BRUSSELS, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Two tiny wonder geckoes hatched out at the Antwerp Zoo in Belgium on Friday, the first time that a European zoo has succeeded in breeding this genus of reptiles.

    Wonder geckoes, or Teratoscincus, are extremely difficult to breed and they have never before hatched outside the Arab Emirates, Belgian public broadcaster VRT reported.

    Last year, Antwerp Zoo was given five wonder geckoes by the Emirates Sharjah Breeding Center. The two males and three females were specially selected to take part in a relocation and breeding program.

    The tiny animals are on show every day at the reptile nursery of Antwerp zoo.

    Wonder geckoes are found in countries in the Arabian Peninsula and in west and central Asia. The lizards predominantly live underground; they only leave their habitat around dusk in order to catch insects. As they have extremely brittle skin, they need to be handled with absolute caution.

    According to the International Gecko Association, they are most difficult to keep and breed in group.