Cool Things About The Bumblebee Gecko

• The Bumblebee Gecko was recently discovered in Papua New Guinea and belongs to the genus of Slender-Toed Geckos
• At this point in time, we don’t have any idea how many of these small reptiles exist on the planet
• Their scientific name is Nactus kunan. The last part of this name means “Bumblebee” in the local language. Obviously, the reference to the Bumblebee is natural considering the stunning black and gold stripes all along the body of this little gecko

The Ground Dwellers

Although they are dressed like a large bumblebee, this Gecko is surprisingly good at camouflage. After all, they did manage to elude humans for how many years? The black and gold striped pattern actually allows them to blend in perfectly with the colourful leaves and debris on the New Guinea forest floor. Now you might be asking why a Gecko is hanging out on the forest floor since most of these guys spend their time clinging to tree branches.  Well, being part of the slender-toed genus means the Bumblebee Gecko does not have the usual padded toes, which are required for a life of climbing. Instead, they have skinny, little toes which are perfect for scurrying along in the forest. 

A Day In The Life Of…

When they aren’t busying running around the forest floor, these little geckos, well I guess they aren’t that little since they typically reach a length of 13 cm (5″). Okay, maybe they should officially be considered little with those types of measurements. Anyways – as I was saying -when they aren’t busying running around or blending in to their environment these awesome, little, reptiles will usually spend their time…you know what, we have absolutely no idea how they spend their time. They are so new and so difficult to find that there has not been a whole lot of studies on them. Maybe this would make a great research project for someone looking to create a thesis. My guess would be that they are not much different then other slender-toed geckos, which means they probably spend their days hiding under leaves and other forest debris. Once the sun sets the Bumblebee Gecko will emerge and start looking for small insects to stuff their bellies with.

Of course, this is all just a guess. We are still waiting for you to complete your research project, so make sure you fill us in and send Wild Facts a copy of your thesis.