Q 01/05

Which is the only continent with no native geckos?

A) Antarctica

B) Australia

C) Europe

D) South America

Answer · why

A) Antarctica

Antarctica is simply too cold: geckos cannot make their own body heat, so they need warm surroundings to move, feed and breed.

Q 02/05

Geckos of the genus Geckolepis escape a predator's grip by shedding what, leaving it with a useless mouthful?

A) Their claws

B) Their scales

C) Their toes

D) Their teeth

Answer · why

B) Their scales

Their scales, the largest of any gecko's, tear away at the lightest touch, so the attacker is left holding a mouthful of scales while the bare-skinned...

Q 03/05

Geckos stand out among lizards for which ability?

A) Breathing underwater

B) Regrowing limbs

C) Making vocalisations

D) Spitting venom

Answer · why

C) Making vocalisations

Making vocalisations sets geckos apart: most lizards are silent, but geckos chirp, click and bark to one another. The word 'gecko' itself is said to i...

Q 04/05

Most geckos have no eyelids, just a fixed clear scale over each eye, a feature they share with which other reptiles?

A) Crocodiles

B) Tortoises

C) Snakes

D) Chameleons

Answer · why

C) Snakes

Snakes have the same see-through 'spectacle' in place of eyelids, which is why neither animal can blink. A snake even sheds the scale along with the r...

Q 05/05

How do eyelid-less geckos keep their eyes clean and moist?

A) They lick them

B) They blink a clear inner lid

C) They rub them on bark

D) They secrete oil from a gland

Answer · why

A) They lick them

They lick them: the clear scale over each eye is really a pair of eyelids fused shut and turned transparent, so a gecko cannot blink and wipes its eye...