Amateur naturalist Gary Feulner, 77, a US citizen who moved to the UAE in the early 1980s. Photo: Gary Feulner
Amateur naturalist Gary Feulner, 77, a US citizen who moved to the UAE in the early 1980s. Photo: Gary Feulner
Amateur naturalist Gary Feulner, 77, a US citizen who moved to the UAE in the early 1980s. Photo: Gary Feulner
Amateur naturalist Gary Feulner, 77, a US citizen who moved to the UAE in the early 1980s. Photo: Gary Feulner

Dubai naturalist has gecko named in his honour in recognition of decades of work


Daniel Bardsley
  • English
  • Arabic

A Dubai lawyer who has spent four decades studying plants and animals native to the Emirates has had a species of gecko named after him.

Scientists have named it Feulner’s semaphore gecko (Pristurus feulneri) after Gary Feulner. The name is a reference to how it communicates using its tail and body. The gecko is commonly found across the Hajar Mountains in the north-east of the UAE and Oman.

Mr Feulner, 77, a US citizen who moved to the UAE in the early 1980s, has chaired Dubai Natural History Group since 1995 and published many scientific studies on the country’s animals, plants and geology. He said he was “very much flattered and honoured” to have the gecko named after him. “It was nice to know that my work was appreciated,” he said.

Mr Feulner, who studied geology at top US universities before switching to law, came to the UAE at the end of 1983 and began hiking in the countryside.

“I explored it thoroughly,” he said. “I was famous for saying, ‘If you go places you haven’t gone before, you see things you haven’t seen before.' No matter how many times you’ve been out, if you look carefully you always see something that’s new or different.

Feulner’s Semaphore Gecko, named after UAE resident Gary Feulner. Photo: Prof Salvador Carranza
Feulner’s Semaphore Gecko, named after UAE resident Gary Feulner. Photo: Prof Salvador Carranza

"Not necessarily a new animal or plant, but new behaviour, new phenomena. My weekend hiking activities, and early '80s and '90s desert-exploring activities, I’ve turned those into scientific results by just keeping records of what I see.”

Papers Mr Feulner has written cover subjects as diverse as lizards, beetles, butterflies, toads, fish, snails, wadi grass, geology, mountain ecosystems and climate. He has also written on legal issues.

He said he was not “the only semi-amateur person going around doing interesting things” and described the species being named after him as “a recognition of the contribution of amateur scientists” to the study of the UAE’s natural history.

Mr Feulner initially lived in Abu Dhabi and, after a spell away, in the 1990s moved to Dubai, where he continues to live. He spends about two months a year in the US and a similar period helping at a school in Nepal that he sponsors.

Dedicated to the UAE

Prof Salvador Carranza, the senior author of the study in which the gecko is recognised as a species and named, described Mr Feulner as “an example of dedication to nature preservation and the study of nature in the UAE”.

“Also Gary has been really active in the mountains, in the Hajars he’s a specialist,” said Prof Carranza, who is director of the Institute of Evolutionary Biology at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. “He’s been working there for ages, since he started in the UAE many, many years ago. He’s really expert in the geology of the Hajar Mountains and a real expert in the natural history of the UAE.”

Now that the species has been named after him, Mr Feulner said he would like to uncover what the signals of the gecko meant.

“Maybe with my name on it, I’ll go out of my way and spend some time, take a chair with me and find a spot where they’re common and see if I can figure out what they’re saying to each other,” he said.

Another of the authors of the new study, Johannes Els, of the Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife in Sharjah, said naming the gecko after Mr Feulner was "a fitting tribute to his extensive and enduring contributions to the study of natural history in the UAE and northern Oman".

"Over several decades, his work has significantly advanced understanding of the region’s biodiversity, including reptiles, freshwater fishes, molluscs, insects and flora," he said.

Mr Els said "meticulous field observations" made by Mr Feulner had helped map the distribution of numerous reptile species across the Hajar Mountains and beyond, "providing vital data for conservation studies".

Amateur naturalist and Dubai resident Gary Feulner has also acted as a mentor to other naturalists in the region. Photo: Gary Feulner
Amateur naturalist and Dubai resident Gary Feulner has also acted as a mentor to other naturalists in the region. Photo: Gary Feulner

He also said Mr Feulner had "played a key role" as a mentor and leader among naturalists, and in his three decades chairing Dubai Natural History Group had bridged the gap between amateur enthusiasts and professional researchers.

"His efforts to promote public engagement with natural history have ensured that future generations will continue to explore and protect the unique ecosystems of the UAE," Mr Els said.

Geckos are no strangers

Feulner’s semaphore gecko is not the only gecko to call the Emirates home. The National reported previously how the Emirati leaf-toed gecko – Asaccus caudivolvulus was thought to be on the brink of extinction but a 2022 expedition found the geckos in five locations despite heavy development in the area.

Geckos play a vital role in ecosystems because they feed on insects and help to balance the number of species. Last year, The National reported how a number of geckos were able to glow in the dark at night.

Bright fluorescence, often found around the eye and around the flanks, was seen in two species, the dune sand gecko (Stenodactylus doriae) and the Arabian web-footed sand gecko (Trigonodactylus arabicus), both of which inhabit very sandy environments with little vegetation.

The eastern sand gecko (S. leptocosymbotes) also showed fluorescence, albeit less prominently, around its eyes and on its flanks, while a fourth species, Slevin’s sand gecko (S. slevini), had a small amount around its eye.

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In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.

An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.

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Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)

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Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)

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Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)         

Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)

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White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogenChromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxideUltramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica contentOphiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on landOlivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour

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Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

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At a glance

- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years

- Dh300 million set aside to train 18,000 jobseekers in new skills

- Managerial jobs in government restricted to Emiratis

- Emiratis to get priority for 160 types of job in private sector

- Portion of VAT revenues will fund more graduate programmes

- 8,000 Emirati graduates to do 6-12 month replacements in public or private sector on a Dh10,000 monthly wage - 40 per cent of which will be paid by government

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Look north

BBC business reporters, like a new raft of government officials, are being removed from the national and international hub of London and surely the quality of their work must suffer.

Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?

Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.

They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.

“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.

He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Updated: March 27, 2025, 8:23 AM