Gaeker. Lurche XI. Taf. 68.

Title

Gaeker. Lurche XI. Taf. 68.

Description

Eleven illustrations of various geckos such as the star gecko, pointed gecko, sling-tailed gecko (Uroplatus), leaf-tailed gecko (Phyllurus), pinnate-tailed gecko (Ptgchozoon), etc. From Okens Allgemeine Naturgeschichte, VI Zoologie.

ca. 1839

Artist

Oken (1779-1851)

Lorenz Oken (1779-1851) was a German physician and naturalist. One of his main works is the "Allgemeine Naturgeschichte für alle Stände" (General Natural History for all Estates), written during his time in Zurich. This important edition - probably the last work, in which one and the same author treats the whole natural history exhaustively - is a detailed and extensive reflection of the state of knowledge of that time. Here Oken has proceeded systematically: Starting with mineralogy, botany, the animal world to the most complex living being, the human being. The work is known among other things for his linguistically creative introduction of German terms, with which Oken in partly original way not only species and genera, but also the higher departments designated. Oken's main effort went on representation of an in itself coherent, all kingdoms of nature and their elements encompassing natural system.

Historical Description

Geckos (Gekkonidae) are a family of pangolins. Thanks to their excellent adaptability, geckos have conquered a wide variety of habitats and can be found in temperate zones as well as in the deserts of the world, but especially in the tropics. There they have achieved a great diversity of species. Around three quarters of gecko species are crepuscular or nocturnal animals with a correspondingly inconspicuous beige-grey coloration and a slit pupil adapted to nocturnal activity.