The tokay gecko is the world’s third largest gecko species, measuring a whopping 12 inches in length, with the males being slightly larger than the females.

They are primarily gray with orange and red spots all over its body; the females tend to be duller in color than the males. Both sexes have the ability to change their coloration to blend into their surroundings in order to avoid predation.

Tokay geckos have the vestigial remains of a third eye on the top of their heads that is thought to help with activity coordination under various lighting situations. They also have setae on their toes, which are structures resembling fine hairs that aid in hanging onto different surfaces and climbing trees. Tokay geckos have incredibly strong jaws for their size and will chomp down on anything or anyone that disturbs them.

The tokay gecko can be found in a large range of habitats, like deserts and rainforests, but it does prefer the rainforests given that they can hide throughout the enormous amount of trees and other vegetation. The species is native to southeastern and south Asia, in countries including Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, and many others.

Tokay geckos feast on an array of invertebrates, including moths, crickets, and spiders. Due to their tough jaws, larger tokay geckos also have the capability to eat pests, like mice and rats, as well as small birds. They are nocturnal creatures and“hunt” only at night by simply waiting for their prey to come to them rather than to actively search for food. However, as stated previously, they are territorial animals and will establish and preserve their individual hunting grounds from other animals, especially other tokay geckos.

During the mating season, male tokay geckos emit a call that sounds like their own name “to-kay” that they use to attract a female to mate with. The mating season lasts up to half a year and a female will mate once a month so that they can continue to lay eggs and produce offspring throughout the season. Both parents will guard the eggs until they hatch, but provide little parental care once they do.

The tokay gecko has the extraordinary capability to detach its own tail from its body as a form of defense. The remains of the tail will continue to flop around for several minutes, distracting the predator allowing the gecko to flee from the scene. The gecko’s new tail will grow back after a few weeks; however, the new tail will never grow to be as long as the original before it was discarded.