These tiny white eggs belong to a beautiful nocturnal reptile with which we share our home: the Marbled Gecko (Christinus marmoratus). I wrote a previous post about finding small fragments of eggshell belonging to geckos in a backyard nest box - this indicated one record of a smaller creature (and one which we don't anticipate moving in when we build nest boxes) breeding inside. Today's discovery is the second time this has happened in our backyard, and the first time I have found intact eggs which are 'still incubating'.
Marbled Geckos are both beautiful and useful - their stunningly marked body and delicate 'gecko-toes' are a delight to see, and the fact that these lizards prey on a range of insects which pester us humans (like moths, midges and cockroaches) makes them a welcome tenant!
Hopefully these eggs hatch soon and supplement our little gecko population. We will look forward to finding tiny baby geckos (like the one pictured below) when out and about in the backyard. Take care - if geckos live at your place, they hide in cracks in doorways, under a coiled hosepipe, inside the bristles of the house broom, beneath stored timber and bricks, and even in your shoes! It's easy to accidentally squash one of these tiny animals without being aware they are there!
HiSimone. Would you mind if I used your gecko egg photo for a small project I am working on in Western Australia? I would only be printing under 30 copies of a book about eggs in language book. It is for distribution in local schools and preschools to encourage first language development.
ReplyDeletethe books will not be sold for profit.