National Geographic Museum Blog

Our thanks to GEICO for their support of Geckos: Tails to Toepads and of “Dangerous Encounters with Brady Barr” on National Geographic Channel.

On Saturday, Oct. 16, the Museum and National Geographic Kids Entertainment (NGKE) will join forces to celebrate World Animal Day. Activities will include animal-themed crafts; book readings; music and movement classes; and screenings of the NGKE series “Mama Mirabelle,” “Toot & Puddle,” “Are We There Yet World Adventure” and “Iggy Arbuckle.”

The World Animal Day event is free; tickets for “Music On…Stage” are $20 and can be purchased at www.nglive.org or by calling the box office at (202) 857-7700.

Here are pictures from last year’s event!

Courtesy of Lynne Shields

What are you lookin’ at?

In this week’s match-up, we post the Giant Frog-eyed Gecko against the Bark Gecko to found out if a bark can scare away the carnivorous lizard. Who do you think would win in a match up?

The Giant Frog-eyed Gecko

Stats:

• Males may become territorial, Keep separate from other males. Usually a tame lizard, but very active which can make it difficult to
• Live in  sand dunes with little vegetation
• Originally from South West Asia

The Barking Gecko

Stats:

• The Barking Gecko is dark purple black to purple brown above, with small yellow or white spots arranged in bands across the head body and tail.
• He makes a barking noise as a defense mechanism.
• At sunset it utters cries. During the night it leaves his hole, where it lives alone, to get food. It is quite slow.

In this episode, we learn a thing or two about diet!

Our thanks to GEICO for their support of Geckos: Tails to Toepads and of “Dangerous Encounters with Brady Barr” on National Geographic Channel.

This week we pair the Africa Fat-Tailed Gecko with the Giant Bent Toed Gecko. In this dangerous match up we see how much size matters. Who do you think would win?

Africa Fat-Tailed Gecko

Stats:

• The Fat-Tailed Gecko is known for its velvety appearance. There are two pattern morphs, one with a white dorsal stripe running from the top of the head to the end of the tail, and one without.
• Fat-Tailed Geckos are more mellow and docile than other geckos.

Giant Bent Toed Gecko

Stats:

• This species is from Irian Jaya and Papua New Guinea,  and is often confused with Cyrtodactylus lousiadensis, an Australian species.
• They are a large, robust gecko, with adults reaching over 12 inches.
• These geckos are voracious predators and will consume quite large prey items.

Found here: http://www.zandavisitor.com/newsarticle-4222-Paignton_Zoo_Will_Have_the_Largest_Collection_of_Malagasy_Species_in_the_UK

Paignton, UK – Paignton Zoo is to become a temporary home for a large collection of reptiles and amphibians from a breeding centre dedicated to helping Madagascan fauna.

The arrival of the collection – 17 species including over 120 frogs as well as snakes, geckos and chameleons – means Paignton Zoo will have the largest collection of Malagasy species in the UK.

The collection – destined for Endangered Madagascar, a wildlife conservation centre that is being built in Bath – will be housed in the Zoo’s new Amphibian Ark species rescue and reintroduction centre.

Mike Bungard, Paignton Zoo’s Curator of Lower Vertebrates and Invertebrates, said: “This is an outstanding collection. We are helping out Endangered Madagascar by housing them temporarily and Endangered Madagascar are helping us by sharing expertise and providing us with the chance to work with some of the World’s rarest frogs. We can learn husbandry techniques and perhaps even breed some of them.”

Adrian Fowler, BVSc MRCVS, Veterinary Director of Endangered Madagascar, said: “It’s a great chance to propagate some rare amphibians using Paignton Zoo’s new state of the art centre – this is a real collaborative effort.”

There are over 120 frogs, including the Critically Endangered golden mantella Mantella aurantiaca; the green mantella Mantella viridis, the yellow mantella Mantella crocea and the blue-legged mantella Mantella expectata, which are all classed as Endangered. Mantellas are small, brightly-coloured frogs only found on Madagascar. The iridescent colours reflect their poisonous nature.

The splendid mantella Mantella pulchra, the Madagascan mantella – Mantella madagascariensis – and the green burrowing frog Scaphiophryne marmorata are all classed as Vulnerable.

There are also 3 reptile species in the collection, including the Madagascan tree boa (Sanzinia madagascariensis), Standing’s day gecko (Phelsuma standingi) and the panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis). Paignton Zoo is also taking charge of four common tenrecs, Madagascar’s answer to mini-pigs. They will be the only examples of their kind on public display in the country.

Madagascar is a target region for EAZA and the regional collection plans identify Malagasy species as highly important. Mike: “They have been living in specially-converted outbuildings, but time constraints mean that Adrian wanted to find someone who could care for the complete collection. We have agreed to look after it for two years.

“There are some very significant species here. The blue-legged mantella is as rare in zoos as hen’s teeth. As far as I am aware, hardly any collections in the world feature either the red-backed tree frog Boophis rappiodes or the reed frog heterixalus betsileo.”

A World Animal Day celebration arrives with a roar (hehehehe) on October 16th! We invite you to come celebrate with a special National Geographic Museum and National Geographic Kids festival.

On Saturday, Oct. 16, the Museum and National Geographic Kids Entertainment (NGKE) will join forces to celebrate World Animal Day. Activities will include animal-themed crafts; book readings; music and movement classes; and screenings of the NGKE series “Mama Mirabelle,” “Toot & Puddle,” “Are We There Yet World Adventure” and “Iggy Arbuckle.”

In this episode, we learn humans can’t be geckos because of our feet!

Our thanks to GEICO for their support of Geckos: Tails to Toepads and of “Dangerous Encounters with Brady Barr” on National Geographic Channel.