When Fernbank Museum of Natural History showcased lizards and snakes in a 2007 exhibition, one creature in particular caught the attention of almost every visitor: geckos.
A new Fernbank exhibition gives visitors more of what they wanted. "Geckos: Tails to Toepads" shows off more than 85 geckos from 18 species, and their naturalistic habitats. It' s a small sample -- there are more than 1,100 species of geckos -- that explains what they have in common, and how they can be so wildly different in color, shape and size. Good luck finding them: some are small, and many fit so perfectly into their environment, it takes kids looking low and parents looking high before they spot them.
Another rain forest dweller will get some attention at Fernbank during the exhibition, too. The IMAX film, "Bugs! A Rainforest Adventure," features more than 40 tropical insects.
Here are five fun facts about geckos:
1. Geckos are able to run up walls, trees and leaves, no matter how smooth or vertical. (In the exhibition, you'll see some stuck to the glass walls of their enclosures.) It's not suction cups or glue at work. It's millions of microscopic adhesive hairs on the bottoms of their feet. When they move at a certain angle, the hairs pop right off, allowing them to scurry away. If a gecko ran up your arm, it would feel a bit like sandpaper.
2. Camouflage is among a gecko's best traits for survival. Consider the giant leaf-tailed gecko. They can grow up to 12 inches or more in length, but hide easily on bark with beige, gray, olive, black and white coloring. Better still is its tail, a broad, flattened tail that's shaped like a leaf.
3. Stealth though geckos might look, they don't necessarily sound that way. They squawk, chirp and whistle, sometimes to attract a mate, claim their territory or show that they're distressed. Some geckos rub their scales together to imitate poisonous snakes and scare away potential predators.
4. Leopard geckos are popular pets, and are often bred for certain traits, just like prize-winning cats, dogs or horses. Some leopard geckos in the exhibition are bred for certain spots or colors, like the tangerine and snowy-white albino geckos on display.
5. Perhaps the most famous gecko, the GEICO spokes-lizard, looks a lot like the giant day gecko, which is on display. They're bright green with red highlights, and nosh on nectar and fruit. A smaller version the neon day gecko, looks similar, too. Don't believe that car insurance sales-lizard's refined British accent. The giant day gecko is from Madagascar.
INFO
"Geckos: Tails to Toepads" runs through Sept. 30. $15, $14 for students and seniors, $13 ages 3-12, free for members and children younger than 3. Fernbank Museum of Natural History, 767 Clifton Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-929-6300, www.fernbankmuseum.org .
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