Wildlifeof China
Tibetan Wonder Gecko
Other Lizards
Photo: Yi Yang, Yingying Lin, Lei Shi · CC BY 4.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Teratoscincus roborowskii
China Red List: Near Threatened (NT)
Basic stats
Diet
Mainly insects in spring; fruit in summer and autumn
Habitat
Arid, ground-dwelling and nocturnal; sea level to 470 m
Range
Turpan Depression, Xinjiang, China (endemic)
Size
Snout-vent 75.5–93.6 mm
The Tibetan or Turpan wonder gecko (Teratoscincus roborowskii) is a gecko endemic to the Turpan Depression in Xinjiang, north-western China, from sea level up to 470 m. Its habitat is arid, with an average annual rainfall of 16.4 mm. (The Reptile Database; Wikipedia, general species account)
It reaches a snout-vent length of 75.5–93.6 mm. It is nocturnal and ground-dwelling, emerging from its burrow to forage at night, and its diet shifts from mainly insects in spring to fruit in summer and autumn. It hibernates in winter. Juveniles curl their tails forward when threatened, probably mimicking venomous scorpions, which they also resemble in size, colour and running pattern. (Wikipedia, general species account)
Quick answers
- What does the Tibetan Wonder Gecko eat?
- Mainly insects in spring; fruit in summer and autumn
- What habitat does the Tibetan Wonder Gecko live in?
- Arid, ground-dwelling and nocturnal; sea level to 470 m
- Where is the Tibetan Wonder Gecko found?
- Turpan Depression, Xinjiang, China (endemic)
- How big is the Tibetan Wonder Gecko?
- Snout-vent 75.5–93.6 mm