there is an excellent short video on the BBC website documenting this bizarre relationship! see the link at the end of the article.
Nora

Gecko ‘begs’ insect for honeydew


Image courtesy of BBC One’s Life in Cold Blood

Saturday, 16 February 2008, 07:28 GMT

Gecko and bug’s bizarre relationship revealed

A bizarre relationship between a gecko and a sap-sucking insect has been caught on camera for the first time.

The day gecko, which lives in the forests of Madagascar, has been recorded begging a bug for its dinner.

The lizard repeatedly nods its head at the insect, called a plant hopper, until it flicks over small balls of honeydew for the gecko to dine upon.

It is not yet understood why the insect so willingly offers up honeydew at the lizard’s behest.

Some believe that the presence of the hungry geckos may keep other predators away from the insect.

The footage was recorded for the BBC One series Life In Cold Blood.

It took the crew several attempts to capture this strange behaviour on camera as plant hoppers are very well camouflaged.

Life In Cold Blood is on BBC One on Monday, 18 February at 2100 GMT and is repeated on BBC One on Sunday, 23 February.

SOURCE:

BBC NEWS SCIENCE

This entry was posted on Monday, February 18th, 2008 at 11:36 am and is filed under nature, animals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

there is an excellent short video on the BBC website documenting this bizarre relationship! see the link at the end of the article.
Nora

Gecko ‘begs’ insect for honeydew


Image courtesy of BBC One’s Life in Cold Blood

Saturday, 16 February 2008, 07:28 GMT

Gecko and bug’s bizarre relationship revealed

A bizarre relationship between a gecko and a sap-sucking insect has been caught on camera for the first time.

The day gecko, which lives in the forests of Madagascar, has been recorded begging a bug for its dinner.

The lizard repeatedly nods its head at the insect, called a plant hopper, until it flicks over small balls of honeydew for the gecko to dine upon.

It is not yet understood why the insect so willingly offers up honeydew at the lizard’s behest.

Some believe that the presence of the hungry geckos may keep other predators away from the insect.

The footage was recorded for the BBC One series Life In Cold Blood.

It took the crew several attempts to capture this strange behaviour on camera as plant hoppers are very well camouflaged.

Life In Cold Blood is on BBC One on Monday, 18 February at 2100 GMT and is repeated on BBC One on Sunday, 23 February.

SOURCE:

BBC NEWS SCIENCE

This entry was posted on Monday, February 18th, 2008 at 11:36 am and is filed under nature, animals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.