Palmatogecko ( Rangei )

1. Palmatogecko (Rangei) By: Reanna Arnold and Shalea Harder-Mah

2. Kingdom: Animalia (Multicellular, eukaryotic and heterotrophic organism ) Phylum: Chordata (With vertebrates/spine or back bone) Class: Sauropsida (Reptiles, cold blooded/ectothermic and is a tetrapod) Order: Squamata (Scaled, lizards or snakes, have quadrate bones) Family: Gekkonidae (Lizards that live in a warm climate, have no eyelids and is 1.6cm to 60cm long)

3. Niche There is little biodiversity in the desert because of its hot temperature therefore the Palmatogecko is unique and holds an important role in the ecosystem. It is nocturnally active and helps control the population of ants and termites. They are commonly eaten by spiders and help balance the food chain as a secondary consumer.

4. Reproduction • During breeding season the female lays about two eggs that are the size of a bean. • The eggs take eight weeks to hatch.

5. Biome: Desert Less than 50 cm of precipitation annually Usually have specialized vegetation Usually have specialized vertebrate and invertebrate animals Weather can be inconsistent with flash fires and floods but temperatures are fairly high Soil are abundant in nutrients but lack water for the production of many plants • There are four types of deserts • Hot and dry • Semiarid • Coastal • Cold

6. Namib Desert • Small coastal desert that stretches over 81,000 km² in Namibia, South Africa • Annual precipitation ranges from 2mm-200mm • Temperature is 20°C-34°C sometimes exceeding 45°C in daytime, summer • It is referred to as the oldest desert • It is fairly foggy and some coastal regions experience up to 180 days of this thick layer

7. Adaptations Webbed Feet- This helps them walk across sand and rocks easier and also helps dig. Their toes also have adhesive lamellae. Long tongue (no eyelids)- Palmatogeckos do not posses eyelids so they use their tongues to wipe their eyes in order to keep them moist and clean Tail- When pursued they may loose their tail and flee to safety, then grow a new one Shedding (Skin)- Its skin is flexible, sometimes when they shed they will eat their dead skin Sound- Produces various cliques, squeaks and croaks to frighten predators

8. Distribution • This gecko isonlyfound in the Namib Desert • It isnotthreatned, extirpated or endangered but simplycanonly live in thisregionbecause of it’sspecificperefrence to the climate and enviroment • Livesmostlynearsand dunes whereitcanburrow to rest and hide • Palmatogeckos are nocturnally active and are onlypresentduring the night whentheycanhunt

9. Vegetation in Namib Desert Welwitschia Welwitschia- is a plant found only in the Namib Desert which lives for over 1000 years and is considered a living fossil Perennial grasses- Vegetation is scarce in this desert but there are a few grasses that grow such as Bushman’s Grass, Monsoniaignorata and Trianthemahereroensis Monsoniaignorata Bushman’s Grass Trianthemahereroensis

10. Limiting Factors Abiotic Biotic • Temperature- it must live in 31.1 ° -35° average • Hours of sunlight and Darkness (it is active at night) • Substrate- Prefers rocks, gravel and sandy environments • Uses sand dunes to hide and sleep in • Geography- because of its preferred environment it is only found in the Namib Desert • Gets water from condescending fog • Predators such as the White Lady Spider • Vegetation in its habitat • Competition for food • Availability of food • Competition for shelter in sand • Gets some water from the food it eats

11. Population There is no estimate of their current population but they are strictly found in the Namib desert. They are also one of 111 species of geckos in Southern Africa and are the only species of geckos there to have fully webbed feet in that area.

12. Palmatogecko meansWeb-footed Sand Gecko

13. Community Prey Dune ants Termites Beetles and its larvae Crickets Small spiders Predators White Lady Spiders Hunting Spiders Sidewinding Adder (snake)

14. Interesting Fact These lizards have flattened, shovel-nosed snouts, which enable them to make remarkable "dives" into the sand even while running at full speed. They then wriggle along under the surface, sometimes for over a meter and breathe easily under it.

15. Bibliography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namib_Desert#Animals_and_Plants http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert.htm http://namibnotes.wordpress.com/2010/10/06/namib-geckos/ http://books.google.ca/books?id=W75aoZLDG9YC&pg=PA70&lpg=PA70&dq=palmatogecko+white+spider&source=bl&ots=jlL0oxWCeF&sig=BivZYzPZ8bufBqbZVBrIfz DswuQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=DkUFT52bMuKuiQKWycjiCg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=palmatogecko%20white%20spider&f=false http://nsdl.org/resource/2200/20061002153053875T