Southern Marbled Gecko
S6, ventral
Ellura
Southern Rock Dtella
S2, dorsal
 
                      
Southern Rock Dtella (Gehyra lazelli)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Chordates (Chordata) - Reptiles (Reptilia)
Order: Scaled Reptiles (Squamata)
Family: Gecko (Gekkota: Gekkonidae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Southern Rock Dtella (Gehyra lazelli)
This Photo:     🔍S1, dorsal🔎
Other name: Tree Dtella

Thank you Yingyod Lapwong for confirming the id of this species for us

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere
Of those we've measured, they were between ~43mm to ~55mm SVL.
5 toes & 5 fingers.
Notice the unusual toes for Gehyra.
They appear to have suction pads AND still one claw in the middle of each toe.
Only 4 toes, of 5, have a claw (on each foot/hand)
The individual can choose to drop it's tail if it feels in danger. The tail wriggles actively taking the predators attention while the gecko slips away. There are no vital organs in the tail, but it is used as a fuel store to help survive over winter. As such a lost tail at the end of the season could still be fatal if it can't replenish it's fuel store.
Notice S13 has a divided/split/double tail. This only ever occurrs when the tail has been dropped and regrown. This is evident by the different colour/pattern of the tail. Skinks can also drop their tails if needed.

Occasionally a gecko or skink is found with multiple tails (like S13 here).
(JustAnExplorer) said "It typically happens when the tail is not completely dropped so a new one grows around it, giving it that forked look".
Matt Campbell followed this up with "I've found skinks with 3 'tails' and I once saw a photo of one with 7! As mentioned above, it's where the fracture plane doesn't break the entire way across, so the original tail stays while a regen one grows out of the split."

Copyright © 2014-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 07-Nov-2014
This species is classed as LC (Least Concern) in the Murray Mallee, SA, by DENR (Regional Species Status Assessments, July 2010)