> From: Jon & Stacy Boone <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2001 21:11:04 -0400
< Fascinating info on foraging and hiding behaviour of S.sthenodactylus
and Geckonia snipped.>
Did you also observe S.petrii in Morocco? In Werner's article about
geckos in Israel, he says that S.petrii and S.sthenodactylus are never
found in the same area, and that S.petrii is found only on sand, while
S.sthenodactylus is found in more varied terrain. Is this the case at
the other end of their common range, thousands of miles west?
He also observed that stenos were very numerous, the most common lizard
seen on the desert at night.
> In a nut shell:
> * coastal Geckonia - 7-9.5cm
> * inland Geckonia - 9-12cm (and much thicker)
> * strange Geckonia - 13-16cm (thick and nearly all black)
>
> waiting on the next form...........
12-15,000 years ago, the Sahara was grassland and savanna. It has been
drying up since the end of the last ice age. As recently as 2000 years
ago, much of coastal North Africa was suitable for unirrigated grain
production - it was the granary of the Roman Empire. As the desert
formed, each little favored area with its remnant population of geckos
would act as an island - ideal conditions for speciation!
Thanks so much for your posting, Jon. Really great stuff!
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