Foot Structure in Cat Geckos (Aeluroscalabotes felinus)

[DavidK]

Has anyone on the forum here noticed the unique foot structure of their cat geckos? I think the second and third digits are shorter than the remainder.

Is this a modification for climbing thin branches?

Regards,

Dave

 

[Luperosaurus]

As I think more unique that thear claws are movable and it was one of the reasons why they have named Cat geckos.

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

There's some pretty cool felinus foot pics here in the forums if you dig around a bit.

 

[DavidK]

Thanks for the information.

I thought that retractile or hyperflexible tarsal structures were common in many gecko genera -- Coleonyx, Anarbylus, Cyrtodactylus, Gekko, Gehyra, etc.

I did find the proper term for the unique foot structure in some literature -- it is the same type that Phyllomedusa frogs, primates, chameleons, and parrots have. All of the above groups have independently evolved zygodactylid foot structures. This evolutionary development allows for a better distribution of force and provides greater maneuverability on thin structures.

Very interesting.

Regards,

Dave