A Gecko Lives Another Day

On the ground before me is a snippet of a Mediterranean gecko. A part that served its purpose as a life-saving tool. No worries……it’ll grow back, and even though it may not resemble the original, the owner lives another day. When this 2 inch piece of tissue was released it wriggled incessantly to distract whatever the predator happened to be in order for the gecko to escape sure death. I came across a video on YouTube that shows a gecko tail in action:


Further investigation revealed the possible culprit. In the sand not a foot away from the tail was the track of one of the local carnivorous feral felines, which run rampant in this area. And believe me if one of them came upon a juicy little gecko it definitely would partake.

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.

Mediterranean Gecko

While cleaning off our potting table in the backyard I captured a Mediterranean gecko that was concealed in a small mound of dried leaves. These lizards are an introduced species and made its way to this country by stowing away on ships transporting goods. It is not considered invasive and this is due to the fact that they have not in any way threatened any of our native animals. It is also considered to be one of the most successful species of gecko due to its spread over much of the world. It is the only lizard that emits vocalizations consisting of squeaks, clicks, and barks during territorial battles and when accosted. They have a break-away tail like most other lizards that helps in its escape from predators.

They’re very adept at climbing due to their unusual toe pads, have no eyelids and are the only gecko found in the U.S. that has elliptical pupils. Being nocturnal they can be found near porch lights, which attract insects. They can also be found inside homes, in wood piles, in cracks and crevices, etc. Note how the skin on their backs is covered with wart-like tuberacles.

Catching this lizard was wonderful, but the really cool part was when I turned it over. The skin on their belly is semi-translucent and enables you to somewhat see its internals. Look closely at the photo and you’ll notice two large white eggs that she is probably about ready to lay. The eggs, once laid are soft and soon harden. Females lay 1-2 eggs, the hatching young receive no parental care, and juveniles can be identified by the more pronounced banding on their tails. After photographing her I released her in our fire wood pile.

Geckos

While tearing apart an old deck in my backyard I caught a pair of nice sized Mediterranean geckos.

Luckily I was able to catch both of them without the loss of either’s tail, which is good for the gecko, seeing that the loss of its tail, which is a survival mechanism, costs precious energy to regrow.

Afterwards I released them in our firewood pile. I have written a couple of other entries on these cool lizards. Check them out here and here.