Geckos are fascinating lizards in wide varieties, colors, and sizes.
Geckos are found worldwide, which implies that there are more than 18 types of geckos in Florida.
While some geckos are small and easy to miss, others can grow as large as 14 inches long!
Geckos have so many beautiful colors. No wonder these fantastic creatures have played an essential role in the folklore of Florida’s native tribes like the Seminoles.
1. Reef Gecko
These delightful types of geckos in Florida only live in a few spots in the world, including Hawaii and South Africa.
They have beautiful markings with hints of black, brown, and blue. The underside is yellow or orange with many soft scales.
They are crepuscular, which means they are awake during the twilight hours and will sleep during the daylight hours. Reef geckos range from 1 to 3 inches long, depending on their age.
This gecko can use its toes to grip tightly to branches or leaves with ease. This ability enables them to remain perched high in trees for long periods without falling below the ground line!
2. Amerafrican House Gecko
The Amerafrican House Gecko is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa but has been introduced to various parts of America.
They have also been spotted in southern states in the U.S., and they’re types of geckos in Florida. It’s a little bigger than you might think for being a house gecko six inches long.
It has brown coloring on its dorsal side and a pale yellow underbelly with a hint of green on its back legs. The females will lay two eggs per clutch.
Suppose you want to try raising them yourself. In that case, it’s best not to remove them from their natural habitat because they can’t regulate their body temperature.
They would die very quickly if exposed to temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit for four months.
Males are territorial and aggressive during mating season, so it is best not to disturb or handle them. Females can give birth up to eight times yearly, carrying about 20 eggs.
3. Flat-tailed House Gecko (Hemidactylus platyurus)
The flat-tailed house geckos are a type of geckos in Florida. The tail of this species does not taper but instead curves and ends with a wide paddle. When resting, this gecko’s head may be rotated downwards to cover its eyes.
This gecko’s back is speckled with brown blotches forming hourglass shapes when they meet across the body’s midline.
The underbelly of this gecko is light in color and resembles that of many other lizards. Male flat-tailed house geckos are typically larger than females.
4. Common House Gecko
House geckos are the most common type of geckos in Florida. They eat insects, including roaches and moths, and generally have no harmful effects on people. They can swallow prey as large as two times their size.
House geckos live anywhere from five to ten years. During this period, females lay eggs in clutches of up to fifteen at a time. Males can count up to three different females in one mating season.
Eggs can be laid year-round depending on the female’s sun exposure. Females can also give birth multiple times a year, depending on how fertile she is at any given time.
5. Mediterranean House Gecko
This beautiful species can be found in urban and rural areas with its smooth, red-brown back and yellow spots. They’re excellent types of geckos in Florida.
The Mediterranean House Gecko, an insectivore, will eat ants, termites, crickets, and roaches. They mainly inhabit open spaces such as leaf litter or near windowsills of homes and businesses.
Males occasionally enter human dwellings to look for a mate. This could lead to potential problems if they find their way into the living quarters of your home. If you find one in your house, gently scoop it up with a non-slip cup and release it to the ground.
6. Tokay Gecko
The Tokay gecko (Gekko gecko) has a tan body with brown bands across the back. Its underside is grey, and it has a yellow or greenish belly.
The dewlap is usually bright red but may also be yellow or orange. These brightly colored geckos are a type of geckos in Florida.
Younger Tokays have black spots across their backs that eventually fade as they age. Males are generally larger than females and can grow up to seven inches long! It’s even nicknamed the queen of the night.
You can tell a gender apart by the size of their tail; the male’s tail will extend past his nose, unlike females. Another way to tell is by the size of their toe pads; males’ toe pads are broader and thicker than females.
7. White Spotted Wall Gecko
The White Spotted Wall Gecko is a tiny gecko typically found in India’s southeastern and southwestern regions. It does not grow to more than 4 inches in length, but it is remarkably adaptive for its size.
The White Spotted Wall Gecko has a lifespan of 8 years. Usually, Geckos live only 3 to 5 years. This resilient species can thrive in various conditions and habitats, deep within rocky crevices and vegetation.
This little creature can easily climb on any vertical surface, making them ideal pets to keep inside your home.
8. Indo-Pacific Gecko
The Indo-Pacific gecko is a giant North American gecko in the Southeast United States and parts of Central America. They can grow up to eight inches long and are generally known as types of geckos in Florida.
It has an incredible suction pad on each toe that helps it climb sheer surfaces. This adhesion ability doesn’t need to stick claws into the surface as other species do!
The young of this species have patterns that match their parents but will develop green stripes as they age. They are often seen foraging for food during the day and then sleeping at night in trees where they avoid predators.
They’re also called Pacific House Geckos because they tolerate human buildings ranging from semi-arid deserts to humid rainforests!
