Tokay gecko | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Sauria |
Family: | Gekkonidae |
Genus: | Gekko |
Species: | G. gecko |
Binomial name | |
Gekko gecko (Linnaeus, 1758) |
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Synonyms | |
The tokay gecko (Gekko gecko) is a nocturnal arboreal gecko in the genus Gekko, the true geckos. It is native to Asia and some Pacific Islands.
The tokay gecko is known as a hokkeng in Chakma, takshak in Bengali, hankkok in Manipuri, tuko in the Philippines, tokkae in Malaysia, tokek in Indonesian/Javanese, tắc kè in Vietnamese, kokkek in Zomi, ตุ๊กแก [túkkɛː] in Thai,តុកកែ " tokkae " in Khmer ( Cambodian language ) Sawk-khe in HMAR and awke in Mizo for its characteristic vocalizations.
This species occurs in northeast India, Bhutan, Nepal, and Bangladesh, throughout Southeast Asia, including the Philippines and Indonesia, and to western New Guinea in Melanesia. Its native habitat is rainforest, where it lives on trees and cliffs, and it also frequently adapts to rural human habitations, roaming walls and ceilings at night in search of insect prey. It is an invasive species in the Florida Keys. Increasing urbanization is reducing its range.