Gecko
From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science
| Gecko |
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Geckos are basically small lizards. They chirp at each other to communicate over distances. As you will find, a gecko's most important characteristic is its amazing footpads. They have attracted a lot of attention to the gecko, due to the amazing qualities that the foot posseses. Gecko's can easily climb onto walls and non-horizontal surfaces without the use of either glue or suction cups. They can do this due to the gripping power of the hairlike setae on their feet whose gripping strength has been attributed to van der Waals forces (although some believe it has to do with capillary action and hydrogen bonding).
Another very real aspect of geckos in the modern world is that they are sold as pets in North America. Geckos can live up to 25 years. A very popular species of captive gecko is the Leopard Gecko. It has a calm demeanor and rarely bites, making for a perfect pet.
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Body and Special Features
Geckos have small round bodies, with two pairs of legs. Each of the four legs has five toes. These "toes" are a wonder of science. Each pad has thousands of small setae (one tenth the diameter of a human hair) attached to the bottom surface of the foot, and each setae has thousands of tinier "spatulae". These attach to virtually any surface using van der Waals force. Though the Gecko does not secrete any kind of liquid, the gecko's foot takes advantage of the thin film of water (a monolayer) found on all terrestrial surfaces, even in the desert. Thus the Gecko needs no liquids of any kind to adhere to surfaces though higher humidity seems to help a bit [1]. It is hard to imagine how this complicated system of hairs and tinier hairs could have evolved in a random, step by step fashion since gecko feet can only function with fully developed setae and spatulae. A Creator's careful design makes more sense.
Another wonder is the gecko's tail. The tail is used to store fat the gecko builds up. It can then burn that fat when needed without carrying it on their bodies (or torsos). Some species have tails that shoot poisonous liquids out of the ends. [2]
Geckos come in a variety of colors, for genetics and other different reasons. Some are born with the colors that they will have their entire lives. Some have adapted forms of camouflage, and some rely on chromataphores to rapidly change their colors as a form of protection.
Geckos do not have eyelids. They have a clear membrane over their eyes. These "membranes" are cleaned by the geckos themselves licking them with their long tongues [3].
Reproductive Habits and Young
Geckos can mate through sexual reproduction, but female geckos can reproduce on their own without a male. The female becomes bloated in a stage referred to as "pregnancy".
She then lays small, sticky, hard eggs on virtually any surface. The female does not produce large litters like other reptiles. The female usually produces about two one-embryo eggs per pregnancy. The eggs are sticky at first, but harden after a short time. The female gecko will usually abandon her eggs. In some cases geckos have been recorded as eating their young after birth. Some species are parthenogenic, the females capable of reproducing without copulating with a male. This improves the geckos' ability to spread to new islands. [4]
Habitat
Geckos live in many different habitats, due to their overwhelming variety. For example, the House Gecko has been bred to survive in incredibly warm and moist climates. Despite its name, this animal is fairly small and lighter colored.
In conclusion, their distribution is throughout mainland Asia and Southeast Asia, and as far as South and East Africa and across the Pacific Ocean to Mexico. The House Gecko is an anthropophilous (man loving) species and since the 19th Century it has been inadvertently spread from Asia to many tropical islands and continents. [5]
Predators and Food
Snakes are geckos' main predators. When a gecko is caught by its tail, it releases the tail, which twitches for a while, allowing the gecko to escape capture. The gecko can regenerate its tail again after time. [6]
Domestic pets, especially cats, like to catch and eat geckos occasionally. Dogs will sometimes use their sense of smell to find lizards who live in holes in the ground, and will also catch a gecko that spends too much time on the floor. Geckos will slowly stalk moths and mosquitoes that have landed on a wall or ceiling, then quickly catch them with their mouths for a quick snack.
Gallery
 Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius) subfamily Eublepharinae |
 Moorish Gecko (Tarentola mauritanica) subfamily Gekkoninae |
 Golden Gecko (Gekko ulikovski) subfamily Gekkonidae |
 desert gecko |
 Green forest gecko |
 Smiling gecko |
 Spotted Gecko |
Related References
- All About Geckos EnchantedLearning.com
- God's Gecko Glue Branyon May and Bert Thompson, Ph.D
- Gecko Facts: Tail GeckoDude.com
- Gecko Facts: Shedding GeckoDude.com
- Gecko Wikipedia.org
- All by Design: Defying Gravity by Jonathan O'Quinn. Creation Matters, Volume 11, Number 4, July/August 2006, page 12.
