Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Introduction

Welcome Tokay Gecko Blog

On this site you will find everything you need to know about the Tokay Gecko.

On the left you will find links to relevant topics.


This site is designed to be not only a care-sheet but a much more extensive source of information for this amazing gecko.


I hope this will bring tokay minded people into contact with each other.



What is a gecko?

In recent years geckos have become increasingly popular in the reptile keeping community. Geckos are a large and varied group of lizards that includes over 300 subspecies worldwide. There are a variety of land based geckos (terrestrial) and tree dwelling (arboreal) geckos. Geckos come in a huge range of colors and patterns (also sometimes known as "morphs") some very bright and vibrant and others far more subtle. This site is dedicated to the gecko that i feel is the most spectacular of all the gecko species; Gecko Gekko or the Tokay Gecko .



The Gekko Gecko.

The Tokay (Gekko Gecko) is a lizard from the family geckos (Gekkonidae) .

The Tokay gets it's name for it's loud, recognizable "To-kay!" calling sound. In it's native habitat this sound can be heard from great distances and is mainly produced by males trying to attract females or as a warning to other male tokays that they are within another's established territory. Female Tokays are also capable of making the same calling sound but are generally quieter and less likely to call as often as the males. Tokays can also produce a range of clicks, barks and squeaking sounds and are widely recognized as the most vocal of all the geckos. They also have a distinctive "gaping" characteristic in which they open their mouths wide and puff themselves up in a defensive display if they feel threatened. Their life span around 6-10 years in the wild but can be anything up to 20+ years in captivity. Males are around 30-40cm in length, females are 20-28cm. A healthy weight can range between 150-300g dependent on age and sex. The Tokay was the first gecko to be scientifically named by Linnaeus in 1758. Their closest relative is the Palm gecko (Gekko Vittatus).




Habitat

Tokay geckos are an arboreal species (tree-dwelling and cliff-dwelling) found mainly in rainforests, but in many parts of their natural range they are common in houses and urban areas. The Tokay originates from southeast Asia and is commonly found in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, China and Japan. In recent years it has been found that there are established wild populations in various other locations across the world including the US and Hawaii. This is due to the fact that they frequently travel with imported plants or in luggage and also due to captive animals escaping or being released by their owners. In their native regions Tokays are often considered welcome house guests as they eat pest insects and act as good vermin control. They are also seen as harbingers of good luck in many Asian cultures and to have a Tokay in your house is a sign of a happy home, They can often be found on walls and ceilings and commonly around lamps and other sources of light that attract insects at night.



Appearance

Tokays are a robust, colorful gecko with grey/blue body and red/orange and white spots. Their red tongue and black throat is displayed during their aggressive/defensive gape display. Males have noticeable rows of pre-anal pores that exude yellowish waxy substance. The ears appear as small holes on both sides of the head. It is possible to see straight through the head of these geckoes through their ears. Tokay Geckos have a hearing range from about 300 Hertz to 10,000 Hertz. The Tokay is the second largest living gecko with only the New Caledonian Giant Gecko (Rhacodactylus Leachianus) being bigger. The average male Tokay can grow to around 30-40cm in length from tip of the snout to tip of the tail, however larger specimens are not unheard of. Females are generally smaller than the males in both length and weight. They have long, thick tails that they use as a fat reserve. Tokays have the ability to drop their tails (autonomy) if grabbed or trapped or if they are overly frightened or threatened. This then acts as a distraction while the gecko makes it's escape. Tokays do have the ability to re-grow their tails but they generally never look quite as natural as the original. They have soft, granular skin that feels velvety to the touch. The coloration of a Tokay Gecko is very important to its lifestyle. In daylight hours the skin is usually gray with several brownish-red to bright red spots and flecks but it has the ability to lighten or darken the coloring of its skin in order to blend in or to be less noticeable to other animals. Tokays, as with most nocturnal geckos, tend to become more vibrant in color at night and most will lighten to a powder blue color with their spots becoming more noticeable. They have large feet with full, round toes. The bottoms of their toes are covered in lamellae (a series of minuscule hairs) that enable them to grip or "stick" to most surfaces, including glass. The gecko is able to remove its toes from surfaces by lifting them though an angle of thirty degrees. By lifting it's toes in this way it is still able to move across surfaces normally. They have large round eyes, usually yellow/orange/golden in color with vertical slit-like pupils, which provides them with excellent night vision. Tokays, like a variety of other geckos, do not have eyelids (some of the more primitive geckos like the Leopard Gecko do) and keep their eyes clean and healthy by licking them. Their head is large with powerful, muscular jaws and they are capable of delivering a powerful bite if threatened. They have been known to lock on when biting and not let go for several minutes or even hours. They have folds of skin that prevent the animal from casting a shadow while resting on a tree. They open up the skin fold completely and this allows them to blend in with the tree bark.



Behavior

Tokays are not considered the easiest terrarium lizard to keep due to their naturally defensive nature and may not be suitable for everyone, especially young children or people who wish to have a reptile that they can handle regularly. Their well-known reputation as one of the most aggressive/defensive lizards is well founded and they can bite if not treated with proper respect. They are generally not easy geckos to handle. Hand tame Tokays are not an impossibility but it will take time, patience and dedication to achieve and if you wish to buy young hand tame Tokays then expect to pay a higher price. If you find a breeder who can supply hand-tame Tokays take into account that it has taken, and will continue to take, a lot of attention and time to keep them this way and if handling is not kept regular they are likely to fall back into their natural defensive habits. If a Tokay bites they can and will latch on and won’t want to let go quickly. If you wish to tame them it is best to train them while they are a juvenile as adults will be well set in their ways and harder to tame down, it will take time and patience so be prepared. If you really want a gecko that is tame and docile then you should probably look for another type. However Tokays are an amazing display gecko and one of the most stunning to look at. If you are happy with a stunning gecko that you wish to enjoy without handling then you can’t get much better than a Tokay gecko! They are nocturnal and will generally hide away behind bark or foliage during the day and venture out around dusk to begin hunting. However it is not uncommon to see them out basking in a warm spot during the day. They are skittish by nature and very fast movers when they need to be, they are also capable of jumping short distances.

3 comments:

  1. bole bg no h/p ke email sy di archy5003@yahoo.com.my untuk hantar mms?,tks........

    ReplyDelete
  2. hello im im selling my tockay gecko hre 19pcs 100grams to 2.5 grams pls email me at amelitagalola@yahoo.com thnks

    ReplyDelete
  3. my celphone number 09286530134 from philippines!amelitagalola@yahoo.com

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