New Caledonian Giant Gecko (Leachie)

Rhacodactylus leachianus

In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth. ~Genesis 1:1

  • IUCN Status: Least Concern 
  • Range: New Caledonia, an island group in the southwest Pacific 
  • Habitat: Forested areas 
  • Lifespan: 15–20 years in the wild; up to 30 years in captivity 
  • Size: Up to 17 inches in length, including the tail, and weighing up to 400 grams 
  • Diet: Omnivorous, feeding on insects, small mammals, fruit, and nectar 
  • Clutch Size: Typically 1–2 eggs per clutch 
  • Incubation: 60–90 days, depending on temperature and humidity 

The Leachianus Gecko, affectionatly called a Leachie, is the largest living gecko species. Found in the dense forests of New Caledonia, this incredible creature is perfectly designed for life in the trees. This gecko is a true giant of the gecko world with some individuals getting up to 17" long and over 400grams.

Sticky Feet

Many animals have claws for climbing, but God created some geckos with extra special feet for climbing. About 60% of geckos have incredible “Sticky Feet”.  The bottom of these geckos' feet are covered in millions of tiny hairs called setae. The setae are arranged in tightly packed rows called lamellae. Each seta can be around a thousand times thinner than a human hair and each seta has split ends. All of these split end has a suction cup shaped end called a spatula. The spatula are attracted to the surface by very weak atomic interactions called van der Waals forces. The force is so tiny that it is barely enough to keep atoms bonded together, but the billions of spatula on the bottom of the geckos' foot is more than enough to keep the gecko stuck to almost any surface.  

The amazing design of the geckos foot is an all-or-nothing system, if these lizards did not have everything in place at the same time their feet wouldn’t work. They would either not stick at all or their feet would get stuck and not release. *To suppose that the foot of a gecko could have been formed by natural selection is absurd in the highest degree.  The only possible way to get the extremely complex foot of a gecko is intentional design.  The design of the geckos’ foot is so complex that it is impossible for it to exist by mere chance, but it is no problem for the all-knowing, all-powerful, supernatural God of the Bible.