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Geckos are fascinating creatures that can be found in various habitats across Australia, from rainforests to deserts and treetops to termite mounds. They are known for their ability to adapt to human environments, often making their homes in people's gardens, houses, and even electrical equipment! With their large eyes, soft translucent skin, and special pads on their toes, geckos are well-equipped to navigate the night and move with ease on smooth surfaces. But what about the sounds they make? Australian geckos have a range of vocalizations, from soft chattering calls to loud hissing screeches, and even metallic scrapes. Some geckos chirrup to attract mates or warn others about trespassing, while others make louder chuck, chuck, chuck sounds. These unique vocalizations, along with their ability to use body language, make geckos super communicators in the reptile world.
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What You'll Learn
The Australian gecko's 'chuck, chuck, chuck' sound
Geckos are the super communicators of the reptile world. They are also very invasive, displacing native geckos due to competition for food and their quick breeding cycle. The Common House Gecko, also known as the Asian House Gecko, is a frequent visitor to Australian homes, garages, and even workplaces. They are nocturnal hunters with eyes that are up to 350 times more sensitive at night than human eyes.
The Australian geckos' "chuck, chuck, chuck" sound is made by the introduced Asian House Gecko, which looks very similar to the native house gecko. This sound is much louder than the soft chattering call of the native house gecko or the loud hissing screech of the leaf-tail. Some geckos creak like a cork being unscrewed from a bottle, while others chirp or make a soft "pip, pip, pip" sound like a small bird.
Geckos are the only lizards that can vocalize, aside from legless lizards. Their calls serve to attract mates or warn other geckos that they are trespassing. They can also communicate through body language, such as gaping at threats to seem larger and more dangerous or waving their tails to signal to other geckos or distract predators. Geckos have special pads on their toes that enable them to cling to smooth vertical surfaces, including glass.
The presence of geckos can be detected by their distinctive cries at night and their unique droppings, which they often leave on walls. Geckos are attracted to outside lights due to the gathering moths and other insects. They have soft, translucent skin and large eyes adapted for hunting in the dark.
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How geckos communicate through sound
Geckos have a sophisticated vocal communication system similar to that of mammals and birds. They are able to adjust their calls in relation to environmental noise, a trait previously thought to be unique to birds and mammals. This ability to alter their calls depending on the level of ambient noise is known as the Lombard effect, and it is often accompanied by an increase in the duration of the call, which helps the signal to be detected.
The Tokay gecko, a night-active gecko from Southeast Asia, is a prime example of this complex vocal communication system at play. The male Tokay gecko has a loud and distinctive "GECK-O" call, which serves to attract females and repel rival males. Interestingly, under noisy conditions, Tokay geckos produce more of the louder "GECK-O" syllables and fewer of the softer cackle calls to increase the overall signal-to-noise ratio of their calls.
The Common House Gecko, also known as the Asian House Gecko, is another example of a vocal gecko. These geckos are invasive in Australia and are commonly heard and seen in homes, garages, and even workplaces. They are known to cause short circuits in electrical equipment due to their ability to get into small spaces.
While the sound of the Common House Gecko may be familiar to many Australians, it is unclear if they exhibit the same complex vocal communication behaviours as the Tokay gecko. Further research is needed to understand the full extent of vocal communication in different gecko species, including those found in Australia.
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The Asian House Gecko's 'GECK-O!' call
The Asian House Gecko, also known as the Common House Gecko, is an invasive species in Australia that was first seen in the 1960s. Likely stowaways in shipping containers from Southeast Asia, these geckos are now commonly found in homes, garages, and even workplaces across the country.
The Asian House Gecko is known for its distinctive call, a loud "GECK-O!" sound from which all geckos get their name. This call is used to attract mates and warn other geckos about trespassing into their territory. While the Asian House Gecko has a loud and distinctive call, the native house gecko of Australia has a softer chattering call.
The Asian House Gecko's call is just one of the ways it communicates. Geckos are known as the super communicators of the reptile world and are one of the few lizards that can make noises, along with legless lizards. In addition to vocalizations, geckos use body language to communicate. For example, they may wave their tails to signal to other geckos or to distract predators.
