Reproduction

Eggs are laid around April and June in their native range.

Females will deposit their eggs in a communal nest which can be deposited in a crevice. Where they live alongside humans they may lay their eggs behind flaking plaster.

Each female may produce two or three clutches each year. These include one or two eggs. These eggs hatch after 4 months.

Maturity is reached by two years old.

Behavior

Geckoes are the only species of lizards which possess a voice box and this allows them to produce their call such as the namesake "gecko" call and a tutting noise which is used by rival males.

Moorish geckoes are active by night when they will emerge to wait. During winter their is a decrease in their activity levels.

These animals are arboreal and spend much of their time above the ground clinging to a tree or the wall of a house.

Males will work to defend their territory using their squeaking call.

Predators and Threats

When threatened the moorish gecko will detach its tail. A new one will regenerate but this does not grow the tubercles which were present on the previous tail. After this detaches it will continue to wriggle and this may help to distract a predator so they can escape.

These geckoes can adjust their color to match the surface they are on. This can be achieved even when their eyes are covered as the skin contains proteins which can detect light.

In parts of their range they are threatened through collection for the pet trade and habitat degradation.

The populations is currently considered to be stable and may even be expanding due to their ability to live in human inhabited areas.

Quick facts

These animals are also known as the common wall gecko, crocodile gecko, Maurita naca gecko or common gecko.

Moorish geckoes are the most common gecko in Europe.

These animals were first described for science in 1758 by Carl Linnaues.

Their scientific name, Tarentola mauritanica, comes from Taranto (a city in Italy) and the Latin, "Mauritanian" meaning from Mauritania.