What is a gecko? A comprehensive guide to geckos
The gecko, also known as the tokay gecko, gecko, or immortal toad, is a reptile of the family Gekkonidae and genus Gekko. It is a national second-class protected animal, listed as endangered in China's Red Data Book of Endangered Animals. It is distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi, Henan, Hong Kong, China, Fujian, and Yunnan, and has also been recorded in Taiwan, China. It can be used as medicine and has very high medicinal value, with effects of dispelling wind, activating collaterals, and dissipating nodules.
The gecko can reach a body length of over 30 cm, with the head longer than the tail. Its dorsal and ventral surfaces are slightly flattened, the head is flat and triangular, the skin is rough, and the entire body is densely covered with granular fine scales. Body colors include dark gray, grayish blue, and bluish black, with dark gray and bluish brown transverse stripes on the head and back, and grayish white, brick red, purplish gray, and orange-yellow spots scattered across the body. The tail has white ring markings.
Geckos inhabit rock crevices, stone caves, or tree holes in mountain rocks or wilderness, and sometimes also live near the eaves and walls of people's homes. They have relatively strong hearing, but poor daytime vision, and are afraid of strong light stimulation, with pupils often closed into a vertical slit. They come out at night to move and forage, and their pupils can dilate about 4 times, improving their vision. Their nimble tongue can also extend out of the mouth, occasionally licking dust off the surface of their eyes.
Geckos move agilely. When crawling, the head is lifted off the ground, and the rear part of the body advances with the limbs twisting left and right alternately. The adhesive ability of the soles of their feet is very strong, allowing them to crawl freely on walls. It was originally thought that they had suction cups under their feet, but in fact the enlarged toe pads are not suction cups. Instead, on the scales under the toe pads and toes, there are rows of bundles of microvilli like fine hairs, like small curved hooks, so they can easily grip objects and crawl on walls and even glass. The secretions from the glands at the tips of the microvilli can also enhance their adhesive force.
The gecko's tail is easily broken but can regenerate. This is because there is a smooth articular surface in the caudal vertebrae that connects the front and rear halves of the caudal vertebrae. The muscles, skin, and scales in this area are relatively thin and loose, so when the tail is attacked, it can swing its body violently and, through powerful contraction of the tail muscles, cause the caudal vertebrae to break at the articular surface, thereby escaping predators.
Geckos only drop their tails when absolutely necessary, because tail loss is after all a serious injury to their body. They not only lose the fat stored in the tail, but also lose their status among their own kind because of it. Especially during courtship, tokay geckos with intact tails have a great advantage over those that have lost their tails. They are usually active frequently from March to November, and hibernate deep in rock crevices from December to January of the following year.
Geckos mainly feed on various active insects, including mole crickets, grasshoppers, moths, mantises, yellow mealworms, and silkworm moths. They do not eat dead insects or food, but after artificial domestication, they can also be kept in captivity. In the process of artificial breeding of geckos, the principle should be to mainly use animal-based insects and supplement with plant-based insects; otherwise, it is easy to cause malnutrition in tokay geckos and lead to disease.