Day geckos get their name for their diurnal nature, whereas most geckos are nocturnal. Day geckos are only found on the islands in the south-west of the Indian Ocean. Whilst I saw many amazing species in Madagascar, the Ornate Day Gecko wins the crown for me. It is beautifully coloured with turquoise blue in the tail and head, emerald green on the body, and covered with a delicate pattern of vibrant red. I'm slightly biased in that it is the first day gecko species I saw in the wild.
They're one of the smallest day geckos, growing up to 12cm in length and feeding on insects and nectar. Geckos have always fascinated me for their ability to climb surfaces with seemingly no grip at all. This is accomplished by a staggering feat of evolution - at the end of their short limbs are expanded toe pads with scales (known as 'lamellae'). These scales are covered by countless microscopic hair-like bristles (known as 'setae'). At the tip of each bristle there are around 100, sometimes up to 1000, tiny suction cups which allow the gecko to walk across these surfaces, even along a glass window.