📸 PhotoPhoto: Lennart Hudel · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
New Caledonia Giant Gecko
Rhacodactylus leachianus (New Caledonia Giant Gecko · ツギオミカドヤモリ)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 A maximum weight of 340 g is slightly heavier than a block of store-bought tofu (about 300 g) (Comparison).
- 💡 A maximum length of 35.5 cm is the length of a 30 cm ruler plus a handspan (Comparison).
- 💡 The Smithsonian's National Zoo notes that this gecko has a stable wild population and is assessed as Least Concern.
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.
Site-computed relative index from recorded values; not a formal scientific metric.
📖 1. Overview
The New Caledonia Giant Gecko is a large-bodied gecko endemic to New Caledonia, living high in the trees of tropical rainforests.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Its body length reaches up to 35.5 cm and its weight is 227–340 g. Even newly hatched young measure 8.9–10.2 cm.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It eats invertebrates and fruit, and in zoos it is fed crickets, mealworms, mashed fruit, and honey. The female lays two soft-shelled eggs at a time, which hatch after 60–90 days.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List LC (2021) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/176166/123252801
- • IUCN Red List category LC — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • catalogueoflife.org — 4RX4R
- • iucnredlist.org — 123252801
- • wikidata.org — Q1193333
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Rhacodactylus leachianus 33603748.jpg
- • nationalzoo.si.edu — new-caledonian-gecko
- • reptile-database.reptarium.cz — species
- • 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.