The Asian House Gecko's call can be heard at night, along with other gecko noises such as little yelps or metallic scrapes. These geckos are nocturnal hunters with eyes that are up to 350 times more sensitive at night than human eyes. Their soft, translucent skin and large eyes help them hunt under the cover of darkness, attracted by the gathering moths and other insects around outside lights.
The Asian House Gecko's loud "GECK-O!" call is a familiar sound to many Australians, whether loved or hated. These geckos are known for their ability to get into tight spaces, even short-circuiting electrical equipment. While they may be a nuisance to some, the Asian House Gecko is an impressive communicator and survivor in the Australian landscape.
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Australian gecko mating calls
Geckos are considered the "'super communicators' of the reptile world, and apart from legless lizards, they are the only lizards that can vocalize. Australian native geckos can be found everywhere in the country except Tasmania and inhabit a variety of habitats, from rainforests to deserts and treetops to termite mounds. They are nocturnal hunters with eyes that are up to 350 times more sensitive at night than human eyes.
Geckos use their chirruping calls to attract mates or to warn other geckos that they are trespassing on their territory. The native house gecko, for example, has a soft chattering call, while the leaf-tail has a loud hissing screech. The introduced Asian House Gecko, which looks similar to the native house gecko, makes a much louder "chuck, chuck, chuck" sound.
Some geckos creak like a cork being screwed out of a bottle, while others make a sharp "chirp!" or a soft "pip, pip, pip" like a small bird. Baby geckos make a soft screaming noise, like an old-fashioned kettle coming to a boil.
Geckos are attracted to outside lights due to the moths and other insects that gather there. They have soft, translucent skin and large eyes that aid in hunting under the cover of darkness. They are also known to invade human spaces, such as homes and garages, and can be a nuisance by short-circuiting electrical equipment.
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Australian geckos' nocturnal hunting
Australian geckos are nocturnal hunters with eyes that are 350 times more sensitive than humans, enabling them to excel at hunting in low-light conditions. Their superior night vision is a result of adaptations that occurred as their diurnal ancestors lost rod cells in their eyes. Consequently, the cone cells in gecko eyes increased in size and variety, allowing them to retain three different photopigments sensitive to ultraviolet, blue, and green light. This gives them exceptional colour vision in the dark.
To survive in arid regions, geckos have evolved behaviours to conserve moisture, such as minimizing activity during the hottest parts of the day and extracting water from their food. They also possess specialized toe pads that allow them to cling to smooth vertical surfaces, even glass, enabling them to escape predators and hunt prey in difficult-to-reach places.
Geckos are versatile predators, feeding on insects, worms, caterpillars, and other small invertebrates. They are also capable of consuming plant material, such as fruit or nectar, when other food sources are scarce. Their ability to climb and their exceptional night vision make them skilled nocturnal hunters.
Geckos are found in a variety of habitats across mainland Australia, from rainforests to deserts, and even in urban environments. They can be spotted in gardens, walls, and inside houses, where they hunt insects attracted to lights. Their skin coloration and patterns provide effective camouflage, helping them blend into their surroundings to ambush prey and avoid predators.
The ability to make sounds is another unique trait of Australian geckos, setting them apart from other lizards. They use chirruping calls to attract mates or warn other geckos about trespassing. Some species like the native house gecko have a soft chattering call, while the leaf-tail has a loud hissing screech.
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Frequently asked questions
Geckos are the super communicators of the reptile world and make a variety of sounds, including chirps, yelps, metallic scrapes, soft chattering, hissing, chuckling, creaking, and soft squeaking.
Geckos use sounds to communicate with each other, attracting mates or warning other geckos that they are trespassing.
Australian geckos can be found everywhere except Tasmania. They live in a variety of habitats, from rainforests to deserts and in people's homes.
Geckos have soft, translucent skin and large eyes that aid in hunting at night. They have tiny hairs tipped with pads on their toes that enable them to walk on smooth and slippery surfaces.
Geckos are nocturnal hunters, so they are most active at night. Leaving an outside light on can attract geckos as they are drawn to the insects gathered around the light.
