Tokay gecko

Scientific
classification

Kingdom Animalia
:

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Order: Squamata

Suborder Sauria
:

Family: Gekkonidae

Genus: Gekko

Species: G. gecko

Binomial name

Gekko gecko
(Linnaeus, 1758)

The Tokay Gecko (Gekko gecko) is a nocturnal arboreal gecko, ranging from
northeast India and Bangladesh, throughout Southeast
Asia, Philippines toIndonesia and western New Guinea. Its native habitat
is rainforest trees and cliffs, and it also frequently adapts to rural human habitations,
roaming walls and ceilings at night in search of insect prey. Increasing urbanization is
reducing its range. In the late 1980s and early 1990s it was introduced into Hawaii,
Florida, Texas, Belize, and several Caribbean islands, where it can be considered
an invasive species.

The Tokay Gecko is known as a Tuko or Toko in the Philippines,

and Tokek in Indonesian/Javanese, for its characteristic vocalizations. People have
mixed feelings about it ranging from terror of the mistaken belief that its feet can tear
your skin off to great love and admiration for its entertaining vocalizations; in the
Philippines, most people respect it and value it because it eats dangerous pests such
as scorpions and giantcentipedes.
Physical characteristics
The Tokay Gecko is the second largest
Gecko species, attaining lengths of
about 30–40 cm (11–15 inches) for
males, and 20–30 cm (7–11 inches) for
females, with weights of 150–300g (5–
10 oz). They are distinctive in
appearance, with a bluish or grayish
body, sporting spots ranging from light
yellow to bright red. The male is more
brightly colored than the female. They
have large eyes with a vertical slit pupil.
Eyes are brown to greenish brown and
can be orange or yellow.

Males are very territorial, and will attack

other male Tokays as well as other Gecko species, as well as anything else in their
territory. They are solitary and only meet during the mating season. Females lay
clutches of one or two hard shelled eggs which are guarded until they hatch. [ Tokay
Geckos feed on insects and small vertebrates.

The typical lifespan is 7–10 years, however in captivity some Tokays have been known
to live over 18 years.

Call
Tokays are renowned for their loud vocalizations. Their mating call, a loud croak, is
variously described as sounding like token, gekk-gekk or Poo-Kay where both the
common and the scientific name (deriving from onomatopoeic names in Malay,
Sundanese, Tagalog, Thai, or Javanese), as well as the family name Gekkonidae and
the generic term gecko come from. The call is similar to the call made by Gekko
smithii (Large Forest Gecko).

As pets
The Tokay is also considered the "pitbull" of the Gecko world due to the fact that when
they bite, they often won't let go for a few minutes and rarely up to an hour or more, and
generally difficult to remove without causing harm to the Gecko. One way of getting a
Tokay to release its hold is to submerge the animal in water or settle it down, which will
encourage the lizard to let go, without causing it any harm or undue stress. A less
stressful method is to simply put a drop of vinegar on the gecko's nose. This is
sometimes enough to get them to let go. For this reason, it is considered to be best as
an ornamental animal for experienced reptile owners.