Geckos, Beer and Balconies

 

Moorish Gecko, Finestrat Spain

Most holidays for me concern a good mix of wildlife watching, mixed in with family time and little bit of relaxation. After a long hot day out in the sun there are few things better than to have a cold refreshing beer out on the balcony. Whenever there is an outside light I flick it on for a bit to see which insects it brings in and in most warm climates this means geckos. These nocturnal lizards are one of my favourite reptiles and there can be few activities I enjoy more than sipping on a beer watching them hunt around the lights.        

When in Spain or on the Spanish Islands this typically includes Moorish Gecko's Tarentola mauritanica, which are much more common in the area than the similar Turkish Gecko Hemidactylus turcicus. Moorish Gecko's are widespread in urban areas and outside security lights usually have at least one resident gecko even when high up on multi-storey hotels. These nocturnal insectivorous species feed on moths, flies and similar insects attracted to lights. It is a fantastic example of learned ecology and one which is easy to see. I often go for a walk with a flash light around the apartment or local area looking and walls for geckos at night. They are very easy to find given how most buildings are painted with pale colours in southern Europe. In-fact they are far easier to find like this than by searching beneath rocks during the day. 

I rarely find  the similar which Turkish Gecko despite the name also occurs in Spain and is often found in similar habitats, including by lights like the Moorish Gecko. Turkish Gecko's are more slender, with a more narrow head than Moorish, they have pinker less course/spikey skin and crucially haver fully developed claws on each toe. Moorish Gecko's have claws on the third and fourth digits, which are often not that well developed. 

Interestingly Moorish Gecko's breed twice a year laying two almost spherical eggs around April and June, these take relatively long to develop and after 4 months the young are born. These slowly mature to reach sexual maturity around 4-5 years old.