"Dragons of Mykolaiv Zoo" – that's what we called a series of educational articles about the animals of our zoo, dedicated to the symbol of the New Year 2024. The hero of our today's story is a very small "dragon" from distant Madagascar.

Phelsuma madagascariensis or Madagascar day gecko is an extremely cute and bright lizard. Unlike the vast majority of geckos, which lead a nocturnal lifestyle and have a brownish-gray color, which camouflages the animal well at dusk, phelsuma has a soft green body, matching the color of juicy leaves, decorated with bright red spots, like tropical fruits. It is this coloring that helps it to camouflage itself in tropical forests.

These Madagascar lizards live in wooded areas with very high humidity. They spend almost all their lives in trees. Active, as the name implies, during the day. They feed on insects, arthropods, fruits, nectar and pollen.

A characteristic feature of phelsuma, like other geckos, is the ability of animals to move on a vertical surface or even on the ceiling. The legs of the gecko are covered with many microscopic hairs that cling to the supporting surface with the help of intermolecular forces, which helps the lizard to move on the ceiling, glass and other surfaces.

Small size, cute appearance, unpretentiousness to the conditions of keeping make this lizard one of the most favorite inhabitants of terrariums. And in Mykolaiv Zoo, terrariums with Madagascar day geckos can be seen in the premises of the Aquaterrarium department, which is located not far from the entrance to the zoo.