Crested geckos are now one of the most widely-kept and bred species of gecko in the world, second only to the common leopard gecko. If you’re filming or photographing lizards in your next project, here’s why we highly recommend the much loved Crestie.
1) They’re exotic
You think dogs, cats and rabbits are cute? Don’t forget to target the masses of reptile keepers in the UK (according to Pet Food Manufacturers Association, there are over 800,000 reptiles being kept as beloved pets in the UK).
Geckos look and feel exotic and bring a smile to so many people’s faces. Thought to be extinct, Cresties (as they’re affectionately known) were only rediscovered in 1994 in Robert Seipp’s expedition to the Isle of Pines.
Cresties are found among the tropical rainforest of New Caledonia; a group of islands off the northeast coast of Australia (in the southern Pacific Ocean). The largest island in New Caledonia, Grand Terre, has a mountain range that extends straight down the middle of the island, creating a natural weather barrier. This leaves the east of the island wet and humid and the west side arid and dry. Many of the gecko species of this region are found on the east side of the island, among dense tropical vegetation.
2) They’re darned cute and (sort of) have eyelashes!
Crested Geckos get their name from their distinctive spines along their back and head, which gives the appearance of eyelashes, giving them their colloquial name ‘Eyelash Geckos’.
The crested projections above the eyes look like eyelashes and give the lizard an amiable-looking face.
In actual fact, Cresties don’t have eyelashes, in fact, they don’t even have eyelids. Therefore, the species has a long tongue that it uses to moisten its eyeballs.
Their wide mouth also looks like a smile and we think there isn’t a lizard that looks as friendly as the Crestie.
3) Sticky Feet
Crested geckos are an arboreal species that prefers height and climbing to walking flat on the land. Cresties have special toe pads (otherwise known as ‘sticky feet’) which allow them to climb vertical surfaces with ease. This makes a really interesting filming opportunity for differing visual perspectives.
The adhesive pads on their feet made up of lamellae are common in many other arboreal species of gecko. Lamella consist of millions of tiny hairs which allow the gecko to climb or cling to nearly any surface, including glass. This also allows for really interesting photography.
The feet do feel sticky to touch and their amazing biology makes this special gecko easy to handle.
4) Jumping and climbing
Being from densely packed forests, so they instinctively perform “leaps of faith” into the air. In the wild, it’s highly likely they’ll land on a tree branch to get away from potential predators or unwelcome advances from other geckos. They are able to jump between branches easily and possess a semi-prehensile tail which is used to help them climb. That simply means that they’re able to use their tail to ‘grasp’ and grip.
5) Frog-butt versus the tail
Some Crested geckos are tailless, making them ‘frog-butts’, as they’re affectionately termed in the reptile community. In an impressive feat of nature, the tail can be dropped (via caudal autotomy) to distract predators. Crested geckos do not regenerate their tails once lost; most adults in the wild lack tails. Fear not! Just because many do not have their tails, they are no less active.
Tail dropping in crested geckos occurs naturally in the wild and in captivity and it is sometimes down to the gecko having suffered shock or a perceived threat. However, sometimes, there is no discernible reason for a tail drop and it doesn’t affect the life-span of the gecko in any way.
No 6) Firing up!
The species ability to ‘fire up’ makes them one of the most interesting reptiles. Cresties fire up and alter their colour for a variety of reasons. The phenomenon is not yet fully understood, however, many researchers and crested gecko lovers have a few theories on why they do this, including: exposure to water, stress levels, time of day, and even a response to temperature or humidity levels. It has been noted that darker colours appear at night to help the gecko to camouflage. However, each gecko will be unique in what causes them to fire up or down.
Firing up is harmless to a Crestie unless it is caused by prolonged stress. Often, firing up will mean they transform from a lighter shade to darker colours and their skin looks more defined as a result. The alternative state is known as firing down.
