Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey, does any know how far the vertebral column reaches down the tail of a leopard gecko?

This is the best picture on Google Images:

http://www.civicfelineclinic.com/Pix-Exotics/PicX-Gecko-Xray.jpg

Looks like it extends the full length of the tail.

I don't see how that could be possible since they can regrow their tails. Do they just regrow vertibrae?

I'm not certain about geckos, but it is true that green iguanas can regrow their tails, and they have vertebrae the entire length. I gather that when an iguana tail regrows, it does not replace the missing vertebrae, but rather grows some sort of cartilaginous support.

when they regrow their tails the vertebrae are not regenerated with the tail that is why they do not look as nice. i cannot remember where i read this but it did say that they just have a cartilage piece running through it. i thought that i read it in the Herpetoculture of Leopard Geckos but when i looked at the page that talks about tail loss it didn't mention this fact. i have a couple of other books if i come across it i'll let you know.

-T

Sick, ya learn something new every day I guess!

I can fill in from 'The Leopard Gecko Manual' :

"Although leopard geckos can grow new tails, what replaces the original tail section is a bulbous unringed structure, no longer supported by bony vertebrae but instead by a cartilaginous rod."

hehe
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What does man love more than life,
Fear more than death or mortal strife,
What the poor have, the rich require,
And what contented men desire,
What misers spend, and spendthrifts save,
And all men carry to the grave?

thankyou i knew i had seen that in one of my books

-T

No problem
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What does man love more than life,
Fear more than death or mortal strife,
What the poor have, the rich require,
And what contented men desire,
What misers spend, and spendthrifts save,
And all men carry to the grave?