Not long after I arrived at the College of Charleston I
noticed these small, pale lizards that seemed to be quite abundant and only
ventured out at night. During a
nighttime stroll, my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to catch one of
these strange looking lizards. Only once
I was able to inspect the lizard up-close did I realize that Charleston was
infested with geckos. Being a native of
South Carolina, I knew that geckos were not native inhabitants. Recently, I have noticed these little geckos
coming inside and I have been able to catch two within the past month. While two may not seem like many, these
little geckos completely disappear when the temperature drops.
The gecko that I noticed shortly after arriving in
Charleston was the Mediterranean Gecko (Hemidactylus
turcicus). This species is, like I
said before, not native to South Carolina but has been introduced. Interestingly, it does not appear to be a
devastating invasive species. H. turcicus can grow to reach 4 – 5
inches. It shares the stereotypical
gecko “body shape.” They have sticky toe
pads that allow them to cling to the side of buildings. They also have vertical pupils, lack eyelids,
and have bumpy skin. For the longest
time I thought that they were Leopard Geckos (Eublepharis
macularius) that someone let loose because they
look similar.
Being invasive species, these geckos have traveled quite far
from home. They were originally common
in Southern Europe and Northern Africa but have been introduced to many new
places around the globe. H. turcicus is almost completely
nocturnal, which is why you find them at night clinging to the side of
buildings. Usually they are clustered
around lights waiting to snap up bugs.
However, I have seen them skitter up the side of buildings chasing after
moths and they are quite fast (and usually a pain to catch). They eat a variety of insects, spiders, and
other invertebrates.
The female Mediterranean gecko will lay several clutches consisting
of two eggs throughout the summer.
Interestingly, there have been instances of communal nesting. The Mediterranean Gecko seems to be firmly
established in South Carolina and is quickly becoming entrenched in many other
states throughout the United States.
Here in Charleston, we see the greatest number of these
geckos during the spring and summer months when they are plastered to the side
of buildings. As I noted before, the
geckos become much harder to find during the winter. The ones that I have been lucky enough to
find during the winter have all been indoors.
It seems that they are sneaking into cracks to enjoy the heat inside of
houses and other buildings. During the
warmer months, I have yet to find a gecko indoors/outdoors that exceeds 1.5
inches. Based on the size, I would guess
that all of the geckos I have caught have been juveniles. Due to the small size of the geckos, the sex
has been undeterminable.
Growing up in South Carolina, the lizard I interacted with
the most was the Carolina Anole (Anolis
carolinensis) so it’s very interesting to see these geckos become so
prominent throughout the state. While
there hasn’t been enough time to truly understand the impacts they may have, it
seems that they are fitting easily into the new habitats. If Hemidactylus
turcicus is able to live alongside the other South Carolina species without
negative consequences then I believe that it will be a welcome addition to the
diversity of South Carolina.
Works Cited:
"Mediterranean Gecko
(Hemidactylus Turcicus)." Species Profile: Mediterranean Gecko
(Hemidactylus Turcicus). N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2013.
Musselman, Mark. N.d. Photograph. Audubon
South Carolina. 15 Aug. 2008. Web. 16 Mar. 2013.
<http://beidlerforest.blogspot.com/2008/08/geckos-and-treefrogs.html>.