The colour change in crested geckos is not the same as a chameleon, rather colours become more enhanced (firing up) or less enhanced (firing down) and firing does not give the gecko the ability to blend into their surroundings, though it can help. Interestingly, many crested geckos live out their lives, rarely firing up, however, check out the example of Thor below:
7) Morphs
Nicole Cosgrove recently wrote an exceptional article about the different colour and pattern varieties that crested geckos can be. These variations are listed as follows:
a) Patternless
As the name suggests, the patternless morph is devoid of any patterns, spots, or stripes. They can come in any colour but must have no variation in that colour, not even highlights. The most common patternless colours are olive, chocolate, dark black, red, and yellow, and all shades in between.
b) Bi-colour
Also patternless, these cresties have a dual-tone colouring. They may also simply have a slightly different shade of their base colour along their dorsal, and even very light patterning (though this patterning is not enough for them to be categorized as a one of the other morphs).
c) Tiger / Brindle
Tiger crested geckos are some of the most popular varieties, named for their unique “tiger stripe” patterning. Their dorsal is filled with darker bands of colour that continue down the sides of their bodies and can come in almost any colour variation. Extreme patterned versions of the tiger morph are known as “brindles”, with even more stripes of varying intensity.
d) Flame
Flame cresties are pretty common, but by no means less beautiful than other morphs. They often have a darker base colour with a shading on their back and head. The “flame” name comes from small stripes of cream that come up their sides and resemble a flame pattern. These geckos come in almost any colour, and in some cases, the flame morph can be seen with tiger patterning.
e) Harlequin
Harlequin crested geckos are defined as highly patterned or concentrated flames. You will see a more prominent cream colour on both back and sides. The base colour, typically red or near-black, is contrasted with a cream or yellow patterning. Harlequins also have patterning in their limbs, a trait that is rare in the flame morph.
f) Extreme Harlequin
Extreme harlequins have, as their name suggests, extreme patterning of cream or yellow throughout their bodies, typically 60% or more, and are highly sought after. The most desirable have a near-black base coat with cream patterning, creating a striking contrast.
g) Pinstripe
Pinstripes are adored by the gecko keeping community. They have two sets of raised scales running down their backs, often cream in colour, forming a pinstripe look. The rest of their body can have flame or harlequin patterning. More rarely, they may be accompanied by the patternless or tiger pattern.
h) Phantom Pinstripe
Far less common than the classic pinstripe gecko, phantom pinstripes have a darker stripe running underneath and around the scales, as opposed to the raised colouring of the classic. They typically have a lighter base colour with darker pinstriping and are not as high contrast as some other morphs.
- Quadstripe
A Quadstripe Crested Gecko has the classic pinstripes running down their backs as well as their sides, making for a truly unique looking gecko. The lateral stripes often cause the scales on the side to be raised too, which is rarely seen in other morphs.
j) Dalmatian
Dalmatian morphs are another popular variation defined by contrasting spots of varying intensity throughout their bodies. Some variations are sparsely spotted, while others are so spotted you can barely see their base colour. Dalmatians with smaller spots are fairly common, but variants with large dark spots are highly sought after.
k) White Spotted
White Spotted morphs began with the crestie’s domestication and breeding programs. Breeders began noticing white spots or “portholes” on the gecko’s chest, belly, legs, and nose. These spots are typically tiny and are a result of unfinished pigmentation during the incubation period, but more recently specimens have been seen with larger and larger white spots.
l) Lavender
The lavender morph has become very popular in recent years and the variation is unique in that they do not ‘fire up’. They have a pale grey base shade that resembles lavender.
m) Halloween
These crested geckos are so named because of the bright orange stripes on their black, velvety skin. The most defining feature is their orange and black stripes, as well as their white eyelids.
n) Lillywhite
The “Lilly White” was first bred by Nick Lumb of Lilly Exotics, which is where the morph gets its name. Lumb noticed a unique coloration from a hatchling born in 2010 and, a couple of years later, bred it with multiple females to discover that the coloration is a co-dominant trait so is passed on to some offspring. The morph is white with silvery eyes. In most cases, this morph still has brown markings down the side and the spine.
As you can see, there is a lot to love about the crested gecko. With so much variety in appearance, there will be a perfect crestie for your brand or media project. To hire a crested gecko, check out our database here and contact us to make a booking.