Meet The New Friend – The Gecko

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gecko lounging on the step

The other day, I was wandering around the front of the house, when I looked down and saw a gecko “sitting” very still on a step that leads to the pedestrian gate. At first, I was a bit taken a back by the site of him as he was much larger than other geckos I have seen. In Nea Ionia, I’d sometimes see a green one that was about a quarter of the size of this guy.

After a second or two and realizing it was simply another species of gecko, I ran to my office to grab my camera, hoping he’d still be there. I didn’t bother to change the lens (Nikkor 70-300mm) although I might have preferred the 50mm. Happily, the gecko was still there and I shot a few photos of him.

While some people might be freaked out knowing that a lizard lives close by to your house, in many cultures geckos are considered as a sign of “good luck” or “protection of the house.” They are kind of cute in their own way and are entirely harmless to humans. Some even keep them as pets. There’s even a Linux distribution based on OpenSuSE called “GeckoLinux.” If memory serves correct, OpenSuse has used a Gecko at some point or other (but it’s been awhile since I’ve used that distribution).

In Greece, traditionally it was thought that to come across a Gecko in your house was a sign of prosperity and wisdom. Other cultures also associate these members of the lizard family with prosperity, good luck, spiritual protection against “unseen things.” Apparently, Polynesians and some Native American tribes viewed geckos as a deity.

A little research shows that instead of freaking out about seeing a gecko, you should welcome them – they like to eat the things we don’t like including mosquitoes, ants, cockroaches, and spiders, among other things. Apparently in Costa Rica, they might be called “Limpia Casas” or House Cleaners.

Sleeping During The Day

After taking a few photos, I left the gecko alone, but an hour later, I discovered it was still sitting in the same place. Noting that it appeared his tail seemed to be half missing, I wondered if he was actually alive. I gave it a little tickle, and the gecko woke up and slowly scampered down the steps, then disappeared.

Apparently they sleep during the day and enjoy basking in sunshine – which helps them restore energy for their nocturnal activities that include hunting for the pests we don’t like to have around.

Anyway, it was good to know the creature was alive and hadn’t died on my step.

In fact, the next day, I found the gecko “sleeping” or whatever it was doing, in almost exactly the same place as the day before, on the step. I left him alone to absorb all the energy it needed from its sleep, so it can get to work to keep away any unwanted ants, mosquitoes, etc later in the night.

I’m delighted that a gecko has taken up residence at this house, and while I’m skeptical of ideas that it will bring me any good luck, fortune, wisdom, or protection from any “unseen things,” I’ll enjoy its presence. I once made friends with a wild skunk; friendship with a wild gecko will require much less nervousness!

One of the photos I took had a pretty good view of the wee fellow’s head when cropped:

head of the gecko

I have a dear friend who is a pet photographer near Seattle – perhaps she can give me some tips on how better to bring out the character through photography of my new friend, the gecko 🙂 .

Would it creep you out to know you had a gecko (or more than one) living close by or in your house? Feel free to comment below! 🙂

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