Tarentola mauritanica, Linnaeus 1758
EUS: Dragoitxo
ING: Moorish Gecko
The common gecko is a reptile of the family Gekkos usually not exceed 19 cm. It is widely distributed by the center, south and east of the Iberian Peninsula, becoming more scarce as we approach the Cantabrian coast.
is characterized by a broad head, rounded snout and prominent eyes with a pupil arranged vertically. Its tail is thorny, with transverse bands in different tones.
This species is clearly associated with the human environment. Their mostly nocturnal habits are thus not usually difficult to observe near the light on the walls and roofs of houses, walls or fences which seem to defy gravity. This is because it has fingers flattened, bearing a transverse row of slides as a small suction cups that allow them to adhere to vertical surfaces and even upside-down.
Feeds all kinds of insects and arachnids, so they are generally respected and tolerated in our homes since it plays an effective role as "insecticide."
Many of the comments out of their range have been because of introductions, possibly accidentally. Santurce is no stranger to these introductions because more and more data collected from individuals scattered by the observations made by our neighbors as Paul, TXIRI-VITA or Gorka Ocio. To these must be added the last and most important, made by Ricardo Ituarte, and stood on the balcony an adult and a Youth no more than a week old, which could indicate that we have a small breeding nucleus similar to that found by Aitor Laza in the nearby town of Getxo.
geko Distribution in Spain. Map taken from the "Red Book Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles of Spain."
Text and Photos: Manu
Océn
http://www.flickr.com/photos/manu_ocen/
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