Mediterranean Gecko Hunting At Night
Each night as I come or go from my apartment, I’ve noticed a sizable Mediterranean Gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) hunting in the dim lights on the side of the building. As their name implies, Mediterranean Geckos are an introduced species, naturally occurring in parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia. Not being a herpetologist, I’m not sure if they’re having any harmful effect on native species. But being nocturnal and highly associated with urban / suburban environments, you might think of them as the House Sparrows of reptiles. My guess is that they’re filling a niche that was previously unfilled (nocturnal insect hunter on the walls of human structures) and that they’re not hurting anything. But that’s just a guess.
I’ve been meaning to grab the camera and try and get some shots. Here’s an excellent one of a beetle walking by. He didn’t make a lunge for it, but seemed attentive to the movement nonetheless.
And another one of him clinging to the walls with those incredible suction pad feet. (For further edification, here’s a BBC article on the fascinating foot structure of geckos.)
And as always, there are larger versions of the pictures in the photo gallery. Clicking a picture will take you through.
I’ve counted as many as six stuck on the ceiling and sides of our front porch. And I always know when one has squeezed under the threshold and made it to the inside: the cat starts behaving as if he’s smelling catnip.
I live in OK and i work at a grocery store that during night hours you can count as many as 50 or more on the sides of the building. I decided to make a few pets of some since my young daughter loves anything that moves. They seem to adapt very well to captivity.
i have 2 eggs i thank this tip of gecko small white and a little yellow. ow im 15 yers old so ya