7 Different Types of Geckos

The geckos may have been popularized by an advertisement on TV, but they are cute little animals. It’s easy to see why someone might want one of their own. They are lizards and have a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and habitats.

They are reptiles, so they prefer warm weather, and live in places like rainforests or deserts. They range in size from just more than an inch to over a  foot long. Most of them do not move fast and are not active.

They are easy to tame and becoming more popular as pets. They live all around the world in warm areas. Geckos like to eat insects, and they do not need to eat every day, which makes them easy to care for.

Family Carphodactylidae

The Carphodactylidae family of geckos live in Australia. There are seven genera and a few dozen species in this family. These have padless feet, which allow those that have them to climb more easily.

Without pads, these geckos must use their fingers and claws to climb. There are the chameleon Carphodactylus, and others are differentiated by their tails with names like thick tail, leaf tail, and knobed tail. They are among the larger geckos at about six inches, half of which is the tail.

Geckos in this family prefer wet and warm climates, but they have been found in all areas of Australia. Many have colorful tails which separate them by species. They eat insects and may only eat every three or four days.

They can survive for as long as two weeks without food, using fat in their tails. Geckos can live 20 years in captivity, and more species are being kept as pets. Many are active during the day, in the morning and evening.

These different genera are found in different areas of Australia, except for the Nephrurus, which are throughout the country. The Undweroodisaurus is on the south coast, and the phyllurus is on the east coast. They typically lay two eggs a couple of times a year.

Genera of this family include:

Carphodactylus, Chameleon Gecko

Nephrurus, Knob-tailed geckos

Orraya, Long

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