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Desert Banded Gecko
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- Order: Squamata (scaled reptiles)
- Suborder: Lacertilia (=Sauria; lizards)
- Family: Gekkonidae (geckos)
- Subfamily: Eublepharinae (geckos with eyelids)
- Genus: Coleonyx (banded geckos)
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| Also known as: Western
banded gecko (generic name for all subspecies of Coleonyx
variegatus) |
Scientific Name: Coleonyx
variegatus variegatus Baird, 1859 |
| Habitat: Rocky areas,
cliffs, washes, and dunes. |
Koleos="covered," onyx="claw,"
variegatus="of different colors"
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| Length: to 6 inches
total. |
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| Food: Small insects
and spiders. |
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Banded geckos are one of the few types of lizards
you will see at night. Most desert lizards are active during the
day, but geckos are nocturnal. These lizards are most often
encountered on the roads at night. They utilize the heat of the
roads to warm themselves before searching for food. Geckos are
unique in that they can vocalize--while some tropical species can
bark loudly, the most that banded geckos can muster are small
chirps and squeaks. |
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| I found these geckos in April
2003 south of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The pictures are of
an adult female. Males have "spurs" on either side
of the base of their tail. Collecting in the park is
illegal, and in other areas you need a fishing license (in
accordance with California law), which I had, even to pick them up
for photography purposes. |
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