While you’re having dinner or enjoying an evening outside, geckos in Thailand will be hard at work.
A prolific resident of walls and ceilings, geckos in Thailand are very welcome company: they eat mosquitoes and other small insects. But how do they walk up windows, and upside down? Pure magic or straight science? Here’s what to tell the kids as you watch geckos during your stay in Thailand.
Are geckos’ feet sticky?
Nope! The bottom of a gecko’s foot has millions of tiny fibres – they’re microscopic – that, together, create a very small electrical charge. This force helps a gecko adhere to any surface they choose, even when upside down. Any surface, that is, except Teflon. (Remember that fact – it will be useful one day).
How many kinds of geckos in Thailand?
The most common gecko in Thailand is the ‘common house gecko‘. He’s small and eats insects for you. If you see a bigger version (about the length of your hand) with an unusual dotted pattern, it’s probably a tokay. You’re more likely to hear them than see them (they sound like a rubber duck!). Left alone they’re absolutely harmless, but can rightly defend themselves when threatened. Tokay geckos have light blue and orange/red spots and make a very funny noise.
As for much, much bigger reptiles, a few readers have seen enormous monitor lizards while exploring Koh Samui and Bangkok. If you’re near water (such as Bangkok’s canals), keep an eye open and you too might see one.
I think you’ll enjoy watching geckos’ antics during your visit to Thailand – and certainly the mosquito-reduction work they perform. If you prefer a furrier variety of creature, you may have more interest in Koh Samui’s dogs.
