Toe in the Water

Geckos

Geckos

My previous post about elephants was instigated by someone saying how much they like those animals. I avoided entering a discussion on the subject but wrote the blog post instead. And now all I can think about is the animals I have met and, usually, liked. They don’t have to be large or impressive for me to like them - just interesting is enough.

Lizards are very common in Africa and are generally disregarded by humans there, with the single exception of the gecko. In my 27 years on that continent, I never met anyone who was not delighted to see a gecko. Without exception, to see one was an occasion to say, "Oh, look! A gecko!" And this was invariably answered with, "Oh, yes, isn't he pretty?"

To some extent, this is the result of it being fairly rare to see a gecko. They are masters of camouflage and will remain quite still when a human approaches, unlike other lizards that scamper for cover at the intrusion of anything larger than themselves. Invariably, the gecko is only noticed when he has decided to walk up a white wall where his camouflage becomes useless.

I say "walk up" a wall, rather than "climb", because this is the most obvious ability of the gecko that sets it apart from other lizards. The gecko's fingers and toes end in little round suckers that enable it to cling to any surface, no matter how smooth. Well, they are not really suckers but I don't want to get into long scientific descriptions of how they actually work; the effect is the same as if they were.

This loss of camouflage does not affect the gecko's natural instinct to stay still if approached, however. He will watch a human approach and only run when it is quite obvious that he is in danger of being caught. This gives one the impression that he is fearless and impudent, traits that few humans can despise.

The gecko's large eyes make it easy to see that he is watching you, too. I have noticed that an ability to interact through the eyes has a great effect on how other creatures are regarded by humans. Amongst the insects, the one that stands out is the praying mantis, a savage and pitiless creature to earn our affection. But his eyes are unlike all other insect eyes - they are globes with a pupil that allows us to see that he is looking at us. And that means that we can interact with a mantis, even if on a very primitive level.

With a gecko the interaction is much more complex; the intelligence in those big eyes is quite apparent. He might just be calculating how much closer he can let you approach before he makes his escape, but it is easy to misinterpret this as a cool assessment of yourself as a person.

These large eyes are also one reason we see the gecko as attractive in looks. Any animal with large eyes has a head start with us. Ever seen a bush baby? It has huge eyes (because it is nocturnal) but endears itself to everyone immediately, purely because it looks so cute.

But the gecko has yet another advantage over other lizards - its skin is dry and textured, so different from the shiny or scaly skin of other reptiles. Very often lizards and snakes are accused of being "slimy", thanks to their smooth outer covering; not so with the gecko.

With all these qualities, it is almost inevitable that the gecko should be so favorably regarded by humans.

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