The kissing lizard that we find in our homes

The gecko, kissing gecko, cuija, lizard, among other common names, is a lizard of the gecko group of the Phyllodactylus sp. family.

The kissing lizard that we find in our homes

Mexico is the country with the second largest number of geckos, Australia is in first place. Most of the geckos in our country are endemic, that is, they are not found anywhere else.

They are a fairly common species in homes. They are distributed in many parts of the world, however, Biologist Roberto Rojo tells us that it is a species originating from China and the Philippines that arrived to our country in the time of the Viceroyalty in ships called “Nao” that left the port of Acapulco to the Philippines, where these geckos or kissing geckos were brought to our country without warning.

This gecko is an exotic species due to its introduction and this has affected some native species, since this gecko is faster and bigger than some local species.

The gecko has the ability to climb the walls of houses, a characteristic that helps it to feed on other insects, which is why it is also called “house cleaner”. In order to do so, it looks for places near lamps to capture the insects that approach.

In order to do so, it has an adhesive on its fingers that allows it to climb walls and even the roof of houses, most of which are located in the countryside or near the beach. As it is a nocturnal species, it has vertical pupils that help it see in the dark.

This species emits a sound to communicate about its territory or to get a mate. This characteristic is very difficult to see in reptiles.