Phyllurus platurus (Broad-tailed Gecko)

The Broad-tailed Gecko is a moderately large species of lizard (average body length of 80 mm) with a distinctive flattened body shape, well-developed limbs and digits, an angular head and large eyes, and distinctive leaf-shaped tail. The skin of the body and tail is rough and is covered by numerous small 'pointed' scales, but tails that have been lost and regrown lack these 'pointed' scales and are smooth.

Phyllurus platurus are restricted to the Sydney Basin area of New South Wales, though there are other leaf-tailed gecko species further north as far as Cape York Peninsula. Broad-tails inhabit the sandstone outcrops and escarpment, hiding in deep cracks and crevices during the day. It has adapted well to human encroachment using brick houses as an alternative to its natural rocky home.