Among the representatives of the tropical fauna there are many truly beautiful animals, often painted in surprisingly bright colors. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the nature of the tropics is characterized by rich colors.
For example, in tropical latitudes, exotic birds painted in incredible hues have been found, as well as exotic lizards, one of which will be discussed in this article.
appearance
In terms of size, the Madagascar palace lizard is usually not very large, measuring 18-23 cm in length. But the giant Japanese palace lizard can grow up to 30 centimeters. In addition to bright red spots on the sides of the back, this reptile has broad red stripes on the sides of the head, which extend around the eyes.
In some subspecies of the Madagascar palace lizard, the same large red spots are also found on the top of the head, and on the back, these spots tend to merge into short transverse stripes. Male lizards are larger, with thicker tails at the base, wider heads than female lizards, and yellow holes. Some other Malagasy palace guards that are active during the day have their own characteristics in color.
In its natural environment, the giant Japanese palace lizard does not live more than 10 years, and can live up to 20 years in a well-equipped glass case. Despite the fact that they do not have claws on their paws, these reptiles move very actively, and their pupils are round due to their daytime habits.
habit
Therefore, the habitat of the palace guard lizard is limited to the island of Madagascar and nearby islands. The palace guard lizard is mainly found in the northern part of the island and on the nearby island of Nosy Bay.
These reptiles live on forest plantations, in the canopy of coconut and banana trees. But they can also sometimes be found in human housing scattered around the island. Various subspecies of these geckos occupy different territories within the island. Only the giant sun gecko is widespread throughout Madagascar.
The biome of the palace lizards is very diverse. They can live in wet and dry forests, jungle vegetation and human settlements. But, like all other reptiles, geckos usually hide in shelters, which can be clearings, piles of stones, spaces under tree roots, or even crevices in houses.
Although they prefer palace guarding lizards, they are still trees, hiding among the leaves and becoming inconspicuous due to the natural shades of green that prevail in their color. However, during the day, walking around the city, palace guards can be seen on the walls of buildings, and even on city roads.
Behavior and lifestyle
The palace guard lizard is very mobile. Therefore, it is recommended to choose a vertical terrarium for them. Lizards move easily along walls and ceilings. It is already clear that these geckos are completely nocturnal. They have a protective color that helps blend in with the surrounding nature, as well as skin that tears easily so reptiles can slip out of enemy claws
The palace guard lizard is a territorial animal that prefers to live one by one. It often happens that one giant sun gecko has its own personal tree, on which it is impossible for another lizard to settle, and there is enough distance between these trees, at least 30 meters.
Several individuals of the palace lizard can only occasionally meet on a futon – an exotic plant known as a bromeliad, a world densely populated by different creatures – insects, small amphibians and reptiles. Rain collects in the leaves of pineapple trees, so humidity in this habitat is optimal for reptiles.
Finally, the rarest variant in nature is the palace guard lizard colony. Palace guards swarm only when they live in artificial structures, for example, under bridges, in the ruins of buildings, in people's homes, and even in garbage dumps. This is easy to explain, because in these places, every lizard gets enough resources for life – water, heat, food and shelter. However, fights are common in the colony of giant sun geckos, however, weak lizards prefer to escape.
Interestingly, male geckos strive for solitude, even from the perspective of the surrounding area. They occupy a territory from which other male lizards are not visible and are also invisible to them. The same sense of territory was observed in the female sex of giant sun geckos, but not as distinctly as in males. During the day, these lizards snuggle up on tree trunks exposed to sunlight, absorbing heat. By the way, in open sunlight, the body temperature of the palace guard lizard rises by several degrees.
Palace guards also have their own hierarchy. In particular, the older palace lizards occupy high places in the trees, while the younger ones sit low. If the gecko notices danger, it will almost immediately climb 2-3 meters to assess the degree of threat and understand whether it is worth returning to its original place. As night approaches, palace guards can stay on tree trunks or hide in shelters, and during precipitation, lizards almost always hide. Palace guards are completely devoid of the typical characteristics of descending to the ground, they do this only in exceptional cases, and in order to immediately climb a neighboring tree.
