Leopard Gecko

Eublepharis macularius

Joseph Poch
Herpetology
December 9, 2003
Dr. Jennifer Dever
Introduction
In recent years, reptiles have become increasingly popular to have as pets. This is

especially true with the leopard gecko, Eublepharis macularius, which has become the

most popular gecko to be kept in captivity. This is because of the relative effortlessness

required to care for the geckos and their bright colored pattern. They have also become

primary subjects in research concerning hormones and the affected behaviors. They are a

species of interest because the temperature at which the eggs are incubated determines

their sexual dimorphism instead of a genetic component (Viets, Tousignant, Ewert,

Nelson and Crews, 1993). This species is also unique in its moveable eyes and absence

of the well-studied adhesive toe pads found in most geckos (Virtual Museum of Natural

History, 2003). In all, this species can provide important insights into the physiology of

geckos which will be covered in the following paper, however additionally studies are

needed to comprehend the many aspects of this species..

Characteristics
The leopard gecko, Eublepharis macularius, belongs to the Gecko family

Eublepharidae. The main defining features of this gecko family are well-developed

functional eyelids. Other features include an unpaired parietal bone, absent calcified

endolymphatic sacs in the neck region, and two centers of ossification present for the

formation of the premaxillary bone (Szczerbak and Golubev, 1996). Members of this

family also have soft small-scaled skin and do not have the adhesive toe-pads that are a

feature of the geckos in the Gekkonidae family (Virtual Museum of Natural History,

2003). The prominent adaptation of adhesive toe pads found on geckos has permitted

geckos to securely adhere to rock and trees for climbing. Since the Eublepharidae family

lacks this feature, they are typically found on ground hidden between rocks.
Furthermore, members of this family produce soft-shell eggs unlike the other Gecko

family, Gekkonidae, whose eggs are enclosed by a hard-shell. Members of this family are

mainly confined to desert and dry-savanna habitats (Bartlett and Bartlett, 1995). The four

genuses of this family are the Coleonyx, Eublepharis, Goniurosaurus, and Hemitheconyx

(Virtual Museum of Natural History, 2003).

The genus Eublepharis also has some overall defining characteristics that help

herpetologists define the species. A unique characteristic of this genus is the fat-tail used

for the storage of fat, which can be used as a valuable energy resource (Terrell, Uhl and

Funk, 2003). The tail is typically shorter than the length of the head and body with a

dilated middle and pointed tip (Szczerbak and Golubev, 1996). If the tail would fall off,

it would regenerate with a bulbous shape, irregular scale pattern and paler coloring

(Bartlett and Bartlett, 1995). Species in the Eublepharis genus have digits that are short,

cylindrical, clawed, and have transverse lamellae underneath (Gocmen, 2003). Eight

species have been identified within the Eublepharis genus, one being Eublepharis

macularius, with coloration patterns and a small number of consistent scale

characteristics (Szczerbak and Golubev, 1996).

The coloration of Eublepharis macularis is the explanation behind its common

name, the Leopard Gecko. The dorsal surface of the body has a bright lemon-color

surface decorated with numerous dark brown spots and occasional light thin interspaces.

This pattern originates at the head with the spots becoming larger on the body set in non-

distinct longitudinal rows. This pattern changes as one goes toward the tail where the

spots merge to form transverse rings diminishing at the ventral surface (Szczerbak and
Golubev, 1996). The ventral surface is white with some washed-out darker spots on the

main body surface.

The coloration of the leopard gecko is varied between adults and juveniles.

Juveniles are generally with yellow and dark brown stripes with fade into spots as it

matures (Martinez). Furthermore, young leopard geckos have a black-brown hood from

the nostrils to the ears that covers the entire upper head. In the occipital region of the

hood there are three light tips that are pointed to the neck in type of bird-track shape and

a solid black-brown stripe on the neck (Szczerbak and Golubev, 1996). Adult males and

females look alike with the only true sex differences being that males are larger. Males

have an average SVL of 15.5 to 16 centimeters and the SVL of females is 14.5 to 15

centimeters (Gocmen, 2003). Males also typically have a broader head and neck

(Martinez). The hemipenes can be found by comparing the undersides specifically the

areas anterior and posterior to the cloaca between males and females. Males have a series

of enlarged pores anterior to the anus and a globular tail base, which is absent in females

(Bartlett and Bartlett, 1995).

