One of the 3 house geckos on WAnimals
Reptiles · Squamata · Gekkonidae
Common House Gecko
Hemidactylus frenatus
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
The common house gecko is a gecko of the family Gekkonidae. It is native to South East Asia and to some Pacific islands. It has been introduced across much of the tropical world: in Latin America from Mexico to Argentina; in the United States in Florida; in Africa in Madagascar; on some Indian Ocean islands and in Australia.
Weight
3 g on average
Size
7 cm – 15 cm
Lifespan
5 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 is one of the most effective invasive species in the world among reptiles: it travels in containers and cargo, and wherever it arrives it displaces the native geckos through direct competition and aggression, a pattern documented on dozens of islands and in dozens of cities.
- Its call is unmistakable: a series of dry clicks given at night from the walls, which has earned it onomatopoeic names in several Asian languages.
- It can establish a population from a single accidentally transported egg, because the females store sperm for months and can lay several times after a single mating.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
- Habitat & environment
- Buildings, walls, gardens and degraded woodland in warm regions worldwide
- Size at birth
- About 2 cm of body on hatching
- Sexual maturity
- 12 months
- Gestation / incubation
- 58 days
- Litter / clutch size
- 2
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemidactylus_frenatus
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: All year round across much of the tropics, at night, around house lights and street lamps.
Where to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 28 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Common House Gecko — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Turkish Gecko
Hemidactylus turcicus
Tokay Gecko
Gekko gecko
Common Flat-tail Gecko
Uroplatus fimbriatus
Big Brown Bat
Eptesicus fuscus
Greater False Vampire
Megaderma lyra
Common Nighthawk
Chordeiles minor
Keep exploring
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