Wednesday 16 February 2011

Ghostly Gecko caught on film....does this have implications for cryptozoology?


In rarely captured footage, a giant "ghostly gecko" has been filmed hunting at night in the wild.The leaf or flat-tailed gecko has a flattened tail, huge head and eyes, a fringe around the body and an uncanny ability to disappear from sight as it camouflages itself against tree trunks. If disturbed the gecko raises its tail and head, opens its mouth and screams. But at night, the hunted becomes the hunter, a behaviour filmed for the BBC documentary Madagascar. Commonly known as the flat-tailed or giant leaf-tailed gecko, Uroplatus fimbriatus lives in tropical rain forest in eastern Madagascar. Large individuals can grow up to 30cm long.
As well as being threatened by habitat destruction, the geckos are sought after for the pet trade, which threatens their survival in the wild. The geckos are nocturnal, so to survive by day they choose a favourite tree, the bark of which most closely matches their skin colour.Fringes of skin around the body then break up the gecko's outline, and as the animal sits motionless for hours on end, it becomes almost invisible against the bark. But as night falls, it is transformed.

Looking at these traits in other animals and studying their camouflage, may help in the hunt for cryptids- could this be how Bigfoot is said to disappear for example? It would explain the difficulties in seeing some cryptids or capturing them on film if they can blend into their surroundings. Just a thought for us all to ponder.


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