Geckos?!?

I have Geckos here in South Alabama.

I was cleaning some windows in my shop when I saw a little brown lizard crawling on the glass outside, and at first I didn't think anything of it. It didn't take long, though, before I noticed that something was odd about this lizard's feet, but I couldn't quite place what it was. I stopped wiping the glass when he turned his little head to get a look at me, and I realized that this was no ordinary Anole, but still didn't quite get it until it did something odd. It licked it's big eyeball, and pretty much half it's head with it. A couple seconds later I realized what I was seeing, and it was a sho-nuff gecko of some sort.
I should point out that I was high on a ladder at the time, and had no hope of catching him if I went outside, which irked me.
That was last week, and I've seen a few more since then, hanging out under the eaves of the roof. In all the 14 years I've been renting this building, I've never noticed these, so I think they're new.

Any ideas what they may be or how they got here, or how long they've been here in very south central Alabama? They're little coffee-with-creamer-brown colored geckos with no other markings. They seem fairly fearless, if that helps any, and I think they prefer the shade, and are most active at night.

Edited by Mysteryman, 22 June 2009 - 09:21 AM.

I have Geckos here in South Alabama.

I was cleaning some windows in my shop when I saw a little brown lizard crawling on the glass outside, and at first I didn't think anything of it. It didn't take long, though, before I noticed that something was odd about this lizard's feet, but I couldn't quite place what it was. I stopped wiping the glass when he turned his little head to get a look at me, and I realized that this was no ordinary Anole, but still didn't quite get it until it did something odd. It licked it's big eyeball, and pretty much half it's head with it. A couple seconds later I realized what I was seeing, and it was a sho-nuff gecko of some sort.
I should point out that I was high on a ladder at the time, and had no hope of catching him if I went outside, which irked me.
That was last week, and I've seen a few more since then, hanging out under the eaves of the roof. In all the 14 years I've been renting this building, I've never noticed these, so I think they're new.

Any ideas what they may be or how they got here, or how long they've been here in very south central Alabama? They're little coffee-with-creamer-brown colored geckos with no other markings. They seem fairly fearless, if that helps any, and I think they prefer the shade, and are most active at night.

Mediterranean geckos ? They were all over the hotel at the Mississippi NANFA convention.

They are probably Mediterranean geckoes. They are all over Mobile and Baldwin county Alabama. I know they are in Auburn and were when I was in school there 15 years ago. Supposedly they came in through the port of Mobile, just like fire ants. They tend to change color to match their background. Not as much as a chameleon though. The brick on my house is light red so mine tend to be pink with black bands around the tail. The ones at my dad's house tend to be almost brown to match the dark red bricks. A few weeks ago Uland was at the house and I caught one for him to look at and it latched onto his finger and wouldn't let go. Fortunately he was too small to cause any damage, although from Uland's reaction I thought we were going to have to break out the jaws of life to get him off!!

I hate to say it, but it was neat to handle that gecko while I was there David. I was amazed at how strong that little guys jaws were.

PRK (Pre-Katrina) they were all over the neighborhood in New Orleans. Story goes that love the giant black roaches that are so native to Nawlins'.

Some folks let them thrive in-doors as added roach infestation protection.



POK (Post Katrina) the hundred thousand Norwegian rats that now infest the city ate most of them when the food chain broke down.............

I went to the movies last night, and the theatre is crawling with them. I guess they're here to stay, eh? We don't have a plague of rats to devour them, so I guess we'd better get used to them. Better them than a plague of rats, anyway.

Any new cajun rat recipes being developed, by chance? I would bet that some of those nawlins chefs could find a way to make them all the rage.

Well.......... we eat nutria which is a 20 lb. rat that only eats greens. Tastes like rabbit if you make a roux and cook it in a black iron pot.

I was told that fried rat and bar-b-qued rat is eaten in some countries. I would eat it as opposed to starving , that's for sure.


Most of my folks however, will draw the line somewhere between "dilla on the 1/2 shell and Sea Turtle soup...ooops! I mean Dolphin burgers.....dang did it again......I meant to say fried raccoon.

Greg

If med geckos eat roaches than I want them here in L.A. pronto.

I've seen only one or two with an actual "kill" in its jaws but they seem to go after the big bugs in an agressive way.
Now, if we could get them to go after mosquitos the same way we'd be fixed.

I came across another strange invader quite by accident. I was walking by a copper capped pillar with a bucket, and noticed a lizard trying to make his escape from me. I saw he was losing his grip on the wall and I quickly held the bucket under him to catch his fall. It took me a while to identify him, but once I did, I was amazed to find out that in a neighborhood here in Cincinnati, we have an established population of the European Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis). They were apparently released by a child of the Lazarus Department store owners in the 1950's, after bringing home several from a vacation in Italy. These lizards have since reproduced and spread rapidly.

Here is one article about them with some pictures of the little beasts:
http://www.lacerta.d...Cincinnati.html