About Phelsuma ornata Gray, 1825
Phelsuma ornata Gray, 1825, commonly called the Mauritius ornate day gecko, typically reaches a total length of 10–13 cm (3.9–5.1 in). The back of its head and neck are greyish brown, and are bordered by distinct white neck stripes. Its body color is quite variable: it can be solid bluish green, green with a blue patch on the upper front of its back, or entirely blue. Its flanks are brown. Its snout features an intricate pattern made up of cyan, white, red, and dark blue markings. Its back is covered with red dots, and its head displays a clear T-shaped pattern. Its tail is turquoise, marked with red transverse bars, and its ventral (underside) surface is off-white. This species is found in coastal areas of Mauritius, Round Island, Île aux Aigrettes, and Coin de Mire. It typically inhabits drier low- to mid-elevation areas across Mauritius, and can be found on trees, other pantropic vegetation, or on rocks in areas where the original native vegetation has been cleared. A resident of Flic en Flac, on Mauritius' west coast, reports that these geckos have colonized their garden. The geckos can be seen moving across garden walls and the house's exterior walls, and some individuals even enter buildings, occasionally spending the night behind wardrobes before exiting to the outside through open windows each morning. For this species, when incubated at a temperature of 28 °C (82 °F), young geckos hatch after approximately 40 days. Newly hatched juveniles measure around 35 mm (1.4 in) in length. In 2014, an experiment testing the effects of microgravity on gecko reproduction was launched into space, carrying five Mauritius ornate day geckos. All geckos died from a combination of factors caused by lost communication with the satellite, which included a life support malfunction that deactivated the heating system.
