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Mate, someone stuck a sticker on you |
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Tuesday, 14 November 2006 |
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In December 2002 i had the sudden urge to get a tattoo of a green gecko on my lower leg and foot. Before i had even walked into the tattoo shop i knew what i wanted, either a green tree frog or a green gecko. They had a gecko, but it was a fictitious one, it was red with large diamonds on its back. I had the one in the book altered to look like a real gecko that is found in Madagascar off the east coast of Africa.
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Madagascar giant day gecko (Phelsuma madagascariensis grandis Gray, 1870
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Description
This lizard is among the largest of all living day geckos species. It can reach a total length of about 28 cm. The body colour is bright green or, rarely, bluish green. A red stripe extends from the nostril to the eye. On the back there are red coloured dots or bars. These red markings may be quite variable, and in some cases, completely absent. Some specimens may have small blue spots. Young individuals of the species often exhibit much more red than their parents, but as time passes, many of the markings fade, to leve those that will remain until the gecko dies.
Distribution
This species is widely distributed in northern and northwest Madagascar. It can also be found on some of the off shore islets. There are a few recorded populations of this species also in Florida, and Hawaii, introduced by accident, which seem to like the climate in these locations. |
Frequently Asked Questions
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Which tattoo shop did you go to? |
Second Skin |
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Who was the tattooist? |
Bluey |
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Did it hurt much? |
Bloody oath! |
Soon after i got my tatt i had to put it in a boot so that i could go to work which began rubbing the colour out of my tattoo. I protected it as best i could but after a couple of weeks it needed a touchup. Bluey had warned me that a lot of tattooists refuse to colour skin that is very thick or very thin because the colour wont hold, he agreed to do the top of my foot because my skin wasnt too thin. Bluey says smoking thins peoples skin and if i were a smoker he may have refused to do my foot.
A week or so after the touchup, my tatt still looked like new, it was really shiny and colourful. I had organized to join my mate Ramon Foster and some of his RAAF buddies in Airlie Beach for new years eve. Soon after i met them, one of them looked down and saw my new tatt. He thought i was some lamer wearing a wash off fake and promptly started giving me shit about it. |
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