2009/05/17

Catching a Common House Gecko

In Taiwan, it is very common to hear sounds like sounded like a ping-pong ball being dropped on the ground "ko ko ko". It is very likely you're hearing the calls of the Common House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus). These tropical lizards are native to southeastern Asia, but they are also found in other parts of the world because of their small size and ability to stow away in ships and planes. They are commonly seen on walls of buildings looking for insects.

Today, in the afternoon, I saw this little gecko climbing effortly on the ground. There seems to be problems with its front limbs - causing it to unable to move very fast. I scooped it up (from the danger of being stepped on) and examined it closely.

Common House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) - 疣尾蝎虎

Common House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) - 疣尾蝎虎
You can easily see the external ear hole or opening in ths photo. Love the eyes!

The genus name of this species is derived from the characteristic of its digits. Hemi- means half; -dactylus means digits. And as you can see, there are two rows of foot hair on each digit, hence the name Hemidactylus. Here's a basic introduction news article to "Gecko's amazing sticky feet". I also think this is a female, no?

In the end, I released it in a dark storage room and wished in best of luck.
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