Nocturnal. A sit-and-wait and slow-active forager. Forages by "slow visual scanning", walking slowly or standing on fully extended limbs, usually in very open situations. Daytime refuge is usually in a burrow, which the animal digs itself. The fine, whip-like tail of this species is used to block and conceal the burrow entrance as the animal retreats in it. Haacke (1978) suggested that blocking the entrance of a burrow helps maintain the stability of the microclimate inside it. Bouskila (1988) speculated that burrow concealment reduces predation by daytime predators, which potentially could detect the presence of a gecko if its burrow entrance is evident. Apparently selective pressures favor reduced tail autotomy in this species. The bland coloration of the tail supports this as well. This is in contrast with S. sthenodactylus and S. mauritanicus, both of which lose their tails readily, and have tails that are conspicuously marked with black and white bars on their tips. They both wave their tails vigorously when confronted by a predator.
Least Concern
A medium-sized gecko, fairly slender, with maximum recorded SVL 64 mm. Head notably large and broad; snout relatively long; nostrils do not project strongly; neck distinct. Limbs long and slender. Tail less than SVL and distinctly thin, whip-like. Cloacal tubercles in several rows and protrude strongly at the base of the tail (especially in males). Tail autotomy rare. Three nasals, first supralabial enter the nostril; rostral is excluded. Body scales uniform, smooth. Those in the mid-back are noticeably smaller than those on the flanks. Dorsals slightly larger than ventrals. Digits notably depressed; with 3-5 rows of subdigital scales, the central row of which (if wide enough) is tricarinate. Each digit fringed by two rows of obliquely directed spine-like scales. Lacks pre-anal pores. Dorsal coloration sandy pink, slightly translucent. Sides of head with dark mottling, which extends onto the flanks forming a broad ill-defined band. Back with irregular dark transverse wavy lines, intermixed with whitish or yellowish spots. Iris grayish yellow. Tail with 16-20 irregular ark bands. All ventral sides are white.
Sandy deserts of the Western Desert and the northern Eastern Desert. In North Sinai it is found south to Wadi Gharandal on the Gulf of Suez. The type locality appears to be the only place where the species has been reported in the Eastern Desert south of 30°N. Isolated populations might be found in other suitable localities on the margins of the Eastern Desert. The species is certainly more widespread in the Western Desert, extending to parts of the Western Mediterranean coastal plain.
Saharan northern Africa, from Senegal and Mauritania in the west to the western Negev in Israel. Penetrates into the northern (sandy) fringes of the Sahel. Three reports from Sudan: between Atbara and Berber (Loveridge 1947), around the Second Cataract (Mathiasson 1964 [in Mahmoud et al. 1997]) and from Dabarosa (west side of Nile opposite Wadi Haifa, Smith et al. [1998]), but it is likely to be found further south in that country.
A species of sandy biotopes, usually dunes. Can occur in relatively high densities in areas with favorable habitat. Locomotion facilitated on soft sand by fringed flattened digits.
Fairly common, but localized.
Stenodactylus petrii, known as the dune gecko, Anderson's short-fingered gecko, or Egyptian sand gecko, is a small, mostly nocturnal gecko of the genus Stenodactylus. It's not a frog-eyed gecko.
They are found across northern Africa and in Israel in arid regions.[2] From head to base of tail, they are about 2–3 inches (5–8 cm) long, a very small dwarf gecko. The tails are quite long compared to their size, 1–2 inches (3–5 cm). If a tail is dropped, it will grow back, only shorter and stubbier. Unlike other geckos, dune geckos cannot climb up smooth surfaces. Instead, they prefer to dig. During the day, they usually hide in burrows or in caves, though often these are out and about in the day. They sometimes appear slow, but they can be extremely fast. Camouflage in the sand helps them remain inconspicuous, especially when hunting. They eat mainly crickets and mealworms. The dune gecko, if kept as a pet, should not be handled too often because it stresses them out and can cause severe health problems. Also they can be relatively social but are also known to live by themselves before mating.
3. Domer, A., Subach, A., Haimov, R., Dorfman, A., Samocha, Y. and Scharf, I. (2023), Activity and habitat use of a dune gecko and its spatial and temporal correlation with other animals on dunes. J Zool. https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.13064
Stenodactylus petrii, known as the dune gecko, Anderson's short-fingered gecko, or Egyptian sand gecko, is a small, mostly nocturnal gecko of the genus Stenodactylus. It's not a frog-eyed gecko.
They are found across northern Africa and in Israel in arid regions. From head to base of tail, they are about 2–3 inches (5–8 cm) long, a very small dwarf gecko. The tails are quite long compared to their size, 1–2 inches (3–5 cm). If a tail is dropped, it will grow back, only shorter and stubbier. Unlike other geckos, dune geckos cannot climb up smooth surfaces. Instead, they prefer to dig. During the day, they usually hide in burrows or in caves, though often these are out and about in the day. They sometimes appear slow, but they can be extremely fast. Camouflage in the sand helps them remain inconspicuous, especially when hunting. They eat mainly crickets and mealworms. The dune gecko, if kept as a pet, should not be handled too often because it stresses them out and can cause severe health problems. Also they can be relatively social but are also known to live by themselves before mating.
