Editing Gecko (section)

{{Short description|Lizard belonging to the infraorder Gekkota}}
{{About|the type of reptile}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Gecko
| fossil_range = {{Fossil range|100|0|earliest=113}}[[Cenomanian]] – [[Holocene|present]]<br>Stem-groups present since [[Aptian]]-[[Albian]]<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Villa |first1=Andrea |last2=Wings |first2=Oliver |last3=Rabi |first3=Márton |date=2022 |editor-last=Angielczyk |editor-first=Kenneth |title=A new gecko (Squamata, Gekkota) from the Eocene of Geiseltal (Germany) implies long-term persistence of European Sphaerodactylidae |url=https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/artpub/2022/259562/pappal_a2022v8n3ae1434.pdf |journal=Papers in Palaeontology |language=en |volume=8 |issue=3 |doi=10.1002/spp2.1434 |bibcode=2022PPal....8E1434V |s2cid=249358350 |issn=2056-2799}}</ref>
| image = Phelsuma l. laticauda.jpg
| image_caption = [[Gold dust day gecko]]
| taxon = Gekkota
| authority = [[Georges Cuvier|Cuvier]], 1817
| subdivision_ranks = Subgroups
| subdivision = *'''[[Pygopodoidea]]'''
**[[Carphodactylidae]]
**[[Diplodactylidae]]
**[[Pygopodidae]]
*'''Gekkonoidea'''
**[[Eublepharidae]]
**[[Gekkonidae]]
**[[Phyllodactylidae]]
**[[Sphaerodactylidae]]
}}

'''Geckos''' are small, mostly carnivorous [[lizard]]s that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except [[Antarctica]]. Belonging to the [[Infraorder#Hierarchy of ranks|infraorder]] '''Gekkota''', geckos are found in warm [[climate]]s. They range from {{Convert|1.6|to|60|cm|in|1|abbr=off|lk=on}}.

Geckos are unique among lizards for their [[Animal communication|vocalisations]], which differ from species to species. Most geckos in the family [[Gekkonidae]] use chirping or clicking sounds in their social interactions. [[Tokay gecko]]s (''Gekko gecko'') are known for their loud [[mating call]]s, and some other species are capable of making hissing noises when alarmed or threatened. They are the most species-rich group of lizards, with about 1,500 different species worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/advanced_search?taxon=gecko&submit=Search|title=Search results – gecko|website=Reptile-Database.Reptarium.cz|publisher=The Reptile Database|access-date=2022-02-01|archive-date=2020-11-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127120136/https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/advanced_search?taxon=gecko&submit=Search|url-status=live}}</ref>

All geckos, except species in the family [[Eublepharidae]] lack eyelids; instead, the outer surface of the eyeball has a [[transparency and translucency|transparent]] membrane, the [[brille]]. They have a fixed [[lens (anatomy)|lens]] within each [[Iris (anatomy)|iris]] that enlarges in darkness to let in more light. Since they cannot [[blink]], species without eyelids generally lick their own brilles when they need to clear them of dust and dirt, in order to keep them clean and moist.<ref name=Badger_Lizards>{{Cite book|last=Badger|first=David|date=2006|title=Lizards: a Natural History of Some Uncommon Creatures|publisher=Voyageur Press|location=St. Paul, MN|isbn=978-0760325797|page=47}}</ref>

