Gecko in Hiding

In my son's backyard resides a storage building that he has been meaning to clean out for years. He finally got around to it and after he was done decided to install a deadbolt on the shed's door.  The was an existing hole for the lock which was capped on one side.  Inside the hole on the backside against the cap was a Med gecko (short for Mediterranean gecko).

They are pretty speedy and at times difficult to catch, but this one was a little sluggish due it being cool outside which made it an easy capture.

Look closely at the close-up of the tail.  Notice how it appears dissimilar to the rest of its body.  This is a newly replaced tail.  Geckos have break-away tails which acts as a defense mechanism.  The tail breaks off and wiggles, distracting predators as the gecko escapes.  Through the process of regeneration a new tail is grown.

You find little surprises in the strangest places.

Other gecko posts can be found here.