A Fourth-Grader Names New Gecko Species

Gemma Farquhar may be your typical pre-teen, but this fourth-grader from Oaklyn, N.J., may also quite possibly be the only 10-year-old to ever name a new animal species.

Last weekend, Gemma was named the grand prize winner of Project Gecko, a nationwide contest developed by Zilla, a Central Garden & Pet company and manufacturer of reptile products.

The contest challenged fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders to develop a scientifically sound name for a species of gecko recently discovered on the South Pacific island of New Caledonia, and Gemma’s submission – Bavayia periclitata – won.

“I chose this name because it means endangered and it will make people think about how our geckos are disappearing and are on the endangered list. I hope people will try harder to protect our geckos,” said Gemma. “Winning Project Gecko means a lot to me because I named a whole new species of gecko for eternity and giving the gecko this name may mean there’s a better chance to help other species.”

Gemma, along with her parents and sister, as well as her teacher and classmates from Oaklyn Elementary School, were honored last Saturday during a special Project Gecko party at the Turnersville PETCO in Sewell, N.J.

The festivities included refreshments and a special Project Gecko cake, a tour of the store, a seminar by a local reptile group, and a Q&A session with Dr. Aaron Bauer – the scientist who discovered the new species.

Gemma and her family donned special Project Gecko T-shirts featuring a gecko with the new name on his name badge and “Gemma Rocks” underneath.

In addition to Gemma, the panel of judges for Project Gecko also selected individual grade student winners, who submitted the best name suggestions in their age group: Madilyn Bragg of West Monroe, La., for the fifth grade, and Daniel Carr of Tampa, Fla., for the sixth grade. Separate Project Gecko parties to honor the two winners, their teachers and classmates were also held last Saturday at PETCO stores in Monroe and Tampa.

Project Gecko received thousands of entries, which were judged based on creativity, explanation of name, adherence to rules, grammar and spelling. Gemma won a $1,000 savings bond and a family trip to Busch Gardens and Adventure Island in Tampa. She also took home her own gecko, named Peri, or short for periclitata. Gemma’s teacher, Linda Hess, received a laptop computer and educational books for her class.

All individual winners were also presented with leopard geckos, Zilla Leopard Gecko starter kits, educational books and tickets to national reptile shows held by NARBC (North American Reptile Breeders Conference and Trade Shows). Subscriptions to Reptiles Magazine were also given to the winners, their classmates and teachers.