Habitat
The Leopard gecko can be typically located in Southwest Asia. The range of E.

macularius is from eastern Afghanistan and spreads south through Pakistan to western

India (Szczerbak and Golubev, 1996). Most specimens seen in the wild were found in

rocky deserts and arid grasslands (Martinez). They are most frequently located on clay-

gravel soil covered by sand and rich in bushes of Zygophyllum (Szczerbak and Golubev,

1996). They are nocturnal animals, so during the day they can be found hidden in holes

and crevices in avoid predators (Sleigh and Birchard, 2001). Their main predators are
foxes (Szczerbak and Golubev, 1996). Much is yet to be studied regarding variances

between leopard geckos from different geographical areas.

Diet
Leopard geckos are found to be strictly carnivores feeding mainly upon living

insects and other arthropods. The leopard gecko’s prey is small, typically half the width

of their skull. Their diets consist mainly of crickets, meal worms, and newly born mice

(Martinez). They tend to be stealthy while hunting their prey with final acquisition of the

victim being quick and certain but vary between individuals. They tend to exhibit

heightened amounts of tail-writhing and postures (Bartlett and Bartlett, 1995). Deperno

and Cooper studied labial-licking behaviors in 1996. Labial licking is defined as the

tongue only contacting one’s own labial scales along with surrounding scales of its mouth

(Deperno and Cooper, 1996). It was found there is a direct relationship with this

behavior decreasing as the gecko is exposed for a longer period to prey (Deperno and

Cooper, 1996) The reason behind this could be that it may be a grooming function instead

of a chemosensory response (Cooper, 1994). It should be studied further so one can

better understand these behaviors in relation to leopard gecko’s hunting behavior of prey.

In captivity, it is suggested that their diet is consistently varied. Also, it should be

supplemented with calcium and vitamin D3. This is especially important during rapid

growth of juveniles or egg production of females because it allocates enough calcium

needed for bone growth and proper eggshell development (Bartlett and Bartlett, 1995).

Behavior
Behaviors exhibited by geckos have been well studied and documented,

especially the Leopard gecko. Leopard geckos are mainly nocturnal with their main
activities taking place directly after sunset (Szczerbak and Golubev, 1996). Male leopard

geckos have exhibited competitive behavior by being quite territorial and exhibiting

aggressiveness towards one another. They may tear off the tail of another male or even

rip off a piece of skin from the body (Szczerbak and Golubev, 1996). If aggressive, a

male leopard gecko will approach by waving its tail and approaching the intruding animal

in a sideways movement. It may than bite the intruder’s neck or head or even flip the

individual on to its back (Crews, Coomber, Baldwin, Azad, and Gonzalez-Lima, 1996).

In 1990, Mason and Gutzke found that males and females recognize one another through

chemoreception. Besides visual cues, an individual can detect whether another gecko is

male or female through semochemicals excreted by the skin of the neighboring gecko.

The individual will thus exhibit a specific behavior towards that gecko, the behavior

being aggression if the interacting individual is a male and courtship if it is a female.

Males and females may excrete different semochemicals which are believed to have

evolved as water-retention mechanism (Mason and Gutzke, 1990) In this study, they

looked specifically at females during the shedding of their skin to see if upon losing the

skin, males would treat the female as a male. It was found males were more aggressive

to females when the skin was shedding while exhibiting courtship behavior to them pre-

and post-shedding, which indicate a pheromone difference between females and males.

Sakata, Gupta, Chuang, and Crews found in 2002 that social experience affects

reproductive and territorial behaviors in a male leopard gecko. They looked for

differences between males raised alongside females compared to those who were raised

alone. They found that socially experiences males were more likely display territorial

markings and to show more courtship behavior compared to that of naïve males. This
difference continued even true after both types of geckos were castrated and administered

testosterone replacement therapy. This demonstrates how a gecko’s social interaction in

the field is important to its reproductive behavior. It may also indicate that these

differences are linked to experience-dependent alterations in the metabolic activity in

important limbic brain areas (Sakata, Gupta, Chuang, and Crews, 2002).

E. macularius is a lizard whose sex is determined by the temperature that its eggs

are incubated. In a study published in 1993, Viets, Tousignant, Ewert, Nelson and Crews

discovered that an embryonic temperature of 30 C produces a female-biased sex ratio

(one male to every three females) while those with a temperature of 32.5 C produce a

male-biased sex ratio (three males to every one female). With this knowledge, studies

have looked to find other differences that this incubation temperature would create

especially concerning behaviors that are either sexual or aggressive. In 1996, Crews,

Coomber, Baldwin, Azad, and Gonzalez-Lima found that the incubation temperature is

the primary factor that determines differences found between interactions of the male and

female leopard. This is important because it means that incubation temperature is more

important in influencing brain organization and hence behavior than gonadal sex during

development (Crews, Coomber, Baldwin, Azad, and Gonzalez-Lima, 1996).

