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International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences Research Article
Motion dazzle camouflage as an escape strategy in Hemidactylus frenatus, (Common house lizard) of Chennai (Tamil Nadu)
Padmavathi Sriram
Year : 2022 | Volume: 7 | Issue: 2 | Pages: 16-20
Received on: 2022-03-13
Revised on: 2022-03-13
Accepted on: 2022-03-28
Published on: 04/04/2022
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Padmavathi Sriram( 2022).
Motion dazzle camouflage as an escape strategy in Hemidactylus frenatus, (Common house lizard) of Chennai (Tamil Nadu)
. International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences, 7( 2), 16-20.
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Abstract
Hemidactylus frenatus, is the common house lizard, which is frequently found in almost all Indian households. This lacertilian member, is a warm blooded reptile and had been a triumphant lizard species on earth. The success of these lizards, in evolution, may be attributed to their unique ability to disguise as according to the backgrounds they inhabit. Quite a number of studies, on different species, of lizards have revealed that geckos are known to engage in "motion dazzle camouflage" to avoid predation. The present investigation was conducted to ascertain, if common house wall lizards actually engage in a similar kind of dazzle camouflage to evade aggression. Observational studies, for a period of two years spanning from 2019-2021, showed that the common wall lizards, indeed engage in one form or the other type of crypsis to avoid human or animal encounters. Results showed that, geckos which were generally found on lighter backgrounds such as light colored walls had a paler skin hue, matching to their lighter environment, and thus concealing themselves to certain extent. However it was interesting to note that, the lizards, which were adapted to run on the floor or adapted to move on a patchy backgrounds, showed a molted appearance on their skin. They had alternate dark and light patches, on the dorsal side, extended from the neck till the tip of the tail, aiding these lizards, to conceal and avert any conflict. The molted appearance on the lizards may be because of opsin proteins present in their skin, which act as photo sensors, capable of adapting accordingly to the light intensities and there by assisting in defensive pigmentation. The blotched appearance of geckos implies that it causes the motion dazzle camouflage there by confusing the predator, about its exact location and avoid the threat. The present study, precisely suggests, that the common wall lizards of the species, Hemidactylus frenatus indulges in motion dazzle camouflage, as an efficient game plan to avoid and evade any adversaries.
Keywords
Hemidactylus frenatus, geckos, Motion dazzle camouflage, opsin proteins, Reptilia, Lacertilia.
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© The Author(s) 2025. This article is published by International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (creativecommons.org), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
