Reptiles · Squamata · Phyllodactylidae
Tenerife Wall Gecko
Tarentola delalandii
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
The Tenerife gecko is the gecko endemic to Tenerife and La Gomera, and one of the most familiar reptiles on those islands: it is commonly seen at night on the walls of houses and under street lights. Its skin is rough with tubercles and it has a notable capacity for camouflage, changing tone according to the surface it is on.
Weight
8 kg – 18 kg
Size
7 cm – 10 cm
Lifespan
8 years
Diet
Insectivore
Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.
Activity
Nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- It changes tone according to the surface and the time of day: it is noticeably paler at night than by day, a colour adjustment that serves both for camouflage and for regulating heat absorption.
- It vocalises: it gives audible clicks and chirps to communicate, which is uncommon among reptiles and which it shares with other geckos.
- It can shed its tail along fracture planes preformed in the vertebrae, and the tail goes on writhing for several minutes, distracting the predator while the animal escapes.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
- Habitat & environment
- Lava badlands (malpaís), walls, ravines, gardens and buildings of Tenerife and La Gomera
- Size at birth
- About 2.5 cm of body on hatching
- Sexual maturity
- 12 months
- Gestation / incubation
- 75 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 2 eggs
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarentola_delalandii
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: All year round on Tenerife and La Palma, at dusk, on walls, house fronts and street lamps; in winter it also basks by day.
Where to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Tenerife Wall Gecko — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Boettger's Wall Gecko
Tarentola boettgeri
Common House Gecko
Tarentola mauritanica
Atlantic Lizard
Gallotia atlantica
Tenerife Lizard
Gallotia galloti
Long-eared Owl
Asio otus
Least ConcernBerthelot's Pipit
Anthus berthelotii
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