Reptiles · Squamata · Diplodactylidae

Rough Knob-tail

Nephrurus asper

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The rough knob-tailed gecko is a ground-dwelling Australian gecko whose skin is covered in spiny tubercles, with a short, bulbous tail tipped by a knob. When threatened it rises up on all four legs, arches its back, gapes and rocks its body, a display that makes it look far larger than it is.

Size

10 cm – 14 cm

Lifespan

10 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

DesertGrasslandInsectivore Nocturnal Solitary Reptile Desert Grassland

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Fun facts

Its defence is pure theatre: it rises up on all four legs fully extended, arches its back, gapes and rocks from side to side giving high-pitched barks, a display out of all proportion for an animal twelve centimetres long.
Its bulbous tail stores fat and ends in a small spherical knob; if it loses it, the one it grows back is shorter and a different shape.
It is a ground-dwelling gecko: it lacks the adhesive toe pads that allow climbing on smooth surfaces, and lives on the ground among the stones of the Australian desert.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
Habitat & environment: Stony ground, dry scrub and rocky outcrops of the arid Australian interior
Sexual maturity: 18 months
Gestation / incubation: 70 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 2 eggs

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/