Wildlifeof India
Tokay Gecko
Geckos
Photo: (c) Kseniia Marianna Prondzynska, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY (May be cropped or resized)
Gekko gecko
Basic stats
Diet
Insects and small vertebrates
Habitat
Rainforest trees and cliffs; also rural houses
Range
North-east India, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh; throughout South-east Asia, to western New Guinea
Clutch size
1–2 eggs
Size
25–30cm on average; up to 40cm
The tokay gecko is a large, nocturnal, tree-dwelling gecko native to Asia and some Pacific islands. It reaches a total length of 25–30 cm on average, and some grow to 40 cm. It is believed to be the third-largest gecko species. Increasing urbanisation is reducing its range. Individuals can tell mates and offspring from other geckos by smell (Wikipedia, general species account).
Its native habitat is rainforest, where it lives on trees and cliffs, and it often adapts to rural houses, roaming walls and ceilings at night in search of insect prey. It feeds on insects and small vertebrates. Females lay clutches of one or two hard-shelled eggs and guard them until they hatch; communal nesting with as many as four adults guarding a clutch of about eleven eggs has been seen in Cambodia. In India the account places it in the north-east; the Reptile Database lists Assam, Mizoram and Tripura.
Quick answers
- What does the Tokay Gecko eat?
- Insects and small vertebrates
- What habitat does the Tokay Gecko live in?
- Rainforest trees and cliffs; also rural houses
- Where is the Tokay Gecko found?
- North-east India, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh; throughout South-east Asia, to western New Guinea
- How many eggs does the Tokay Gecko lay?
- 1–2 eggs
- How big is the Tokay Gecko?
- 25–30cm on average; up to 40cm