On Land: Reptiles
Saba least gecko
Sphaerodactylus sabanus
Jumplinks:
About
Found on only a handful of islands in the Lesser Antilles — Saba, St. Eustatius, and St. Kitts and Nevis — the Saba least gecko is a secretive little lizard. At their longest, they grow a little over 6 cm/2 inches in length (including the tail), and belong to a group of geckos that includes some of the smallest vertebrates on Earth today.
At the end of each of the Saba least gecko’s toes is a sticky round pad that allows them to climb up even the slipperiest of vertical surfaces. In fact, they get their scientific name, Sphaerodactylus, from these toe pads (sphaero means “round,” and dactylus means “toe”), which are extremely helpful when chasing down the miniscule insects and mites that make up the majority of their diet. When on the hunt for small spiders — or on the run from larger ones — these tiny lizards can be surprisingly fast.
Want to spot one yourself? They’ve been seen haunting the crags and cracks of the human-made rock walls that line many sections of Saba’s roads and driveways, though what this little gecko really loves is leaf litter, rock piles, fallen bromeliads — even under flower pots! Just remember to move slowly and quietly when looking for them, and to be extremely careful when replacing any rocks (or pots) you may have shifted.
There’s also a small chance you may spot another least gecko: Sphaerodactylus sputator, or the island least gecko. It’s an entirely different species, and one that hadn’t been recorded on Saba for 60 years — until Academy scientists observed two individuals in 2021 (verified through genetic testing of a mini sample called a “tail-clipping,” which doesn’t harm the animal). In partnership with the Saba Conservation Foundation and Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance, the team published that finding in January 2023, though researchers have yet to determine whether the island least gecko is actually native to Saba.
Think you may have spotted one of either? Take a photo and upload it to iNaturalist! The online community can help to identify your gecko-sighting, and the observations you share can in turn help researchers and conservation managers better understand where these populations may be.
This species is:
Endemic
Why that matters:
Endemic species aren’t just native, they’re species found nowhere else in the world — and high rates of endemism are part of what make islands like Saba so special. In fact, islands hold the greatest concentration of biodiversity on Earth. And when we consider that 75% of all recent bird, reptile, amphibian, and mammal extinctions on our planet have happened on islands, the need to better protect these incredible places is clear.
iNaturalist Observations
Where locals, researchers, and visitors have seen this species.
Google / Imagery © 2023 CNES / Airbus, Landsat / Copernicus, Maxar Technologies, U.S. Geological Survey, iNaturalist Map data @2023
This map shows geotagged observations of this species made on iNaturalist, the world’s largest community-science platform.
iNat depends on people like you. By uploading photos of species you see in the wild, you can easily learn more about them — while also contributing critical data used by scientists and conservation-managers around the globe.
See something odd?
Observations of land species in water:
Connectivity can affect how accurate location services are, and in the case of endangered species, location is often automatically obscured.Missing observations:
Your help is needed to collect more data for this species!
Ask a Scientist
Question: How do you catch such small lizards when you need to study them up-close?
Answer: Sphaerodactylus sabanus is so small that we have to catch them by hand (which requires both speed and care), but when working with larger lizards like anoles, we use a catch-and-release tool called a lasso. It looks like a small fishing rod, and allows you to dangle a loop of thin, plastic filament near the lizard until you’re in position to drop it over its head. No matter what species we’re collecting, though, we’re always careful to return the animal to the very same place it was caught.
Dr. Michael Yuan
Herpetologist & researcher with the Islands 2030 initiative, California Academy of Sciences
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