Leopard gecko skeletal system — limbs and tail autotomy
Overview of the leopard gecko skeleton — a sprawling four-limbed lizard frame with clawed toes and caudal vertebrae bearing preformed fracture planes for tail autotomy.
General educational reference only — not clinical or veterinary advice. Anatomy varies between individual animals; consult a licensed veterinarian for any health concern.
A sprawling lizard frame
The leopard gecko has a standard lizard skeleton: a skull, a vertebral column running from the neck to the tail tip, ribs along the trunk, and four limbs held out to the sides in a sprawling stance. The elbow and knee sit well away from the body, so the trunk stays low to the ground.
Clawed toes, not adhesive pads
Unlike the pad-bearing geckos that climb smooth surfaces, this species has simple clawed toes with no adhesive lamellae. Its limb and foot skeleton is that of a ground-dwelling walker rather than a vertical climber.
Tail autotomy and fracture planes
Much of the tail is made of caudal vertebrae, many of which carry a preformed fracture plane — a zone of weakness through the middle of the vertebral body, matched by splits in the surrounding muscle. When the tail is seized it separates at one of these planes, and constricting vessels limit blood loss. A regrown tail is supported by an unsegmented rod of cartilage rather than by new vertebrae, so the original bony segmentation is not restored.