9. Cuban Ashy Gecko
Geckos are essential to the delicate ecosystems that many people want to preserve. They feed on insects that can damage crops and transmit diseases. The Cuban Ashy Gecko is just one of the many types of geckos in Florida.
While it may be smaller and less conspicuous, it has made its home in Florida among Spanish moss and cypress trees. The Cuban Ashy Gecko is nocturnal, so you may only spot it during the evening or early morning hours before sunrise.
10. Ocellated Gecko
The ocellated gecko (Sphaerodactylus argus) is a member of the family Gekkonidae. They are geckos in Florida but can also be found in Southeast Asia and Indonesia. The general coloration of these animals can vary from red to yellow-orange or brown to grey-brown.
Depending on their habitat, these geckos have been studied for their biphasic social system and mating behavior. Four subspecies of this gecko vary slightly in coloration: S. a. aurantiacus, S. a. argus, S. a. nigropunctatus, and S. a.
11. Yellow-headed Gecko
Yellow-headed geckos are found in many habitats, including deserts, riparian areas, scrublands, tropical deciduous forests, and rainforests.
This is the largest species of leopard gecko in North America. These geckos feed on crickets, mealworms, and super worms and live prey such as small lizards or mammals.
Females lay one egg at a time with an incubation period of about 100 days. After hatching, the young will cling to their mother’s back for about three months before becoming independent.
Males have large heads and almost black bodies with bright yellow markings. Females are more brownish, with pale stripes running from head to tail.
12. Bibron’s Thick-toed Gecko
Bibron’s Thick-toed gecko is also known as the Barnard thick-toed gecko. These types of geckos in Florida prefer to live in the desert and scrublands of Southern Africa. It is native to South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and parts of Zimbabwe.
They grow up to 10 inches long and have toes with bristles on them. It does not need much water to survive and often lives near cattle for drinking water. As a result, it can make its way into barns, where it will search for rodents to eat them.
13. Giant Day Gecko
If you’re looking for giant types of geckos in Florida, look no further than the Giant Day Gecko. It’s also one of the most unusual-looking lizards, with a head-body length of about six inches.
Telling them apart from other types of geckos in Florida requires watching out for their bright colors and stout bodies. Don’t get too close, though! This one bites!
They are active during the day. They have a unique way of eating: lick nectar with their long tongues, much like some other lizard species do. They are omnivores, meaning that they eat both meat and plants.
They eat crickets, worms, beetles, grasshoppers, and even small insects like moths or ants. The males will also devour anything in sight if there is a lack of food for them to eat!
14. Common Wall Gecko
Geckos are one of Florida’s most common reptile species, with over 30 different types. One of Florida’s most common types of geckos is the Common Wall Gecko.
These brightly colored and shouted geckos are usually on South or west-facing walls, feeding on insects like moths. This gecko can thrive indoors or outdoors in suitable places to hide out and with plenty of bugs to eat.
15. Fan-footed Rock Gecko
One of Florida’s more beautiful types of geckos is the Fan-footed Rock Gecko. It also has one of the most exciting eating behaviors among all types of geckos in Florida.
For some unknown reason, they often try to eat their prey head first, for reasons not entirely understood by scientists.
However, it does seem that these lizards have better success hunting this way. These colorful reptiles can be found clinging to rocky surfaces near water throughout North America’s eastern and western coasts.
16. Gold Dust Day Gecko
The Gold Dust Day Gecko, or Phelsuma laticauda laticauda, is the national reptile of Madagascar. It gets its name from the gold dust-like spots on its abdomen and tail. This lizard thrives in warm environments.
They have a lime green to light brown body with cream stripes running down their back and tail. Their unique color pattern gave these geckos their other nickname: the Pacific Giant Day Gecko. Their scales are diamond-shaped for better flexibility and defense against predators.
They can reach around 7 to 8 inches long (17-20 cm) when fully grown, including their tails. They’re one of the giant day types of geckos in Florida.
17. Mourning Gecko
Of the gecko species in Florida, Mourning Geckos are among the most colorful. They’re small and slender-legged types of geckos in Florida.
They come in various colors with black markings on their bodies that create a unique pattern. These geckos are found throughout much of South America, but how these animals spread to North America is still unclear.
Mourning Geckos get their name from the crest they wear on their head, typically growing up to 20 cm in length. Their ranges are full of irregular shapes that often extend into jagged points. However, it is common for them to have uniform head spikes (Mourning Gecko Complex).
18. Golden Gecko
Golden geckos are named for their metallic coloration. They are related to Tokay geckos and are nocturnal. Golden geckos inhabit various habitats, but they seem to prefer areas with moist soil or leaf litter for cover.
For this reason, they’re often found in gardens or piles of leaves around lighted buildings or residences. It’s common to find one resting on a building during the day when it’s too hot to go hunting.
