Slevin’s Sand Gecko at Zulfi – Record by Mansur Al Fahad

The Slevin’s Sand Gecko Stenodactylus slevini is seen in the same areas as the Middle Eastern Short-fingered Gecko and has the same local name Abras Bar, meaning desert gecko. This photo was taken by Mansur in Zulfi and he has kindly allowed me permission to use it on my website as well as provided details on the Gecko. It is a small gecko with a large head and eyes with a pupil that contracts to a vertical slit, a tapering tail, and relatively slender, rounded toes. It has a fairly dark sandy colour, lighter on the underside, and with bands and mottling ranging from orange to brown and a chevron mark on the back of the head. It is a nocturnal, ground-dwelling gecko that probably feeds on insects and other small invertibrates. They occur in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, southern Iraq, Yemen, the western United Arab Emirates, and Qatar and inhabit areas of relatively firm sand in sandy plains and stony desert.