is native to the islands of New Caledonia which are a group of islands around 1,200km off the East Coast of Australia.
This lizard has been identified on the main island of New Caledonia as well as on the smaller island to the South, called the Isle of Pines.
The Leachianus Gecko may also be present on some of the other islands that make up New Caledonia.
On the main island, they can be found in all regions and can be found in the North, Central and Southern parts of the island.
There is a large population of these lizards on the Isle of Pines while they can also be found on many of the tiny islands that surround it.
Leachianus Gecko Behaviour
The Leachianus Gecko is an arboreal species that spends most of its time high up in the canopy of trees.
It is nocturnal species meaning it is mostly active at night and sleeps during the day. However, they are sometimes seen basking in the sun during the early hours of the day.
They have a diet that consists primarily of insects. They will also eat things like spiders, small vertebrates, fruit and nectar.
They are excellent climbers thanks to the presence of ‘adhesive pads’ on their toes called lamellas. These pads are made up of microfiber hairs.
They can make a noise which sounds like a loud growl. The indigenous people are known to call this noise “the devil in the trees”.
In fact, many indigenous people fear the Leachianus Gecko as there is a superstition that the gecko has the ability to cling to a person’s body and pull out their soul.