Tiny gecko on leaf

© Darren Greenwood/Alam

Peek-a-boo, I see you!. World Lizard Day

When trying to draw attention to an event like today's World Lizard Day, you don't want to lead off with a Gila monster, a monitor lizard, or even the relatively common (but still off-putting) iguana. Nope, what you want front and centre is a cute little gecko like the one we see here. Geckos come in varying sizes across 1,500 species and are unique among lizards for their vocalisations for mating, distress and various social interactions.

World Lizard Day isn't a big event, but it is important: these reptiles are threatened worldwide, and as both predators and prey, they are a critical part of ecosystems. So today let's think about our scaled friends, and if you're thinking about getting a pet, why not a lizard? Leopard geckos and bearded dragons are considered to be the most beginner-friendly lizards to own.