Since it was found that sociosexual behavior reflects differences in the

morphology of the brain, it would be important to know how permanent is the effect of

incubation temperature. Rhen and Crews published in 1999 that testosterone treatments

of adult male Leopard geckos had no effect on activation of behaviors. They also

uncovered that adult males from different incubation temperatures had differing

responses to the same hormone treatments. This is due to embryonic temperature being
the main determinant of differences amongst behaviors of adult males from different

incubating temperatures and not the hormones circulating through the body.

Testosterones effect upon adult females was also studied. It was observed that females

derived from a male-biased incubation temperature were more sensitive to testosterone

than those from a female-biased incubation temperature. These females also exhibited

male typical aggressive behavior after the testosterone treatments and they were typically

attacked more by males which may be an indication that the testosterone changed the

chemical composition of the lipids excreted by the female’s skin (Flores and Crews,

1995). It was also discovered in a later study that testosterone increased and decreased

female reproductive behaviors and that with long duration could allow the female to form

a hemipenes (Rhen, Ross and Crews, 1999). In all, these studies have provided greater

insight into the understanding of the importance of incubation temperature and its effects

upon hormones, brain organization and behavior.

Reproduction
According to Crews et al. (1996), the courtship behavior most popularly

used among geckos consists of the male approaching the female slowly using his tongue

to lick the air and substrate. The chemical produced by the female’s skin causes the male

to vibrate the tip of his tail. If the female is receptive, then she will remain still as the

male approaches. He will than lick and bite her gently prior to shaking her tail. Slowly,

the male will move his grip from to the upper body and position his body parallel to hers.

The females will than lift her tail and allow the male to intromit. In a study in 2003,

researchers examined at the receptors of androgens in female leopard geckos during their

reproductive cycle. It was observed that there is a direct correlation with the expression
of androgen-mRNA in the brain during the late vitellogenesis phase and elevated

concentrations of androgens found circulating the body. This in effect than creates a

higher propensity for receptive behavior exhibited by the female leopard gecko. (Rhen et

al, 2003)

Female leopard geckos lay two eggs per clutch (Bartlett and Bartlett, 1995).

These eggs are hard-shelled and it takes approximately 60 days for the eggs to hatch

(Szczerbak and Golubev, 1996). Sleight and Birchard found in 2001, that the amount of

prenatal visual stimulation had an effect upon embryos. The more exposure to a light

source, the shorter the incubation time and a higher preference exhibited by the juvenile

for that same stimulation after hatching. This indicates that the nervous system is

responsive to stimulations even prior to the maturity of the organism. This gives a better

understanding to their development.

Conclusion
The leopard gecko, Eublepharis macularius, has become important in research

studies looking at brain and hormones effects upon behavioral and anatomical differences

between males and females. This is because it is completely reliant upon the

environmental factors it is exposed to prior to hatching. Information gathered here may

be a future model from which one could figure out the similar behavioral shifts found in

similar species.

Another study that has been found to be important is the identification and

characterization of the GnRH-II gene in the leopard gecko. This is the first time that this

gene, which is found highly conserved in vertebrates, has been discovered in reptiles.

This means that this gene may have become divergent during the amniote evolution since
the precursor sequence found in the leopard gecko is slightly variant from that found in

mammalian species and more similar to that found in amphibians and fishes (Ikemoto

and Park, 2003). This study has important implications considering the reptiles and their

route through the evolutionary time frame.

In conclusion, these creatures have been studied for valuable insights into their

physiology. Since the sexual dimorphisms is not effected by differing genes, the

distinctions between males and females must be solely due to the incubation temperatures

effect on the development of the brain and hormone excretion. Effects of testosterone

and estrogen seen in these creatures provide a deeper understanding on their overall

effect and usefulness. Future studies are needed though in studying the ecological

aspects of the creature especially as the species is gaining popularity as a pet. They may

hold a more important place in the ecological nitches they can be found and therefore

their abundance in nature may be important and they may need protection from high rates

of capture just to be kept as pets.

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