Tokay Gecko in the flashlight

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Sauria
Family: Gekkonidae
Genus: Gekko
Species: G. gecko
Binomial name
Gekko gecko

_The Tokay Gecko (Gekko gecko), is a nocturnal arboreal gecko native to southeast Asia and the Indo-Australian Archipelago.
They are abundant, ranging from northeast India and Bangladesh, throughout Southeast Asia, to Indonesia and western New Guinea.
Their native habitat is rainforest trees and cliffs, and they also frequently adapt to human habitations, roaming walls and ceilings at night in search of insect prey.

_The late 1980s and early 1990s it was introduced into Hawaii, Florida, Belize, and several Caribbean islands, where it can be considered an invasive species.
It is arboreal, living on cliffs and trees; it is usual to see them inside human residences.
A typical lifespan is 7–10 years.
Tokay geckos are aggressive carnivores which will eat a variety of insects and even small mice.
Their aggressive behavior can lead to attacks on other male Tokays, other gecko species, and also human handlers.

_Tokays are the second largest gecko species, attaining lengths of about 30-40cm (11-15 inches) for males or 20-30cm (7-11 inches) for females and weights of 150-300g (5-10 oz).
They are distinctive in appearance, with a bluish or grayish body sporting orange or red spots.

_They are renowned for their aggressive disposition and (unusually for lizards) their loud vocalizations, sometimes referred to as a bark.
Their mating call, a loud croak, is variously described as sounding like tokeh or gekk-gekk, whence both the common and the scientific name (deriving from onomatopoeic names in Malay, Sundanese or Javanese), as well as the family name Gekkonidae and the generic term gecko.
Listen to the mating call of a male Tokay gecko.

_The bite of a large tokay, while unlikely to cause lasting damage to a human, is painful and can easily draw blood.
Furthermore, a tokay gecko, once having bitten, will not readily let go.
Tokay owners report that the only effective way (other than waiting) to get the lizard to release its hold is to submerge it in water.
 

Redactie: info(at)rijskamp.com                           
Cagayan de Oro June 22, 2007

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