Whilst gardening at her Smith Crescent property last weekend, Jodie came across this beautiful Ocellated Velvet Gecko (or OVG for short!). Scientific name Oedura monilis.
These relatively large geckos are found in north eastern Australia from near Townsville, south to the New South Wales border. They are common in forested areas, sheltering by day in crevices of rock outcrops, in tree hollows or beneath loose bark.
My research suggests that Jodie’s specimen is a sub-adult due to the bright yellow dorsal markings. In adult geckoes these markings are said to be variable, but they tend to be darker brown to grey in colour. Individuals usually dwell on a home tree from which they forage widely in search of food. References indicate that these geckoes prefer dry woodland and dry sclerophyll forests rather than high altitude rainforest.
Has anyone else spotted these stunning geckoes in and around the Paluma village?
References: Stephen Swanson – Field Guide to Australian Reptiles and Stephen Wilson & David Knowles – Australia’s Reptiles: A Photographic Reference to the Terrestrial Reptiles of Australia.
Photos by Jodie Pace & Text by Michele Bird
What a find, Jodie! it is quite stunning. Thank you for sharing with us. I wonder how it comes to be so far from its preferred habitat