gecko

\'gek-(.)o-\ n or geck.os or geck.oes [Malay ge'kok, of imit. origin] pl : any of numerous small harmless chiefly tropical and nocturnal insectivorous lizards (family Gekkonidae)

gecko,

also spelled GEKKO, any lizard of the harmless but noisy family Gekkonidae, which contains about 80 genera and about 750 species. Geckos are small, usually nocturnal reptiles with a soft skin, a short, stout body, large head, and weak limbs often equipped with suction-padded digits. Most species are 3 to 15 cm (1.2 to 6 inches) long, including tail length (about half the total). They have adapted to habitats ranging from deserts to jungles. Many species frequent human habitations, and most feed on insects.

Most geckos have feet modified for climbing. The pads of their long, flattened toes are covered with small plates that are in turn covered with numerous tiny, hairlike processes that are forked at the end. These microscopic hooks cling to small surface irregularities, enabling geckos to climb absolutely smooth and vertical surfaces and even to run across smooth ceilings. Some geckos also have retractable claws. Like snakes, most geckos have a clear protective covering over the eyes. The pupils of common nocturnal species are vertical and are often lobed in such a manner that they close to form four pinpoints. The tails of geckos may be long and tapering, short and blunt, or even globular. The tail probably serves in some species as a storehouse of reserve nutriment on which the animal can draw during unfavourable conditions. The tail may also be extremely fragile and if detached is quickly regenerated in its original shape. Geckos' colours are usually drab, with grays, browns, and dirty whites predominating, though one genus, Phelsuma, of Madagascar, comprises bright green types active in the daytime. Unlike other reptiles, most geckos have a voice, the call differing with the species and ranging from a feeble click or chirp to a shrill cackle or bark. Most species are oviparous, the eggs being white and hard-shelled and usually laid beneath the bark of trees or attached to the underside of leaves. A few species in New Zealand have live births.

Geckos are abundant throughout the warm areas of the world, at least a few species occurring on each continent. The banded gecko (Coleonyx variegatus), the most widespread North American species, grows to 15 cm and is pinkish to yellowish tan with darker bands and splotches. The tokay gecko (Gekko gecko), the largest species, attains a length of 25 to 35 cm (10 to 14 inches). It is gray with red and whitish spots and bands. The tokay gecko, native to Southeast Asia, is frequently sold in pet shops.

Clinging and climbing.

Associated with arboreal life are groups of anatomical features mainly concerned with clinging. The commonest clinging structures in vertebrates are claws; they seem to be the only arboreal adaptations of some lizards, such as the common iguana (Iguana iguana). Similar structures appear in many lizards of the family Gekkonidae, in the anoles (Anolis) of the family Iguanidae, and in some skinks of the family Scincidae.

Pads on the feet consist of wide plates or scale under the fingers and toes. The outer layer of each plate or scale is composed of innumerable tiny hooks formed by the free, bent tips of cells. These minute hooks catch in the slightest irregularities and enable geckos to run up apparently smooth walls and even upside down on plaster ceilings. Because the hooklike cells are bent downward and to the rear, a gecko curls its toes upward to disengage them. Thus, when walking or running up a tree or wall, a gecko must curl and uncurl its toes at every step.

We're fast. We're clever. But we don't eat bugs. We eat up those parts of your big projects where you don't have enough time or enough people.