Ocean City Police are asking for any information about who left two terrariums, each containing a gecko, on the sidewalk on the  900 block of Wesley Ave. on Sunday, in near freezing weather.

According to Ocean City Animal Control, about 4pm Sunday, they received a call from a concerned person saying that two terrariums had been left on the sidewalk with signs that said "free' on each of them.  The caller said there was a lizard in each of the tanks.

Animal control said that when they got to the site they found two geckos, on in each terrarium.  The geckos had been left in 35 degree weather with overnight temperatures expected to drop well below freezing.

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Leopard geckos are cold blooded lizards and need heat from outside to survive, or they will die. Their preferred body temperature is around 86 degrees.

The Ocean City Animal Control, which is handled by the Humane Society of Ocean City, say the reptiles almost certainly would have died if left outside much longer.

Luckily they hadn’t been out there to long and once they warmed up they became a little more active. We are looking for any information on who would abandon these animals, that need warmth to live, and left for dead. Any information can be given to the Ocean City Police as a report has been filed.

The gecko is a small to medium species of lizard that is found in tropical regions of the world. Geckos are more commonly found around the Equator.

Today, many species of gecko are considered to be threatened with extinction due to habitat loss and pollution. Geckos are also popular pets and many are caught in the wild to be sold into the exotic pet trade. The average lifespan of a gecko is 15- 20 years.

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