Mourning, Stump-toed, and Gold Dust Day?

The above are three types of geckos in Hawaii. There are seven—those three and:

Orange-Spotted Day, Common House, Fox, Small Tree,

and Common House Geckos.

When I lived in Hawaii, I stayed a summer in a house near the UH campus. My roommate was a gecko. He was a funny guy—Oops—let me correct something here!

I believe the gecko that lived with me was a Mourning Gecko. This species is all female. Yup, all female! The female lays the eggs. No male needed to hatch a bunch of baby females. So, I continue . . .

This funny little girl loved my posters. At night when I’d come into my room, she would scamper across my walls, under all the posters. They’d wiggle and shake, creating a slight thunder in my room. I loved that greeting.

Mourning Geckos have been the most prevalent species in Hawaii. There is, however, a more aggressive species, Common House, which may be taking over the lead.

It is believed the geckos arrived in Hawaii by stowing away with the arriving Polynesians. According to scientific studies, their eggs are salt-water resistant, so these eggs could have made the trip as well, on a log or some other floating debris.

How fun it was to have a gecko roommate. I won’t mention the un-fun of having cockroaches! Today, my cat, Lilly, would never tolerate a gecko visitor, especially another female, so I only have my memories.

Glad you visited, hope you comment on your unusual animal companions, and visit again soon to learn more about the islands!