Tokay Gecko

Gekko gecko

Description

Geckos are closely related to lizards and are both animals that can sever and grow their tails (autotomy), but geckos are larger. The skin on the back is covered with faint scales (granular) with a rash that is rather large and protruding. The pupil is erect in an oblong shape, with jagged edges. The toes of the front and hind feet are fully grown, wide at the tips, sometimes with a membrane between the bases of the fingers. The claws (nails) are found at the tips of the lower fingers. The underside of the fingers is decorated with adhesive pads (called scansors) to prevent falling steps, usually used when climbing a tree, wall or ceiling of a house. colouration dorsum of adults slaty-grey or bluish, with striking orange dorsal patterning, juveniles have cream spots, sometimes merging into pale bands, tail dark banded, with banding most prominent in juveniles, venter cream, unpatterned or spotted with pink

Population Size

Unknown

Life Span

-

WEIGHT​

-

LENGTH

Unknown

Ca

Carnivore

No

Nocturnal

Classification

KINGDOM

:

Animalia

PHYLUM

:

Chordata

CLASS

:

Reptilia

ORDER

:

Squamata

FAMILY

:

Gekkonidae

GENUS

:

Gekko

SPECIES

:

Gekko gecko

Distribution

Its native habitat is rainforest, where it lives on trees and cliffs, and it also frequently adapts to human-modified environments (including insides of buildings), forests, plantation (especially coconut trees) and cave system.

Geography

Continent : Asia

Country : This species occurs in northeast India, Bhutan, Nepal, and Bangladesh, throughout Southeast Asia, including Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, and to western New Guinea.

Habits and Lifestyle

It is a strong climber with foot pads that can support the entire weight of the body on a vertical surface for a long period of time. Compared to other gecko species, the tokay gecko has a robust build, with a semi-prehensile tail, a large head and muscular jaws. Though common in the pet trade, the strong bite of the tokay gecko makes it ill-suited for inexperienced keepers. In addition, the strength of the bite depending on the gecko’s size; larger (usually male) tokay geckos are capable of piercing skin, which often result in immediate bleeding.

Biome

Rainforest

Climate Zone

Tropical

Diet and Nutrition

The tokay gecko feeds on insects, fruit, vegetation and small vertebrates

Mating Habits

Tokay geckos are generally aggressive, territorial, and can inflict a strong bite. Females lay clutches of one or two hard-shelled eggs and guards them until they hatch.

Reproduction session : –

Incubation periods: –

Independent age : at birth

Baby name : –

Baby carrying : 1 -2 eggs

Population

Population status : Least Concern (LC)

NE

DD

LC

NT

VU

EN

CR

EW

EX

Population threats​

Its population in China has dramatically declined due to excessive hunting and habitat destruction driven by increasing urbanization. The latter is likely a secondary threat that increases the species’ susceptibility to collection, as it can otherwise persist in disturbed areas including towns. It has been considered an endangered species in China as a result (Li et al 1996). Recently advertisements were published, especially in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, indicating that the consumption of Tokay Gecko tongues and internal organs are a cure for human immunodeficiency virus and cancer (Caillabet 2011, 2013). This has led to these geckos being massively hunted in Southeast Asia for trade, especially in Thailand.

Population number​

Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, it occurs in a number of protected areas, has a tolerance of a degree of habitat modification, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category despite recent increases in the extent of exploitation primarily for use in traditional medicine.

PHOTO GALLERY

Reference

  1. Somaweera, R. 2020. A Naturalist’s Guide To The Reptiles and Amphibians of Bali. John Beaufoy Publishing, Oxford, England.
  2. Tokay Gecko on Red List IUCN site
  3. Lwin, K., Neang, T., Phimmachak, S., Stuart, B., Thaksintham, W., Wogan, G., Danaisawat, P., Iskandar, D., Yang, J. & Cai, B. 2019. Gekko gecko. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T195309A2378260
  4. Tokay Gecko on Wikipedia article
  5. Tokek on Wikipedia article