Tiger Crested Geckos

Tiger is the crested gecko pattern trait where dark bands cross the body instead of running along it. These bands go from the back down to the sides. The thickness, number, and how cleanly they run determine if an ordinary tiger is one worth a premium.

Appearance

Bands on a tiger run roughly vertically from the dorsal area down the flanks at right angles to the spine. These stripes can be thin or bold, ranging from barely there to heavy, and a band may run from one side over the dorsum and down the other on some animals. While the bands are usually darker than the base colour, red tigers exist but turn up far less often. Because a yellow base shows the banding most clearly, the classic tiger is often yellow-based, but the pattern also shows on orange geckos and inside harlequins. The shape of the band is the best single identification cue. On a tiger, it is a clean, continuous stripe, whereas the same bands on a Brindle break into marbling and uneven dashes. Expression varies a great deal, even between siblings from the same clutch.

Genetics

Every crested gecko has some tigering because Tiger is fixed and cannot be bred out. The amount that shows depends on other pattern traits, especially pinstripe. Pinstripe organises pattern along the body while tiger organises it across, so they pull against each other. You get a reverse pinstripe where tiger pushes along the raised pinstripe scales. Freckling occurs where it breaks up heavy pattern. The inheritance is not settled: it has been described as fixed dominant, as incomplete dominant and as the work of several genes. Listings have two names, Tiger and Super Tiger, with the second for heavier, more exaggerated striping. Bold Stripe Tigers is a proven line in its own right. Tiger also combines with flame to give a flame tiger where the bands break through the flame pattern.