Mediterranean house gecko

Resilient creature that can thrive in human-dominated environments

Konstantinos Kalaentzis

If you live in a warm and humid region, you might have seen a small, pale lizard crawling on your walls or ceilings at night. This is the Mediterranean house gecko, a nocturnal and insectivorous reptile that has adapted to live in urban and suburban areas. It is native to the Mediterranean region but has been introduced to many other parts of the world, where it often competes with native geckos.

The Mediterranean house gecko has large eyes that help it see in the dark, sticky toe pads that allow it to climb on smooth surfaces and a tail that can detach and regenerate if grabbed by a predator. It can also vocalize, making chirping or clicking sounds to communicate with other geckos or to warn off intruders.

Distribution

Country
Population est.
Status
Year
Comments
Albania
2008
Algeria
2008
Bosnia And Herz.
2008
Croatia
2008
Cuba
2008
Introduced
Cyprus
2008
Egypt
2008
France
2008
Introduced
Greece
2008
Israel
2008
Italy
2008
Lebanon
2008
Libya
2008
Malta
2008
Mexico
2008
Introduced
Montenegro
2008
Morocco
2008
Panama
2008
Introduced
Portugal
2008
Puerto Rico
2008
Introduced
Slovenia
2008
Spain
2008
Tunisia
2008
Turkey
2008
United States
2008
Introduced

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Terrestrial / Aquatic

Altricial / Precocial

Polygamous / Monogamous

Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic

Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal

Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Herd

Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore

Migratory: Yes / No

Domesticated: Yes / No

Dangerous: Yes / No