Asian House Gecko: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Reptiles of America · day 7 of 7

Five facts

1. A female house gecko can store sperm for as long as 36 weeks. In labs, one mating gave as many as seven viable clutches.
2. House geckos climb walls to catch insects drawn to porch lights, and you can recognise them by their chirping.
3. Their menu includes cockroaches, termites, moths, flies and spiders, and they also feed on molluscs and smaller geckos.
4. Territorial male geckos grow larger heads, at the cost of slower escape sprints.
5. First collected in Acapulco in March 1895, it now has records from 21 of Mexico's 32 states.

The quiz

1. How long can a female house gecko store sperm?

• As long as 36 weeks (correct)
• As long as 36 days
• As long as 3 weeks
• As long as 36 months

She can store sperm for as long as 36 weeks.

2. Which sound makes a house gecko recognisable?

• Hissing
• Buzzing
• Chirping (correct)
• Croaking

They are recognisable by their chirping.

3. Which of these do house geckos also feed on?

• Tree bark
• Smaller geckos (correct)
• Seeds
• Grass

They also feed on molluscs and smaller geckos.

4. What is the cost of a territorial male gecko's larger head?

• A weaker bite
• A shorter life
• A quieter chirp
• Slower escape sprints (correct)

Larger heads come at the cost of poorer escape sprint time.

5. Where in Mexico was the house gecko first collected, in March 1895?

• Veracruz
• Cancun
• Acapulco (correct)
• Tijuana

It was first collected in Acapulco in March 1895.

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