Japanese gecko
Amazing fact
In Japanese geckos, the temperature at which eggs develop affects the ratio of males to females that hatch.
国立環境研究所 侵入生物データベース
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
In Japanese geckos, the temperature at which eggs develop affects the ratio of males to females that hatch.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Japanese gecko
- Scientific name
- Gekko japonicus
- Japanese name
- ニホンヤモリ
- Group
- Amphibians and reptiles
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Gekkonidae
- Genus
- Gekko
A gecko that lives on buildings such as wooden houses. It is active at night and is often seen near lights, where it catches insects.
The undersides of its toes are covered with thin plates that look like oval coins. Its back can change quickly from dark brown to pale grey.
Females stick their eggs inside shutter boxes, in gaps in walls, in attics and similar places.
How the Japanese gecko lives
Within the temperatures tested in an experiment, it was more active when warmer. It uses tiny hairs on its toes to climb walls and glass. The time it takes for eggs to hatch varies with temperature.
The Herpetological Society of Japan玉川大学 生物自然研究部国立環境研究所 侵入生物データベースBasic data
- Size
- Body length: 100–140 mmHead and body length: 50–72 mm
- Weight
- 2.3–4 g
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)
- Diet
- Insects and other small invertebrates
Where the Japanese gecko has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- ニホンヤモリ
- 简体中文
- 多疣壁虎
- 繁體中文
- 多疣壁虎
- 한국어
- 도마뱀붙이
- Deutsch
- Japanischer Hausgecko
- Русский
- Японский геккон
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 国立環境研究所 侵入生物データベース — ニホンヤモリChecked: 2026-11-03
- The Herpetological Society of Japan — Circadian and Temperature Control of Activity in Schlegel’s Japanese Gecko, Gekko japonicus (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae)Checked: 2026-11-06
- 玉川大学 生物自然研究部 — ニホンヤモリChecked: 2026-11-06
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
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