#hemitheconyx

Taylor’s Fat-tailed Gecko (Hemitheconyx taylori), family Eublepharidae, endemic to Somalia

Specialized termite feeders

Taylor’s Fat-tailed Gecko (Hemitheconyx taylori), family Eublepharidae, endemic to Somalia

Specialized termite feeders

Taylor’s Fat-tailed Gecko (Hemitheconyx taylori), family Eublepharidae, endemic to Somalia

Specialized termite feeders

Kristi Cichy-Housman of Ghoulish Geckos suggested this book to me when I asked her about books that were good resources for learning more about leopard geckos.   I haven’t looked at it in depth and don’t have time to do so today, but it encompasses multiple genus of eyelash geckos, when and who discovered them, observations on location and distribution, descriptions and pictures of biomes where available and even charts of temperatures and weather.  Twelve pages of listed documented references, a glossary and photo credits.  

The covered genus included (as listed): 

Aeluroscalabotes (Cat Geckos)

Coleonyx (Banded Geckos)

Eublepharis (Asian Leopard Geckos or Fat-Tailed Geckos)

Goniurosaurus (Oriental Leopard Geckos) 

Hemitheconyx (African Fat-Tailed Geckos)

Holodactylus (East African Clawed Geckos) 

African fat tailed geckos (Hemitheconyx caudicinctus) are the sturdier cousins of the leopard gecko. Both species belong to the subfamily Eublepharis of geckos as they share several key characteristics which make them different to most geckos - they are ground living (terrestrial), have movable eyelids, vertical pupils and lack the "sticky" feet of arboreal geckos.

The african fat tailed gecko is found in West Africa, from Senegal to Cameroon in savannah and scrublands. Though these are dry desert-like environments these geckos avoid the harsh daytime temperatures and dryness by sleeping in underground burrows (or other humid hiding places) and becoming active during the night. 

AFTs typically grow to 8 to 14 inches long (20 to 35 cm), with females being slightly larger than males. They have a captive lifespan of 10-25 years. Normal coloring is brown and tan/beige stripes, with a possible thin white stripe along the length of the back, but various colour morphs are bred for by breeders including: tangerine, albino, patternless, white out and aberrant.

AFTs are becoming an increasingly popular pet, in part because of their ability to thrive in captivity but also because of their docile dispositions and their openness for being handled. The primary difference between AFTs and the more popular leopard gecko is AFTs have a higher humidity requirement.