Gecko Léopard

The Leopard Gecko is a gregarious animal that lives in colonies of individuals of different ages and sexes. Males have marked territorial behaviors, particularly in spring, at the beginning of the breeding season, where they can even be aggressive towards each other. Dominant males mark their territory by rubbing the rear portion of their body on the ground, thereby coating it with secretions from their femoral pores. Conflicting males adopt an arched posture by stiffening on their legs and making sudden forward or lateral movements to intimidate their opponent. They can also make sharp cries. Fights can also occur if one of the two males does not flee: the two combatants attempt to bite their opponent, potentially inflicting serious injuries. Occasionally the defeated male loses its tail by autotomy; it is then swallowed by the winner. Thus, the colony's composition varies by season: upon exiting winter, it comprises several subadult and adult individuals. The subordinates leave the colony during the breeding season. At the end of the warm season, the group comprises many juveniles born during the year. When two individuals meet, they can interact by licking each other's tongues, rubbing their mouth on the ground or vibrating their tail. If they are two males, they may then show aggressive behaviors.

This gecko mainly frequents rocky and rugged habitats, deserts or semi-deserts. However, the range of habitats frequented is wide and includes xeric deserts and scrublands, steppes and dry tropical forests. It seems to prefer clay soils and avoids sandy deserts. It happens that it lodges in very human-altered spaces such as stone walls, buildings, etc. In these habitats, it shelters in rock crevices and cavities, under stones and in soil holes. The Leopard Gecko is found from sea level to approximately 2,500 m altitude.

The Leopard Gecko eats only animals. It feeds mainly on small invertebrates when young, then becomes more opportunistic as it ages. Thus, cases of predation on insects (grasshoppers, crickets, cockroaches, crickets, beetles, ants, dragonflies, mealworms), arachnids (spiders, scorpions), lizards (Liolaemus sp., Podarcis sp., Rhinogecko femoralis) and small snakes, rodents and chicks have been observed. Cases of cannibalism have been observed, with adults eating juveniles of their species. The Leopard Gecko uses its sight and smell to hunt its prey. It is capable of adapting its hunting technique to the type of prey: thus, it is capable of slowly approaching a low-mobility prey to catch it once in contact, or triggering a rapid attack to seize a more mobile prey like a grasshopper in a single leap. Before this latter type of attack, it is frequent for the gecko's tail to vibrate. The Leopard Gecko does not have scavenging behavior since it only attacks mobile prey; dead or immobile prey are generally ignored.