A finger-sized giant: Vladivostok's Primorsky Aquarium has a new addition

The giant banana-eating gecko sounds impressive and even a little scary, but for now all this “gigantism” is easy fit on your finger and gazes with gusto at the world around him with unblinking eyes. However, when the baby grows up, it will truly become the largest gecko in the world— Rhacodactylus leachianus — up to 40 centimeters in length.

The birth of such a baby is a rare event, even worldwide. This is because these lizards are delicate creatures and very picky about their love life. The first proposed mate was utterly unimpressed by the local male, and she rejected all his advances. Biologists were forced to urgently find a replacement. On the second try, everything was successful, and soon a surprise was discovered in the terrarium.

The baby hatched completely independently, but was still temporarily moved to a cozy gecko "nursery."

The giant banana-eating gecko is strictly endemic. New Caledonia, and is found nowhere else on the planet. Geckos can crawl not only on toes and branches: thanks to tiny suction cups on their footpads and the tip of their tail, they can nimbly scurry across perfectly smooth glass.

What do banana eaters eat?

Adult banana eaters adore bananas, oranges, and crickets, but for a new baby, the fruit is carefully mashed into a soft puree, the crickets are chosen to be the smallest, and vitamins for strong bones are always added—they're growing quite a bit.

Video: Primorsky Aquarium