Hemidactylus turcicus                                            © Photo Fiona Sunquist

Mediterranean Geckos are small, rough-scaled geckos, with large lidless eyes, broad sticky toe pads and a long tail. They reach a maximum length of 12 cm. 

These geckos change color – at night they are light gray to white, during the day they become grayish with light pink and dark brown spots.  There have raised white spots on the back and sides.

As their name suggests, Mediterranean geckos are native to Europe, but they are highly successful colonizers and well established in Florida. There are no native nocturnal lizards in Florida, and geckos seem to have filled the niche. Geckos are ‘sit-and-wait’ predators, usually seen on walls and ceilings inside houses, or where ever there is an outdoor light.  They feed on moths, cockroaches and other insects and are rarely found far from houses and people.

Mediterranean geckos move and hunt at night. They are extremely vocal – if they are in or around the house you will hear them. Males have a squeaky high-pitched territorial call that sounds like a bird chirping. 

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