Leopard Gecko – Sensitivity to Energy Fluctuation
Keywords:
Saving up for the lean periods, resting when it’s cold, sensitivity to temperature changes, sensitivity to energy fluctuations around you, finding it difficult to regain energy that is lost, imperfect regeneration, holding on, it’s in your grasp, holding onto who you care for, thick-skinned, shedding your skin, taking time to look after yourself, affiliation with leopard energy, desert wisdom and folklore.
General Description:
An ectothermic, nocturnal, ground-dwelling lizard found in southern Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern India and parts of Iran. Their native habitats are rocky, dry grasslands and desert regions. They are solitary insectivores, and are able to store excess fat in their tails which they survive on during low winter temperatures when they enter brumation (semi-hibernation). They have a keen sense of sight and smell, and are able to stalk their prey. Unlike other geckoes, they possess moveable eyelids. They have durable skin, which gives them protection from rough substrates in their environment. They can live between 6-10 years, with some males living much longer.
They will drop their tails when threatened, and though the tails regenerate, they never appear the same and can be stumpy. They will consume their own skin after shedding to obtain protein and vitamins. Males are aggressive towards other males, and will swell their tongues, and rise off the ground in aggression, they will sometimes bite quickly and this can do significant damage. Males display courtship behaviours towards females, unless they are shedding, in which case they can be aggressive. They become sexually mature between 8-9 months; during mounting, males will repeatedly bite the female’s head, and this can sometimes cause tail detachment. They show temperature-dependent sex determination, with females being more likely to be produced in cool temperatures and very hot temperatures (these latter being more aggressive and often infertile). The leopard gecko have been established as a popular pet; those in captivity tend to be brighter than those in the wild.