Unlike most lizards, geckos are usually [[nocturnal]]<ref name="Into the light: Diurnality has evol"/> and have excellent [[night vision]]; their [[colour vision]] in low light is 350 times more sensitive than [[human eye]]s.<ref name=Roth_Pupils>{{Cite journal|last1=Roth|first1=L.S.V.|last2=Lundstrom|first2=L.|last3=Kelber|first3=A.|last4=Kroger|first4=R.H.H.|last5=Unsbo|first5=P.|date=1 March 2009|title=The pupils and optical systems of gecko eyes|journal=[[Journal of Vision]]|volume=9|issue=3|pages=27.1–11|doi=10.1167/9.3.27|pmid=19757966|doi-access=free}}</ref> The nocturnal geckos evolved from [[Diurnality|diurnal]] species, which had lost the [[rod cell]]s from their eyes. The gecko eye, therefore, modified its [[cone cell]]s that increased in size into different types, both single and double. Three different photo-pigments have been retained, and are sensitive to ultraviolet, blue, and green. They also use a multifocal optical system that allows them to generate a sharp image for at least two different depths.<ref>{{Cite journal|first1=Lina S. V.|last1=Roth|first2=Linda|last2=Lundström|first3=Almut|last3=Kelber|first4=Ronald H. H.|last4=Kröger|first5=Peter|last5=Unsbo|date=1 March 2009|title=The pupils and optical systems of gecko eyes|journal=[[Journal of Vision]]|volume=9|issue=3|pages=27.1–11|doi=10.1167/9.3.27|pmid=19757966|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.oneindia.in/2009/05/08/geckoinspired-multifocal-contact-lenses-cameras-on-theanv.html|title=Gecko-inspired multifocal contact lenses, cameras on the anvil|website=News.OneIndia.in|date=8 May 2009|access-date=1 February 2022|archive-date=28 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328200444/http://news.oneindia.in/2009/05/08/geckoinspired-multifocal-contact-lenses-cameras-on-theanv.html|url-status=live}}</ref> While most gecko species are nocturnal, some species are diurnal and active during the day, which have evolved multiple times independently.<ref name="Into the light: Diurnality has evol">{{Cite journal|last1=Gamble|first1=T.|last2=Greenbaum|first2=E.|last3=Jackman|first3=T.R.|last4=Bauer|first4=A.M.|date=August 2015|title=Into the light: Diurnality has evolved multiple times in geckos|journal=[[Biological Journal of the Linnean Society]]|volume=115|issue=4|pages=896–910|doi=10.1111/bij.12536|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Many species are well known for their specialised toe pads, which enable them to grab and climb onto smooth and vertical surfaces, and even cross indoor ceilings with ease. Geckos are well known to people who live in warm regions of the world, where several species make their home inside human habitations. These, for example the [[Hemidactylus|house gecko]], become part of the indoor menagerie and are often welcomed, as they feed on [[insect]] [[Pest (organism)|pests]] including [[moth]]s and [[mosquito]]es. Like most lizards, geckos can [[autotomy|defensively shed their tail]]; the predator may attack the wriggling tail, allowing the gecko to escape.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mihai|first=Andrei|date=9 September 2009|url=http://www.zmescience.com/medicine/gecko-tail-has-a-mind-of-its-own/|title=Gecko tail has a mind of its own|website=www.ZMEScience.com|publisher=ZME Science|access-date=1 February 2022|archive-date=30 November 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091130081608/http://www.zmescience.com/medicine/gecko-tail-has-a-mind-of-its-own/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The largest species, ''[[Gigarcanum delcourti]]'', is only known from a single, stuffed specimen probably collected in the 19th century found in the basement of the [[Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Marseille|Natural History Museum of Marseille]] in [[Marseille]], France. This gecko was {{Convert|600|mm|abbr=off|lk=on}} long, and was likely [[endemic]] to [[New Caledonia]], where it lived in native forests.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Heinicke |first1=Matthew P. |last2=Nielsen |first2=Stuart V. |last3=Bauer |first3=Aaron M. |last4=Kelly |first4=Ryan |last5=Geneva |first5=Anthony J. |last6=Daza |first6=Juan D. |last7=Keating |first7=Shannon E. |last8=Gamble |first8=Tony |date=2023-06-19 |title=Reappraising the evolutionary history of the largest known gecko, the presumably extinct Hoplodactylus delcourti, via high-throughput sequencing of archival DNA |journal=Scientific Reports |language=en |volume=13 |issue=1 |page=9141 |doi=10.1038/s41598-023-35210-8 |pmid=37336900 |issn=2045-2322|pmc=10279644 |bibcode=2023NatSR..13.9141H }}</ref> The smallest gecko, the [[Sphaerodactylus ariasae|Jaragua sphaero]], is a mere {{Convert|16|mm|abbr=off}} long and was discovered in 2001 on a small island off the coast of [[Hispaniola]].<ref name=Piper>{{Cite book|last=Piper|first=Ross|date=2007|title=Extraordinary Animals: an Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals|url=https://archive.org/details/extraordinaryani0000pipe|url-access=registration|publisher=[[Greenwood Press]]|location=Westport, Conn.|isbn=978-0313339226|page=[https://Archive.org/details/extraordinaryani0000pipe/page/143 143]}}</ref>