New rare reptile species at the zoo
Day gecko couple move in - zoo takes part in species conservation campaign
There is a new species to discover at Chemnitz Zoo: the sky-blue day gecko.
A pair of this relatively small gecko species, measuring five to eight centimetres, now live in a terrarium in the foyer of the tropical house.
The sexes are differently coloured. The males have a bright turquoise-blue dorsal colouring, which is also the origin of their common name. The females, on the other hand, are greenish to bronze in colour.
This endangered species is only found in the eight square kilometre Kimboza Forest Reserve in north-eastern Tanzania. There it lives exclusively on the pandanus palm. Such restricted habitats make a species particularly vulnerable to habitat changes and other threats.
With this species, Chemnitz Zoo would like to actively participate in the "Zoo Animal of the Year" campaign, which was launched in 2016 by the Zoological Society for Species and Population Conservation (ZGAP). The campaign campaigns for highly endangered animal species that are little known and whose threat has not yet or hardly ever been in the public eye. (https://www.zootierdesjahres.de).
Chemnitz Zoo has deliberately chosen one of the campaign's focus species. Not only because it is an endangered species, but also because a "sky blue" fits in well with Chemnitz.
Opening hours of the zoo and wildlife centre in March:
9 a.m. to 5 p.m., last admission 4 p.m.