The Ankarana Reserve, Madagascar. Scientists have discovered a new breed of gecko with a quite unusual and yet brilliant skill. When it’s under threat from predators, it can shed its skin. Completely off! The new gecko has been christened ‘Geckolepis megalepis‘ and it’s currently stunning animal and lizard experts who have never seen such a remarkable capability in a small lizard like this before.
The idea seems weird and looks gross when you see it in action, but it actually makes perfect sense when you think about it. When a predator sees the gecko, it grabs it. But as the large scales are shed, the eagle – let’s say – ends up with nothing but a bunch of old dead skin!
Meanwhile, themegalepis scurries off, all pink and wet like a newborn. Cold and vulnerable but – crucially – alive!
These poor little things are described as listed as ‘near threatened‘ at the moment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
But there’s lots of new work going on behind the scenes to keep these extraordinarily geckos alive and thriving…
Here’s more on the weird little guys…
