Geckos are great insect eaters!

Geckos are harmless, large-eyed, soft-bodied reptiles, which can live for ten to twenty years. In Australia we have 63 species which are mostly divided into two types, ground dwellers and tree or rock dwellers.

The ground dwellers have long, often slender, fingers which end in claws and enable them to move rapidly over short distances in pursuit of prey. They also allow some species to dig burrows.

The tree or rock dwellers have fingers which are flattened with modified pads and catch in surface irregularities and provide traction on smooth surfaces.

Geckos have no movable eyelids. Instead, a fixed transparent scale over the eye performs the same protective function as movable eyelids.

They are commonly seen running their long tongues over this scale; presumably to keep it clean. The gecko's eyes also have vertical pupils, typical of nocturanal reptiles.

Nearly all geckos are nocturnal, sheltering during the day under bark, rock slabs and in holes in the ground. To survive, they have developed an extraordinary variety of behavioural and physiological adaptions enabling them to live under a wide range of environmental conditions.

The varied species and massive populations in Australia suggest that they have been there a long time. Research suggests they have been in Australia longer than most other lizard groups.

They will come to a light, because they know lights attract insects. If a gecko or two arrive in your baclony or patio, they will consume any insects that are there. They are particularly fond of cockroaches, moths, and mosquitoes.

Its hard to find any indepth info on the internet about them, most websites about geckos are those in the US that sell Australian geckos for pets.

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