Posted on 07/06/2009 8:13:56 PM PDT by JoeProBono
Forget that little guy selling insurance. Geckos are a lot more than that.
Need proof? Just visit the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia from now through Sept. 7 and check out “Geckos: Tails to Toepads,” an interactive exhibit featuring dozens of the small, agile – and surprisingly noisy – creatures.
“Geckos are among the most diverse and interesting of all reptiles,” said Dr. Aaron Bauer, a Villanova University professor and an Academy research associate who is a world expert on geckos. “This exhibit will give people a good look at their unique specializations and an appreciation for why they are such excellent models for studying evolutionary questions. The exhibit is entertaining and accessible, but it has lots of real science in it, too.”
“Geckos: Tails to Toepads” brings 75 of those diverse, interesting reptiles to the City of Brotherly Love – a place where you’re not too likely to spot them out in the open.
“Geckos have a certain charisma,” according to Carolyn Belardo, communications manager for the Academy. “They are unusual, diverse and fun to watch and listen to. Not many people in this region get the chance to see geckos because they do not live in this area. We think our visitors of all ages will be interested in this rare opportunity to see such a large number and diversity of geckos right here in Philadelphia.”
What’s a Gecko to Do?
There’s a reason why a gecko is the spokes-animal for a certain well-known insurance company — with their big eyes and so-cute-only-a-mother-could-love-’em looks, they’re undeniably intriguing.
“(What visitors will find interesting) depends on the individual,” Belardo said. “Everyone will find something of interest that they can tell their friends about, a new nugget of information to talk about at the water cooler.”
Those nuggets include the fact that geckos can’t blink (they’ve got a transparent scale that covers their eyes, but no actual eyelids), the fact that they can break off their tails to evade predators, and, most famously, the fact that they can stick to any surface (even underwater!) with their toes.
“The ability to stick is a mechanism that geckos evolved millions of years ago, and it provided them with a distinct advantage over other animals,” said Anthony Geneva, a biologist at the Academy who studies geckos. “It probably allowed geckos to live and thrive in habitats where other animals couldn’t.”
Those habitats range from balmy tropical beaches and lush rain forests to frigid mountain slopes and parched deserts. In the U.S., they are found in the extreme southern states, from Florida to California.
“Geckos, like all animals, play a role in the environment. The removal of any species upsets the balance that biodiversity maintains,” Geneva said. “Along with bats, they are among the most important nocturnal predators of insects, including mosquitoes and roaches.”
They are so cute. In Singapore they are called “wallpaper.” They are so helpful by eating the insects.
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