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Web-Footed Gecko

Common Name: Web-Footed Gecko Scientific Name: Palmatogecko rangei Average Life Span In The Wild: 5 years Size relative to a teacup: IUCN Red List Status:? Not evaluated

Least Concern Extinct

Current Population Trend: Unknown

The ghostly web-footed gecko is nearly translucent with a pale, salmon-colored undertone and light-brown stripes. Their color provides perfect camouflage among the powdery reddish sands of the Namib Desert, their primary habitat.

Desert Adaptations

These geckos have adapted their webbed feet not only to help them stay atop, but to bury beneath the dunes of the Namib Desert. Strictly nocturnal lizards, they spend the day in self-dug burrows and emerge at night to feed.

Their bloodshot-looking eyes are massively oversized to help them detect prey, which includes crickets, grasshoppers, and small spiders. They move surprisingly quickly across the sand, and adhesive pads on their toes make them excellent climbers.

Size

Web-foots are considered medium-size geckos, reaching an average size of about four inches in length. Males are slightly smaller than females.

Conservation

People sometimes hunt these tiny lizards for food, and human encroachment is destroying some of its habitat. Their estimated lifespan in the wild is about five years.

Being A Gecko Is Sticky Business!

Have you ever seen a gecko run up a tree or fence? They are very fast, and they seem to stick to just about anything! Wouldn't it be fun if you could hang upside down from the ceiling or a branch like a gecko?

Geckos belong to the lizard family, and they can be anywhere from 2 to 24 inches long. They help us by eating insects, and they are found in many warm climates throughout the southeastern and southwestern parts of the US, and around the world. However, their most amazing feature is the ability of their feet to stick to almost anything.

Stickiness happens when two substances are attracted to each other. If you have ever felt the pull of two magnets toward each other, you have felt one example of an attractive force. So how does a gecko stick? Is it a sticky goo, tiny suction cups, or even tiny hooks? No, it's none of those things. The answer has to do with chemistry!

The gecko sticks with temporary attractive forces between molecules called Van der Waals forces. They are easily formed and broken again, and only occur over short distances, like when the molecules on the gecko's feet are very close to the molecules of the wall. The distance between the molecules has to be very tiny. The molecules are approximately 0.3 – 0.6 nanometers apart. Nanometers measure very small lengths. If one of your hairs were a mile wide, a nanometer would only take up one inch of it! A gecko's attraction to surfaces like walls, ceilings and branches depends on thousands of tiny hair-like structures called setae on the bottom of the lizard's toes. The setae have even smaller divisions on their ends called spatulae, which are like tiny versions of the kitchen spatulas that chefs use to flip pancakes. The spatulae are like the tiny bristles at the end of a brush. The molecules that make up the spatulae are attracted to the molecules of the wall, so the gecko's feet stick to the wall.

Everyone Can See The Leaves, But You Have 20/20 Vision If You Spot The Gecko Hidden In The Tree In Under 10 Seconds

MANY creatures have adapted to their surroundings over time but none more so than this lizard.

If you can spot the camouflaged reptile in this puzzling image in less than 10 seconds you may have the eyes of a hawk.

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You might have 20/20 vision if you can spot the camouflaged lizard on this tree branchCredit: Getty

Aptly named, the leaf-tailed gecko can easily disguise itself in a nature scene.

The species is indigenous to Madagascar and can usually be found in the island's tropical forests.

At first glance, the Getty Image appears to show only a tree branch with some leaves.

However, upon closer inspection, some eagle-eyed animal lovers may be able to spot the gecko camouflaged against the tree bark.

If you can find the lizard in under 10 seconds, you may be extremely smart.

But don't worry if you can't locate the reptile, we can offer you a helpful hint to guide you.

Focus your attention on the right underside of the branch and look out of the animal's telltale bulging eyes.

The lizard's scaly body easily blends in with the tree's moss-covered bark.

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However, if you look along the side of the branch, you might notice what appears to be a piece of the bark sticking out.

Right under your nose the entire time, this part of the branch is actually the camouflaged lizard.

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If you still can't spot the creature, focus your attention on the bottom of the branch.

The gecko's signature eyes can barely be made out against the bark of the branch.

Clinging to the tree upside down, the lizard's body stretches up the branch with its tail eventually curling at the bend.

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The gecko can barely be made out as it camouflages itself against the bark of the branchCredit: Getty

If you're looking to challenge yourself even further, try to find the butterfly among the leaves.

The picture shows scattered leaves on the ground in varying states of decay.

Usually covered in bright colors and patterns, this butterfly's wings are a similar shade to the surrounding foliage, making it all the more difficult to spot.

While most of the leaves are dead, the living creature can barely be made out as it rests among them.

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You can challenge your eyesight even further by trying to find the butterfly in this imageCredit: Alamy

It looks like just another brown leaf until you spot its antennae.

If you need a hint, look toward the bottom of the image, moving near the center.

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The butterfly can be seen sitting atop the crunchy leaves along the border of the picture.

And if you're looking to try your hand at even more optical illusions, we have plenty to offer.

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The insect can barely be seen as it sits on top of the pile of dead leavesCredit: Alamy

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