Natural history: Hemidactylus turcicus - Mediterranean House Gecko

Hemidactylus turcicus: Mediterranean House Gecko

I have seen this herp a couple of times over my time here at the College of Charleston, in the stairwells of various dorms. This nocturnal gecko is an Old World species that did originate in the Mediterranean and Spain and west India. They have been introduced all over the southern part of the United States, from the west coast to the east coast. Although they are introduced, they are not considered invasive, because these geckos are too small to pose a threat to the natural species.

This species is characterized as being pale and ghostly, with wart-like bumpy skin on the head, body, tail, and legs. They vary in the amount of dark and light spots they have on their dorsum. Compared to other geckos, this species has larger toe pads. They eat insects, and they use their larger toe pads to climb walls and "hang out" by light sources in order to catch their prey.

Mediterranean house geckos, generally about 4-5 inches in size, reproduce in the spring and summer. The female will lay numerous clutches of only two eggs, somewhere that is dark and moist. There are reports of these females participating in communal nesting, where multiple females share the same egg laying site.

The most recent time I saw a Mediterranean House Gecko was right before the end of last semester. I saw it in the stairway early in the morning, when it was still dark outside. This gecko was very skittish and would quickly slide down the stairs when I tried to catch it.

-Alyssa A.