Care and care
The giant Japanese palace lizard is suitable for use a spacious upright glass box as a habitat. For a pair of large lizards, the space should be at least 80 liters. Particular attention needs to be paid to lighting. Palace guards are daytime animals. Compared to nocturnal species, their eyes have a special colored visual element on the retina - cone cells. Thanks to these cells, the guarding lizard is able to distinguish all the colors of sunlight.
Therefore, full-spectrum lamps should be preferred. Good results can be obtained using Repti-Glo (2.0 or 5.0) fluorescent tubes in combination with Life-Glo or Power-Glo. This combination is not only comfortable for animals, but also contributes to the good growth of living plants in glass cases. Repti-Glo also provides UV ingredients. The lighting time should be 10-12 hours per day.
In their natural environment, these lizards live in rainforests and therefore require high humidity. A densely planted glass box is their ideal habitat. It is not difficult to maintain 70-80% humidity in it. You just need to water and spray the plants on time. In addition, the location of water in the leaf axils is also a good source of drinking water for the giant Japanese palace lizard. But at the same time, a separate water container is required.
In addition, it is important to provide comfortable climbing branches. The inhabitants of each glass box should have at least one hiding place. To do this, you can use small hollow logs, as well as large-diameter pieces of bamboo drilled with holes. There are not too strict requirements for the decoration of glass boxes.
To prevent the animal from escaping, you need to carefully inspect the container for large gaps and holes that may be created during the connection of lighting and other equipment. The giant Japanese palace lizard is capable of climbing over the ceiling with incredible ease and speed. Breeders should be very careful when feeding animals or cleaning containers.
food
The giant Japanese palace lizard is usually omnivorous. They refuse neither plant foods available on trees, such as fruits and flowers, nor live foods such as small lizards, invertebrates and insects.
In the environment of giant Japanese palace lizards, it sometimes happens to eat the same kind, and adult lizards will eat young animals. Feeding giant Japanese palace lizards in glass boxes follows the general rules for reptiles. They should be provided with crickets, cockroaches, wheat worms, locusts and other safe and non-toxic insects, as well as newborn mice.
In terms of plant foods, lizards prefer to eat lettuce, dandelion leaves, and houseplants such as begonia and crane top red. Among the succulent fruits suitable for consumption, soft varieties such as bananas, ripe pears and berries are preferred. Some owners even feed giant Japanese palace lizards a mixture of honey and baby fruit. But more attention should still be paid to animal food.
It is recommended to feed the lizards at least once every two days. Zoologists do not recommend overfeeding because in order to digest food properly, lizards need time to get hungry between feedings. Of course, do not forget about the diversity of the diet, offering a variety of mineral supplements and feed suitable for reptiles. Young giant Japanese palace lizards can be fed in the same way as adult lizards, but with reduced food intake.
reproduction
The giant Japanese palace lizard, like most reptiles, is an egg-laying animal. They become fertile two years after birth and begin to reproduce after hibernation. In glass cases, in order not to interrupt their seasonal cycle, giant Japanese palace lizards undergo artificial hibernation. They are then put together to mate.
In their natural environment, male lizards engage in rather brutal mating struggles for mates. The female is ready to lay eggs within one month of fertilization. In their natural environment, giant Japanese palace lizards lay their eggs directly in burrows in trees, leaf axils, and other possible refuges, and only occasionally on the ground.
Female lizards are not particularly reproductive, with 1-2 eggs laid at a time. But during the breeding season, they can lay eggs up to 8 times a month.
Lizard eggs in glass boxes will be placed in an incubator until the young lizards hatch. The higher the ambient temperature, the faster the giant Japanese palace lizard hatches. The average incubation period is 2 months, which may be extended to 2.5 months depending on temperature.
The birth of young lizards is also interesting. Young lizards tear open the eggshell with their teeth, but they are in no hurry to come out immediately, they can stay in the egg all day, showing only the head. The juveniles of the giant Japanese palace lizard are born with an unusually bright color, gradually acquiring more subtle adult colors over time.