Main Content
The web-footed gecko's salmon-colored skin and light-brown stripes help it stay camouflaged in the Namib Desert's reddish sands.
Photograph by Roger Bannister/Animals Animals—Earth Scenes
Map
Web-Footed Gecko Range
Fast Facts
- Type:
- Reptile
- Diet:
- Carnivore
- Average life span in the wild:
- 5 years
- Size:
- 4 to 6 in (10 to 15 cm)
- Did you know?
- Web-footed geckos communicate with a wide range of vocalizations, including squeaks, clicks, and even croaks.
- Size relative to a tea cup:
-
The ghostly web-footed gecko is nearly translucent with a pale, salmon-colored undertone and light-brown stripes. Their color provides perfect camouflage among the powdery reddish sands of the Namib Desert, their primary habitat.
These geckos have adapted their webbed feet not only to help them stay atop, but to bury beneath the dunes of the Namib Desert. Strictly nocturnal lizards, they spend the day in self-dug burrows and emerge at night to feed.
Their bloodshot-looking eyes are massively oversized to help them detect prey, which includes crickets, grasshoppers, and small spiders. They move surprisingly quickly across the sand, and adhesive pads on their toes make them excellent climbers.
Web-foots are considered medium-size geckos, reaching an average size of about four inches (ten centimeters) in length. Males are slightly smaller than females.
People sometimes hunt these tiny lizards for food, and human encroachment is destroying some of its habitat. Their estimated lifespan in the wild is about five years.
Related Galleries
Reptile Features
-
King Crocs
The reptiles were once on top of the world. Why did they fall? Find out in this National Geographic magazine feature.
-
King Cobra
Come eye-to-eye with the king cobra, the longest venomous snake in the world. Learn why it is the reptile of choice for exotic snake charmers.
-
Boy Croc Meets Girl Croc
With snout-rubbing and bubble-blowing, two amorous saltwater crocodiles get cuddly.
-
Meller's Chameleon
Learn why this reptile, nicknamed the "giant one-horned chameleon," changes colors. It's not what you think.
-
Black Mamba vs. Animal Kingdom
It's not a drink or a dance. It's only the black mamba, Africa's longest and the world's fastest snake. Oh, and one of the most poisonous too.
This requires the latest version of Flash Player. Click here to download.Advertisement
Special Ad Section
-
Audio Slideshow
Take a photographic journey through Montana and hear Annie Griffiths Belt's narrative.
-
Adventure Videos
Check out adventure videos and go "Behind the Lens."
Shop Animals and Nature
-
Animal & Nature DVDs
Shop our store for a wide collection of animal, wildlife, and nature DVDs.
-
2010 Animal & Nature Calendars
Featuring stunning National Geographic photography, calendars make great gifts.
Blogs
-
NatGeo NewsWatch
Keep current on developments in science, nature, and cultures.
-
Dog Whisperer
Get the inside story as Cesar Millan helps problem dogs and their owners.
-
BlogWild
National Geographic explorers share tales (and photos) of their adventures.
