Friday, July 15, 2011

Geckos Galore


 (Giant Day Gecko. Photo taken from behind glass.)


Geckos are usually small, agile lizards that are incredibly adaptable.  They can survive in the heat of an arid desert as well as in a tropical rain forest. They can wiggle between rocks and in the mouths of caves.

Did you know there are more than 1,100 species of geckos?

Berkshire Museum, in Pittsfield, a  city in Western Massachusetts, is currently hosting a large exhibition of these unique creatures, titled "Geckos: Tails to Toepads."   We traveled there to see the gecko exhibit and it was worth the trip!  A total of 14 different species are represented.

They are housed in glass cases especially made to simulate their natural habitats, with plants, sand, stones, and even caves!


Following are some of the geckos I was able to get a good look at.


 




















 
Giant Frog Eyed Gecko: This fellow is covered with hundreds of overlapping scales. Most are nocturnal and eat insects.







LeopardGecko (Morph): (Since this was taken through the glass front, some lettering showed up in this shot.)




Giant Day Gecko:  The one at the top of this post is one of these. They are a very brilliant emerald green color with red markings and eat fruit and nectar. One was climbing like crazy on the glass!






Fan Fingered Gecko: The one shown here has kind of cute little hands, don't you think?

This kind of gecko can squeeze between rocks and over hot sand. Also, if you were a gecko, you'd have to watch out for this fellow. If you invaded his territory, he could inflict serious wounds on your body!





Tokay  Gecko:  This kind of gecko is not friendly.  They are also big.  The sound that comes from them when they are fighting is the sound of their name. It's a loud cry (toe-kay.) These geckos also chase their enemies and can give a painful bite.






Guess I've always kind of liked geckos. They look like miniature dinosaurs and seem like such fascinating little things.

Hope you enjoyed reading all about geckos and seeing my photos of them, too!

DO YOU LIKE GECKOS?





11 comments:

Annesphamily said...

These creatures are so unique and very interesting I am not sure I would own one but I do think they are intriguing! I do like that silly GEICO gecko! Great photos! Thanks for sharing. Anne

DaCraftyLady said...

those are great photos and I didn't realize they came in so many colors..I always just think of the Geico commercials...lol...I am not into reptiles to own but I do like to watch them...great post..

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

I know they are harmless, but when they get inside it is not a fun thing.

Did I tell you about one coming indoors a while back -- it must have happened when I was watering plants on our bedroom balcony, which meant it was in our room overnite, and then Jingles found it the next day on the curtains. She chased that thing from the bedroom to the living room, played with it and tossed it around, then under the dining table and back out. At this point, he no longer had a tail. It was so weird how he was one color inside with black eyes, and then when I rescued him and took him outside, he turned brown like the dirt he was on and his eyes were paleish green.

Then with the salamanders in our room at the lodge in Chitwan -- yikes! I couldn't sleep. Hubby got rid of 3 -- but I was flat on my back, lights on, glasses on, and watching every corner for any other critters -- there were lots. :/

It is amazing how many varieties there are -- just like with doves. Most of us think a dove is a dove a lizard is a lizard, but there's so many out there, all with different names.

I bet you were glad these were behind glass. :) Have a fabulous Friday! Tammy

Linda @ A La Carte said...

I do like them since they eat bugs!! Great photos!

The Old Parsonage said...

Just Gordon Gecko from Wall Street. Other than that they look kinda creepy:)

Enjoy your weekend!
Leann

GwendolynKay said...

I like them in a cage!
Ha!

Bookie said...

Very interesting, but they are not endearing creatures to me!

diane stetson said...

No no no and no..I'm not a reptile lover but my two grandsons got to HOLD lizards at a recent birthday party. I had a lizard in my house recently and I don't know who was more scared or screamed the most..me or the lizard. Finally captured him in a laundry basket and hauled him outdoors again. Loved your pictures Susan.

Chatty Crone said...

NO NO NO NO
My grandson does though so I showed him your post.

It's awesome. lol

A Few Pennies said...

Interesting post; though I wouldn't want to live near any (sorry)--you are right; they do look prehistoric; almost like mini-dinos! Thank you for visiting my blog tonight; and yep, I'm going to paint that mirror white and sell it at my booth. When will I paint it?? That's very questionable! Have a great weekend.

Mariette's Back to Basics said...

Dearest Susan,

Oh, the big Tokay we are very familiar with while living in Indonesia. Don't think they bite though! They all eat insects and chase each other because of territory; quite normal for a lot of creatures.
The small green and brown ones we had as pets in Indonesia. Whenever we had coffee on the patio, after work (we left the house by 6:00 AM and returned by 2:00 PM) they climbed down the water-pipe from underneath the roof. We placed near the pipe on some concrete blocks a saucer with some very sweet coffee. They LOVED that. So funny that they always came down in a hurry, lots of them, all looking for their treat. When we left for the US one day, we left a can with sweetened condensed milk out for them, with still some in it. When we got back we found that one had drowned in it... Sad that it went to gecko heaven like that!
I held many of them and they are just cute. Great for catching all the mosquitoes away for you!!!

Lots of love,

Mariette

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