📸 PhotoPhoto: Lennart Hudel · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Crested Gecko
Correlophus ciliatus (Crested Gecko · Crested Gecko)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 It is virtually the only gecko species readily available in the pet trade in the United States and Europe (described in a PMC paper).
- 💡 Because it breeds so well in captivity, it is a rare example of a reptile that became widespread in less than 20 years (described in a PMC paper).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
The Crested Gecko is a gecko endemic to New Caledonia that is very common as a pet but vulnerable in the wild.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Unlike many geckos, once its tail is lost it cannot regenerate; only 14 out of roughly 1,850 known gecko species share this trait.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It rests on branches during the day and is active at night, moving through the high canopy of tropical rainforests. It is an omnivore that eats both small invertebrates such as insects and fruit.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List VU (2021) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/176173/123253756
- • IUCN Red List category VU — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • catalogueoflife.org — YHKB
- • iucnredlist.org — 123253756
- • wikidata.org — Q24276246
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Correlophus ciliatus 33606417.jpg
- • pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov — PMC11797025
- • pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov — PMC11558660
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · CC0 1.0
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.