Osprey - 6-28-2007 at 09:18 AM
Lizards and Legends
My pal Fernando stopped by the other day to share some cold Pahcificos with me on the patio. He was holding back a big grin and I nudged him until he
gave up the story. Seems his own patio is overrun with geckos. He had told me before that it’s a well-known fact that they have poison in their feet
and if they touch you, you’re in real trouble. Don’t know where that little dubious factoid started but it’s the local legend.
He said they were all over his place and their chirping was keeping the whole family up at night (6 people in the house). Auralia, his mom, was
beside herself trying to rid the place of the little lizards; whacking at them with brooms, spraying Raid and other noxious pest-be-gone’s around the
kitchen, the bathroom, the closets. Last night she got the whole family up to help her throw bowls of boiling water up onto the patio palm thatch.
The patio was not the place to be with hot water dripping everywhere, her screaming at invisible demons on the roof.
We have a few geckos at our place. I kind of like to hear their chirping; almost like a baby bird or a small squirrel or chipmonk. I held back my
own grin, kept mostly silent on the subject because I don’t buy into the superstitions but I didn’t want to be discourteous with my doubts or
disbeliefs on the subject.
We enjoy the same kind of palm palapa patio Fernando has. It’s where we live, our living room. We have a large T.V. there against one wall and the
casual furniture is arranged so visitors can sit and chat or, in the evening my wife and I can enjoy whatever the channels bring us. The little
geckos are all over the walls, the palm roof. Maybe it’s just me but lately, I swear to God, the chirping sounds like they’re talking about
motorcycle insurance.
bajajudy - 6-28-2007 at 11:33 AM
Good one seahawk
My neighbors told me that they were muy mal and I just smiled knowing that I had read somewhere that they eat 10 times their weight in bugs a day....
Before we had tv for movies. we used to sit under our palapa and watch the gecko fights around the lights on the only wall. One night a gecko ate a
moth that was twice the size of his head. It was absolutely amazing to watch the moth disappear into the gecko's mouth bite by bite.
Of course you know that you can tell their poo from other's because it has a little white drop(looks like a very miniature white chocolate kiss) on
top of the regular colored stuff.(this may be too much information!)
More info on the little critters from wiki:
Geckos are small to average sized lizards belonging to the family Gekkonidae which are found in warm climates throughout the world. Geckos are unique
among lizards in their vocalizations, making chirping sounds in social interactions with other geckos. Geckos are unusual in other respects as well.
Most geckos have no eyelids and instead have a transparent membrane which they lick to clean. Many species will, in defense, expel a foul-smelling
material and feces onto their molester. Many species have specialized toe pads that enable them to climb smooth vertical surfaces and even cross
indoor ceilings with ease. These antics are well-known to people who live in warm regions of the world where several species of geckos make their home
inside human habitations. These species (for example the house gecko) become part of the indoor menagerie and are seldom really discouraged because
they feed on insect pests.
Geckos come in various colors and patterns but subtly patterned, and somewhat rubbery looking, while others can be brightly colored, looking very
interesting. Some species can change color to blend in with their surroundings or with temperature differences.
Some species are parthenogenic, the females capable of reproducing without copulating with a male. This improves the geckos' ability to spread to new
islands.
The toes of the gecko have attracted a lot of attention, as they adhere to a wide variety of surfaces, without the use of liquids or surface tension.
Recent studies of the spatula tipped setae on gecko footpads demonstrates that the attractive forces that hold geckos to surfaces are van der Waals
interactions between the finely divided setae (almost 500,000 Setae on each foot, and each of these tipped with between 100 and 1,000 spatulae) and
the surfaces themselves.[1] These kinds of interactions involve no fluids; in theory, a boot made of synthetic setae would adhere as easily to the
surface of the International Space Station as it would to a living room wall. Geckos' toes seem to be "double jointed," but this is a misnomer. Their
toes actually bend in the opposite direction from our fingers and toes. This allows them to overcome the van der Waals force by peeling their toes off
surfaces from the tips inward. In essence, this peeling action alters the angle of incidence between millions of individual setae and the surface,
reducing the van der Waals force. Geckos' toes operate well below their full attractive capabilities for most of the time. This is because there is a
great margin for error depending upon the roughness of the surface, and therefore the number of spatulae in contact with that surface. If a gecko had
every one of its spatulae in contact with a surface, it would be capable of holding aloft a weight of 133 kg[2] The family Gekkonidae is divided into
five subfamilies, containing numerous genera of gecko species. Many geckos are kept as pets and will eat various kinds of insects and sometimes fruit.
Cypress - 6-28-2007 at 01:33 PM
Let those lizards munch-out on all the insects they want.
Would rather have
lizards than bugs that bite. We have a bunch of little toads around the house that chow down on any and all insects.
Their favorite muncho is ants.
amir - 6-28-2007 at 01:33 PM
I love those little gekkos; they are our friends. And they do eat bugs, and they have plenty to eat here, but I doubt it that they eat ten times their
weight every day. If that were so, we would have big piles of their doo-doo with the white dot on it. We see their droppings around, but not that much
in the house; maybe they're trained and they go to the bathroom outside...
And Osprey, they are talking about motorcycle insurance? 
fdt - 6-28-2007 at 03:30 PM
You are great
Hook - 6-28-2007 at 04:07 PM
How are they able to reproduce without a male getting involved? Are they capable of producing both "ingredients" necessary or do some change sex and
mate with others or what?
bajajudy - 6-28-2007 at 06:34 PM
Hook
Dont ask!
FARASHA - 6-30-2007 at 11:20 AM
Have to admit that Geckos and Lizards are the ONLY critters allowed in my House - everything else is RAIDED.
In Egypt for example they are considered as SACRED Animals - are protected, they are treated with outmost respect and care!
I love their chirping - actually - funny guys also to watch!
And they never seem to be affected from RAID or else -Iam using for c-ckroaches.
Oso - 6-30-2007 at 11:39 AM
When we lived in Cuajimalpa, D.F. (above Mexico City on the way to Toluca), there would occasionally be a small dark gray lizard about 6 or 7 inches
long in the yard or around the house. They did not climb walls like geckos. The neighbors called them "escorpion" and assured me that they were
venemous. They would kill them on sight. I thought the only venemous lizards on the continent were the gila monster and similar "Mexican beaded
purse lizard". But, not being a biology major, I never stuck my finger in one's mouth to find out. I am curious, but have no idea what the
scientific name of the critter would be.
Osprey - 6-30-2007 at 12:29 PM
Hook and Oso, lots of species are parthenogenic -- "virgin birth" does not require any sexual act, sperm. The animals don't "change" sexes, they come
equiped with the ability to produce young without a partner. I think one lizard beside the gila monster is poisonous but I don't think it lives
around Toluca. I think only the females (the ones who give birth) make the chirping sound. I think the sound means "nah, na, na, nah, na"