Hello, Leopard geckos have been found in Afghanistan in the vicinity of Kabul, although I'm not aware of any records from Kabul proper. They have been found in the following areas in Afghanistan: 65km N of Kabul in Golbahar (Wettstein 1959), Kandahar (Wettstein 1959), Jalalabad at an elevation of 2400 ft (Anderson & Leviton 1969), Khoast (CAS), 10 mi. S.W. of Balabagh at an elevation of 3500 ft (CAS), Char-e-Kar at an elevation of 5300 ft (CAS). They have also been found in northwest Pakistan (near Kolpur) at an elevation of 5800 ft. (CAS). Most of the leopard geckos in the pet trade though are from southern Pakistan near Karachi which has a very different climate than northwest Pakistan and northeast Afghanistan. Also, it must be kept in mind that leopard geckos (and other herps) will utilize microclimates to find optimum environmental conditions. Leopard geckos, for example, spend their days in burrows that are cooler than the hot desert climate you read about on many world weather websites. These burrows are also more humid than the surrounding areas and this is why a humid hide spot is essential when maintaining captive leopard geckos. Burrows also prevent geckos and other critters from freezing in cold weather. While it is good to get an idea of what the climate is like in the areas your herps are from it only should be the first of many steps in determining the optimum captive conditions for your pet.
Friday, August 29, 2003, 6:45:42 AM, you wrote: BE> Do leopard geckos actually occur in the vicinity of Kabul? Kabul is at BE> considerable altitude, nearly 6000 feet (1800m), and the average (not BE> average minimum) temperature in Jnauary and February is below BE> freezing. I think this might be too cold for leos. BE> There are a number of good sources for climate information on the web. BE> I've often used www.worldclimate.com, but there are others, especially BE> for cities that are travel destinations, even fairly unpopular ones. BE> www.worldclimate.com has gathered info from airports, including many BE> very small and obscure ones, so is particularly useful for the blanker BE> areas of the world map. -- Best regards, Tony mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ Global Gecko Association http://www.gekkota.com Classifieds http://www.gekkota.com/cgi-gekkota/classifieds.cgi gecko mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.gekkota.com/mailman/listinfo/gecko
