5 leaf-tailed geckos hatch at Lincoln Park Zoo

Five tiny Henkel’s leaf-tailed geckos hatched at the Lincoln Park Zoo recently.

The brown-green geckos are named for their leaf-shaped tail, which helps keep them camouflaged among leafy trees. Their tails can grow up to 11 inches.

These little creatures are from Madagascar, where their population is vulnerable because of habitat loss and deforestation, the zoo said.

To help make up for the loss, the Leaf-Tailed Gecko Species Survival Plan, which “manages the population” of this species of geckoes in zoos and aquariums, recommended leaf-tailed geckoes for breeding at the Lincoln Park Zoo.

This is the first time Henkel’s leaf-tailed geckos have been bred and hatched at the zoo.

Visitors to the zoo can catch the hatchlings in the Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House soon.

A Henkel’s leaf-tailed gecko hatchling uses its tail to camouflage among leafy trees. | Lincoln Park Zoo

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Henkel’s leaf-tailed gecko hatchling. | Lincoln Park Zoo

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Henkel’s leaf-tailed gecko hatchling. | Lincoln Park Zoo

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Henkel’s leaf-tailed gecko hatchling. | Lincoln Park Zoo

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Henkel’s leaf-tailed gecko hatchling. | Lincoln Park Zoo

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