Common Name: Samsonus Six

Scientific Name: Gekko samsonus

Specimen Length: 17.9cm

Specimen Sex: Male

First Described: AD 2098

Description and Habitat: The reptile Samsonus Six evolved in the mid C21st from an outbreak of deformed six-legged tokay geckos indigenous to The Great Asian Delta, the area formerly known as Thailand. Swarming the swampland they are highly fecund, managing the increasing extreme temperatures of the region by cleverly making use of the extra pair of legs, standing alternately on three at a time to avoid scolding the underside of their feet. They may not be covered in hundreds of tiny hairs like those of their ancestors Gekko gecko, but the underside of each foot still use Van Der Waals force, fluctuations in charge distributions between neighbouring molecules that fall into synch to create an attractive force, now deployed amongst the cooling gelatinous texture more suited to this challenging waterlogged environment.

Gekko samsonus was discovered by Homosapien explorers re-entering the Nonthaburi Delta, once an area completely devoid of humans after the Great Anthropomorphic Decline of Asia in AD 2059. Initially thought to be blind, all its power, sensory ability, intelligence and feeding capabilities are in its "mane" of highly advanced vibrissae, hence its namesake Samson, a character of extreme strength from the ancient little-known text, The Bible. Ingestion of sustenance and all forms of information along with the excretion of pheromones when looking for a mate or ‘marking’ its territory all move via its wild wieldy head, possible because brain, feeding and receptor cells sit side by side along each highly mobile tentacle.

G. samsonus are, however, highly predated upon, the main food source for the many larger reptiles filling the swamps, a few remaining terrestrial species and the highly abundant bird-life all around.

Although poisonous to humans, tests have shown its skin is highly salubrious, loaded with minerals and important vitamins absorbed from the surrounding nutrient rich waterways.

Like their ancestors, Samsonus Six are also able to utilize reparative regeneration after the loss of their tail when escaping attack, a new appendage fully reformed after 28 days.

Reproduction: Gekko samsonus are oviparous, and after sexual reproduction the female will lay up to 1000 eggs over a period of several months, many at a time depending on conditions. Finding a safe dry area is treacherous with the perpetual rain and frequent flooding, but if successful the eggs will incubate for up to three months before hatching into one inch juveniles. It usually takes about a year for a Samonus Six to reach sexual maturity and start breeding.

Life Span: 30-35 years.