Moriarty Science Seminar: How Geckos Rule the Night

Photo Credit: Tyger Williams, TNS

How Geckos Rule the Night: From Ancient Amber to Modern Stowaways

Monday, October 21, 2024, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Earth Theater and online via Zoom

Featuring Aaron Bauer, Villanova University

This lecture is free. Museum admission is not required.

With more than 2300 extant species, geckos are one of the most species-rich groups of living reptiles and can be seen as an evolutionary success story. Their distinctive body plan was established approximately 150 million years ago and they had already diversified extensively by the Late Cretaceous, as demonstrated by 100-million-year-old amber fossils from Myanmar. Most geckos are nocturnal, and this is likely one of the keys to the success of the group. The evolution of diverse architectures of adhesive toepads has also promoted diversification in gecko lineages. Although constrained in some aspects of their morphology and ecology, modern gecko diversity is promoted by the combination of substrate specificity and low vagility, resulting in extensive allopatric speciation. As a result, many gecko genera are speciose, but individual species are restricted to small areas of occurrence. Paradoxically, a few species of geckos have evolved traits that not only permit them to occupy larger areas, but also make them successful invasive species. These few “super-colonizers” have been spread between continents through human activity, from the trans-Atlantic slave trade to the development of modern shipping routes.

Click here to register to attend virtually via Zoom. Registration is not necessary to attend in person. Museum admission is not included with the lecture. Visitor Services staff can direct you to Earth Theater on arrival.