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It's night in a rain forest. A gecko flattens its body against a moss-covered tree branch. its skin helps it blend in with the green and brown branch. You might think the gecko can dodge the dangers of the night sitting high in a tree. Don't be sure. Danger finds it.

It doesn't take long before a hungry bird spots the gecko and swoops down to attack. Seeing the swooping bird, the gecko plunges backward off the branch. It swings its tail to right itself and glides to a smooth landing on the ground.

The danger is not over! A slender cat-eyed snake lunges from the darkness, sinking its teeth into the gecko's tail. The tail falls off and the gecko springs away. The snake does not notice the escaping gecko as it eats the thrashing tail. Using its super night vision, the gecko moves deeper into the blackness of the forest.

It sounds like the gecko had a tough night. To escape from two predators, it soared through the air, lost its tail, and more. That is how many geckos survive in the wild.

How did one little lizard develop so many talents? Its abilities are the results of adaptations. When a species adapts, it changes over a long period of time. These changes can help an animal survive.

Scientists think that geckos first lived in warm rain forests. Over time, they adapted to survive in these warm, wet places.

They developed special toes that let them cling to wet leaves and scurry up slippery vines. They developed legs that let them run quickly. They developed great eyesight so that they can see colors in the dark. Some grew special skin flaps that let them glide through the air. Geckos also became the only lizards with voices, which they use to communicate.

Some geckos adapted in ways that changed their looks. The leaf-tailed gecko has folds of skin that help disguise its body. Its tail even looks like a leaf! This gecko can blend into a tree trunk, making it hard for predators to spot it even in bright daylight.

The crested gecko also has a special feature. its head is shaped like a triangle. Long ridges run from its eyes down its back. These ridges look like eyelashes! As the gecko pushes through leaves and dirt, the ridges may help protect its eyes.

Today, geckos have spread out from their original habitats. They now live in warm regions throughout the world. They live in deserts, jungles, suburbs, and cities.

Geckos have become an important part of the food chains in these places. They control insect populations all over the world. They feast on insects, worms, and spiders. Geckos also are food for predators.

The same adaptations that helped them survive in the rain forest help them survive in their new habitats. Let's take a look at some of these adaptations.

What gives the gecko its grip? What allows it to stick to any surface—even glass? The answer is in its toes. A gecko's toes are wide and flat. Each toepad is covered with thousands of tiny "hairs" called setae. Each hair splits apart into even smaller hairs at the tip. These tips can stick to surfaces.

To get unstuck, a gecko peels its toes off of the surface, starting with the tip of its toe. A gecko's toe joints can bend in the opposite direction of our fingers and toes. All of this sticking and unsticking happens very fast. A gecko running up a wall might attach and detach its toes 30 times per second.

A gecko's toes help it stick to things. Its tail helps it get away. Its tail allows a gecko to balance when falling from a tree or climbing a slippery wall. Its tail also helps a gecko escape from hungry predators.

Some scientists recently learned of some of the ways this terrific tail works. They filmed a flat-tailed gecko climbing up a wall. They slowed the video down and noticed something no one had seen before.

When the gecko hit a slippery spot and started to fall backward, its tail acted like a fifth leg. In the blink of an eye, the tail flattened against the wall. The gecko got its balance back.

The scientists also discovered that a gecko's tail helps it survive falls. If a gecko loses its grip and falls, the tail can help it land safely. The gecko twists, rotating its body and feet downward into a landing position. Then the gecko spreads its legs and glides, using its tail to steer. It drops gracefully to the ground.

A gecko uses its tail for more than balance and gliding. If a predator tries to take a bite out of a gecko's tail, the gecko simply releases its tail. The predator may have a mouthful of tail, but the main meal—the gecko—is safe.

Losing its tail is tough on a gecko. Because its tail plays a key role in balance, a gecko has a hard time climbing and gliding without it. The good news is a new tail grows back in a few months. The bad news is the new tail is not as long or as strong as the old one.

A gecko also can see in the dark. How did it develop this super adaptation? Scientists think that long ago, geckos were mostly active during the day. Most lizards are. Today, most geckos are nocturnal, or active at night. Being active at night led to other adaptations.

The gecko's eyes changed. The pupils, or openings in the center of the eye, became bigger to let in more light at night. Deep inside the gecko's eye, other changes slowly happened, too. The result? Nocturnal geckos can do something few living creatures can—they see colors in the dark.

A nocturnal gecko's eye structure is different from that of other lizards. Most vertebrates, or animals with backbones, have two kinds of cells in their eyes that sense light. These are called rods and cones. Rods pick up only black and white. Cones detect colors, but only when there's lots of light.

Lizards do not have rods, only cones. Geckos that come out at night have three kinds of super-size cones. These cones give nocturnal geckos their super color vision.

It's important for a gecko to protect its eyesight. Most geckos have no eyelids and cannot blink. If dust gets in a gecko's eyes, it uses its tongue to lick them clean!

Geckos aren't silent. They're the only lizards that use their voices to communicate. They "talk" to find mates, ward off predators, and send messages to one another. They don't use words, of course. Depending on the species of gecko, they bark, squeak, or hiss and croak.

As you've seen, communicating is just one of a gecko's many terrific talents. From leaping and gliding to walking upside down, these leaping lizards are built to survive.

Article by Lana Costantini. Top-of-page image by Cathy Keifer/Shutterstock. "Lively Lizards" appears in the September 2010 issue.