Foto: Frank-Glaw

Fish-scale geckos in the genus Geckolepis are able to lose their skin at the slightest touch.

Many lizards can drop their tails when grabbed, but one group of geckos has gone to particularly extreme lengths to escape predation. Fish-scale geckos in the genus Geckolepis have large scales that tear away with ease, leaving them free to escape whilst the predator is left with a mouth full of scales. Scientists led by Mark D. Scherz (LMU Munich) and Dr. Frank Glaw (Zoologische Staatssammlung München) have now described a new species (Geckolepis megalepis) that is the master of this art, possessing the largest scales of any gecko.