The Immortal Naturalist's Guide to Cryptic Creatures: The Leopard Gecko

This post is part of the Immortal Naturalist's Guide series. The explanation for that series can be found in this post.

    One of the few creatures I've encountered that has been mistaken for a god is the Leopard Gecko, a creature that wanders the Cerebral Desert of the Dragon's Maw. A dangerous ambush predator the size of a regular leopard, this scaled beast is cold-blooded and lizard-like despite its more mammalian features. While it maintains a den in an exposed crag of rock, the Leopard Gecko will sometimes spend weeks at a time wandering the desert in search of food. The Leopard Gecko gets all of the water it needs from its prey, usually an unlucky pygmy camel, and it only needs to eat once every week or so due to its lower metabolism. Sunbathing in the morning is a must, and the Leopard Gecko is unlikely to attack a person while it is sunbathing, or if it has just eaten, but that never means it is safe to get lose.

    One incredible ability of the Leopard Gecko is that it can turn completely invisible on the sand. Something about its scaly skin is able to perfectly mimic the texture and color of sand, helping it to sneak up on its prey. This cat also dislikes water, avoiding it as much as possible, although water does not seem to harm the Leopard Gecko in any way. Following this example, the lizard folk of the Leopard Gecko Tribe spent generations practicing their stealth, painting themselves yellow with black spots, and avoiding water as much as possible. These lizard folk believe that by following the creature's example, it will protect their village and grant them some of its powers. Incredibly, some of the most devoted members of the tribe are actually able to channel the Leopard Gecko's powers and gain a sandy texture that makes them disappear in the desert. Also of note is that not once have I ever seen the Leopard Gecko attack a member of the tribe, despite it preying upon several people during my observation period. Clearly, something the lizard folk are doing works.

    Following it to its den, I discovered something strange. Like many lizards, the Leopard Gecko sheds its skin in patches and eats the patches as they fall off. I was able to sneak up on it while it was asleep and remove a shedding patch of skin a little early. After some experimentation, I was able to get this piece of skin to take on the sandy texture the Leopard Gecko uses to hide. By running an electric current through it, I was able to replicate the magical ability. It would be dangerous to get enough materials, and wearing it would probably be rather dangerous, but I can imagine a cloak or something covered in shed Leopard Gecko skin that can be shocked into a sandy appearance would be useful. I could at least get some use out of such a garment.