In the category of Never a Dull Moment…
I’ve been teaching for 22 years. I’ve seen a lot. I have had all sorts of excellent…and funny…and puzzling things happen….but, never…ever, this. Until this week.
We have two crested geckos. I’ve always believed in having a lot of pets. It is a time suck when you’re the one ultimately responsible for caring for them (even with lots of helpful hands), but the lessons for the students are invaluable. We’ve had your run-of-the-mill hamsters and gerbils…and now the coolest guinea pig around. We’ve also had a hedgehog and a rabbit. We’ve had birds…and more fish than I can count. We’ve also had tree frogs, anoles, a tortoise…and now geckos. There were a few years before I had the boys that I had a fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, and mammal all at one time so that we could really learn first-hand the different classifications of Phylum Chordata. I digress.
The children have always treasured having the opportunity to interact and care for these critters and they’ve also provided fantastic learning opportunities.
What better way to learn the parts of a fish…ventral fins, pectoral fins, dorsal fin, caudal fin, gill openings, lateral line, etc…than observing a real live fish?
You get my point.
So, this week we learned that when a gecko feels threatened (don’t ask) it will “drop its tail” in an attempt to distract the predator so that it can flee. Fascinating. Most geckos will grow a new tail. Crested geckos do not. They can, however, live happy and healthy lives without their tails. Phew.
What happens after the tail falls off, you may ask? Well, see for yourself.
Good Morning Gloucester 