This gecko from Madagascar has feet that "contain about a billion microscopic points that bind to individual molecules, allowing the animal to walk upside down on smooth surfaces." Photo credit to Piotr Naskrecki, from a book of macrophotography, "The Smaller Majority," which I hope to review here next week.
The generic name, Uroplatus, is a Latinization of two Greek words: "ourá" (οὐρά) meaning "tail" and "platys" (πλατύς) meaning "flat". Its specific name phantasticus is the Latin word for "imaginary" based upon the gecko's unique appearance..The photo enlarges nicely with a click.
Reposted from 2009 to add another photo (via):
Oh, wow! I love Mother Nature.
ReplyDeleteawesome post! I love seeing new things.
ReplyDeleteI bet Cthulhu has a swarm of these as pets.
ReplyDeleteThis particular species of gecko sings an elaborate song to attract a mate which if played backward tells you to "kill yourself to make the devil happy".
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 6:29PM ~ Good one!!! Not at all like the sweet geckos we came to know on Guam!
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