This means that land for land, New Caledonia supports over 10 times as many endemic reptiles as Madagascar does. So, at first glance it would appear that Madagascar is more important for reptile conservation because it supports three times as many species, but with an area of roughly 230,000 square miles it is actually 30 times larger than the 7,000 square mile area of New Caledonia. To put the value of New Caledonian diversity into perspective, consider that the much larger African island of Madagascar which supports 300 endemic reptile species is regarded as a global hotspot for biodiversity. Relative to its size, New Caledonia supports more endemic reptiles than anywhere else in the world, which makes conserving the species that live here a top priority. They are one of over 100 reptile species that are “endemic” to this small mountainous island, a term which means that these species are found nowhere else in the world. Gargoyle geckos ( Rhacodactylus auriculatus) are large, colorful, and fruit-eating lizards from the pacific island of New Caledonia. Figure 1: The gargoyle gecko mother (left) and her asexual offspring (right). New research presented on November 7, 2021, by Ingrid Schoonover at American University titled “Capstone Presentation: An Overview of Reproduction and Development in Rhacodactylus auriculatus” has revealed a number of surprising details about the life cycle and behavior of the gargoyle gecko including the ability for females to reproduce without a male.

It's common knowledge that you need to have sex to make a baby, but what if women could create babies without the sex? This may seem like the plot for a science fiction movie, but somehow a gecko species has figured out a way to fertilize their own eggs without sperm. Written by Ingrid Schoonover on February 1, 2022

Download female gargoyle