DESCRIPTION:
This is the third largest of the nine Uroplatus species, being up to 10 inches long. Ground color is yellowish brown with many longitudinal stripes of varying brown and yellow shades. It has few skin flaps and is smoother than many the other leaf tail gekkos. Its camouflage looks different since it is the only one of the genus to live in bamboo forests. They have no eyelids and a huge unblinking eye. The tail is slim compared to others of the genus.

GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE AND HABITAT:
Found in eastern Madagascar and on the nearby island of Nosy Bohara. They live on trees in tropical rain forest and on bamboo plants.

DIET:
Insects.

LIFE CYCLE/SOCIAL STRUCTURE:
Nocturnal. They breed from spring to summer and eggs are deposited on the forest floor in late summer. They can have several clutches of 2 to 4 eggs a year. Young hatch in 60-90 days.

SPECIAL ADAPTATIONS:
Dozens of skin flaps on each toe, each with thousands of tiny hairs which in turn have many tinier branches allow the gekko to cling to smooth walls. The tiny hairlets are attracted and held to a surface by the same molecular forces that can hold liquids and solids together. Small claws as well as the toe pads make this species a fast and agile climber.

INTERPRETIVE INFORMATION:
Uroplatus means flat tail and lineatus means lined.

OUR ANIMALS:
In August, 2009 we acquired (from the Denver Zoo) one male and one female at 14 months of age and one unknown at two months of age. They are in the Children's Zoo.

STATUS IN WILD:
Not listed as threatened yet, but if deforestation and thus loss of habitat continues their status may change.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1. Internet: Wikipedia; kingsnake.com; Lizards and Snakes Alive, American Museum of Natural History; Fauna Import UK. CL:09