News Animals

DNA has revealed the origin of this giant ‘mystery’ gecko

A genetic analysis of the largest known gecko, presumed extinct, has rewritten its backstory

Two black and white photos of a mysterious gecko specimen. The image on top show the underside of the gecko while the bottom image shows the top view of the gecko.

A giant, mysterious gecko specimen (top and underside views shown) thought to date to the 1830s is now revealing its origin story, thanks to DNA analysis.

A. Bauer

By Natalie van Hoose

A lizard called Delcourt’s giant gecko has long been one of herpetology’s biggest mysteries — literally.

Presumed extinct, the animal is by far the largest gecko known to have crawled the Earth, measuring at least 600 millimeters, or about two feet, from snout to tail tip.