Guimbeau’s day gecko
Phelsuma guimbeaui
Guimbeau’s day gecko
Phelsuma guimbeaui
CC target
55 keepers
As at 11/2024
CC target
110 animals
As at 11/2024
CC target
55 keepers
As at 11/2024
CC target
110 animals
As at 11/2024
Mauritius – for some a dream island and holiday paradise, for others a symbol of animals wiped out by humans. Because palm beaches and bathing bays do not hide the fact that a bloody tragedy once took place here. The victim: one of the most curious birds on the planet. Today, we only know the dodo from guest appearances in blockbuster films such as ‘Ice Age’ or the popular board game ‘Paleo’. The fruit-eating, chubby giant pigeon didn’t have much to fear on Mauritius until the 17th century – which is why the up to 17-kilo, one-metre-long ratite with its strikingly large beak could afford to be flightless and quite trusting. However, this proved to be a real problem after the arrival of the Europeans in 1598.
Island of extinct animals - and a ray of hope for species conservation
Famous extinct specimen of a dodo in the Paris Science Museum
The dodo in the national coat of arms of Mauritius; the sambar deer also depicted is an introduced species from Asia
The dodo is also commemorated on a coin in Mauritius
The Rodrigues solitaire was a close relative of the dodo, which lived on the neighbouring island of Rodrigues. It also became extinct for the same reasons.
The Mauritius grey parakeet (Psittacula bensoni) was also wiped out. The drawing from the journal of the navigator Willem van Estsanen from 1648 shows how sailors attracted the then common parrots by catching an animal.
Only around ten specimens of the Mauritius parakeet (Alexandrinus eques) remained. Through breeding in human care and the reintroduction of bred specimens it has been possible to stabilise the species’ population again.
Only six (!) specimens of the Mauritius falcon (Falco punctatus) were left; through conservation breeding in human care, it was possible to restore the population to several hundred animals.
They too almost got wiped out: the Mauritius rose dove, Nesoenas mayeri. There were only ten of them left when conservation measures were introduced.
Breeding in human care on Mauritius and at Jersey Zoo has made it possible to rebuild the population of rose doves – here an animal at the reintroduction centre on Mauritius
The Mauritius boa (Bolyeria multocarinata) has probably already been wiped out. Its relative, the Round Island boa (Casarea dussumieri), which only lives on the islands of Round Island and Gunners’ Coin off the coast of Mauritius, was also almost extinct, but could be saved through breeding programmes.
The dodo myth
Mauritius is the symbol of a desert island. The nearest large land mass is Madagascar, which lies 870 kilometres to the west. It is an even 2000 kilometres to the African coast and 4000 to India, making Mauritius an ideal stopover for the early European seafarers to eat something fresh and take provisions on board – and the dodos were the biggest thing the island had to offer (besides the giant tortoises, which were also wiped out). Accordingly, they were hunted intensively. However, the real catastrophe came in the wake of the Europeans: cats, rats, dogs, pigs – they all preyed on the birds or destroyed their nests. This is how the dodo became extinct. As a result, it became an almost mystical animal. The pain of loss is great. Its presence in the national coat of arms of Mauritius bears witness to this to this day. Work is now underway to revive the iconic birds one day through genetic engineering.
Invasion!
Invasive species can have devastating consequences for native species, especially on islands such as Mauritius. The „bloodsucker“ lizard, introduced from South Asia, is a dangerous predator of the small day geckos.
The introduced Indian wolf snake (Lycodon aulicus) is a real threat to Mauritius day geckos.
The final opponent: the introduced Madagascar day gecko ousts the much smaller Guimbeau's day gecko
The rats introduced by humans are also a problem for native geckos.
Invasive plants can also become a danger. In some habitats, many of the trees inhabited by Phelsuma guimbeaui are completely overgrown with climbing plants, causing them to die off due to lack of light.
Ebenfalls invasiv: der Mensch. Nicht nur durch von ihm eingeschleppte Arten, sondern auch durch von ihm verursachte Lebensraumzerstörung sind zahlreiche Arten auf Mauritius ausgerottet worden. Luftaufnahme von Port Lous auf Mauritius.
After the dodo
Of course, it would be better not to let another iconic species of the island die out in the first place. The pretty Guimbeau’s day gecko grows to a maximum length of 15 centimetres. It scurries around on the branches and leaves of trees and bushes. The diurnal geckos have magnificent markings with a bright green base colour, intense orange to red spots and a bright blue neck. However, they have to contend with very similar problems to the giant pigeons – and therefore threaten to follow them into the extinction.
Man has also brought predators and competitors to Mauritius that the geckos are no match for. The oriental garden lizard and wolf snakes, introduced from India, proved to be particularly problematic. More recently, Madagascar has brought something like the final enemy of the small Mauritius day geckos to their island: their own monstrous relatives, in the form of the large Madagascar day gecko. It easily reaches twice its length and several times its mass, but colonises the same habitat. It’s clear who will prevail. Apart from the fact that the large day geckos simply eat the small ones with relish.
‘But the dodo has shown how quickly a species can disappear - it didn't take a hundred years for it to disappear.’
© Citizen Conservation, KI-Rekonstruktion
Gone in a flash
Researchers assume that the Mauritius day geckos no longer have a long-term chance on their home island. In order to preserve them, it would be necessary to remove the introduced predators and competitors. So far, however, no measures have been taken to this end. However, the dodo has shown how quickly a species can disappear – it took less than a hundred years for it to do so.
Dangerous relationship: Encounter between the Guimbeau’s day gecko and the greater Madagascar day gecko in their natural habitat on Mauritius – the introduced large geckos threaten to completely displace the native smaller species. © Ralph Budzinski
From the island to the lifeboat
The Guimbeau’s day gecko may yet escape the fate of its ex-peer. This is because the small geckos are well suited to being kept in terrariums, where they reproduce prolifically. If they can be saved in human care over the next few decades, there is hope of returning them to ‘cleaned’ habitats in Mauritius one day. That something like this works has been proven on the neighbouring small island of Round Island, for example. There, native day geckos, as well as snakes and other lizards, have also been almost wiped out by invaders. Through painstaking work, it has been possible to free parts of the former habitat from them and protect them. Bred specimens were then reintroduced and are now ensuring a growing population. So we don’t have to stand idly by and watch as the Guimbeau’s day gecko succeeds the dodo.
For breeders
Basic information on biology and breeding
Keep in pairs or in groups of one male and two females. Terrarium size from approx. 40 x 40 x 60 cm (length x width x height). Branches and bamboo poles for climbing. Bright light, spotlights. 24-30 °C during the day, locally up to 42 °C. Slight drop at night. Spray regularly. In winter 16-18 °C. Feed with insects and other invertebrates, always powder with vitamin-mineral preparation.
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