New Caledonian Giant Gecko — printable fact sheet
Free to print or save as PDF. Great for classrooms, homeschooling, and young explorers.
Creature Atlas
Animal Fact Sheet
Name: ____________________
Date: ____________________
New Caledonian Giant Gecko
Rhacodactylus leachianus
Rhacodactylus leachianus is the largest living gecko in the world, reaching about 36 cm in total length and over 250 g — heavy enough that it moves with a deliberate, sloth-like slowness quite unlike a typical darting gecko. It is endemic to New Caledonia and its offshore islets…
Did you know?
- This gecko can grow up to 36 centimeters (over 14 inches) in total length, making it the largest living gecko species on Earth.
- New Caledonia's geckos, including this one, are the descendants of an old radiation on an island fragment that broke from Gondwana, and the group has no close relatives elsewhere. Leachianus geckos are territorial and will kill a rival introduced to their space, which makes cohabiting adults a well-known problem for keepers. The gecko can shed its tail like most lizards, but it regrows only a short, blunt stub, and adult leachianus tails are so short that many wild animals are hard to age from the tail alone.
What I learned
Draw the new caledonian giant gecko
© Creature Atlas · www.creatureatlas.com · Free for classroom & personal use
Want the whole set?
Get printable fact-sheet packs, coloring pages, and classroom worksheet bundles for dozens of animals — ready to download and print.
Browse printable packsGet a free printable each week
Join the newsletter for a new Creature of the Week + printables.