A blue-gray tokay gecko with orange spots on a wooden chair. — Photo: Gerard Chartier, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Tokay Gecko

Gekko gecko

A big, spotted Asian gecko named for its loud 'to-kay' call; it often lives in houses and eats insect pests.

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About the Tokay Gecko

Tokay geckos are among the largest geckos: males are 13 to 16 inches long and females 8 to 12 inches. They have thick bodies covered with red or black spots. They live in South and Southeast Asia, often near people, where they help control insect pests. At night they eat moths, grasshoppers, beetles, cockroaches, crickets and spiders, and sometimes small mice and snakes.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Gekko gecko^[1]
Size: Males 13 to 16 inches; females 8 to 12 inches.^[1]
Lifespan: About 10 years in human care.^[1]
Diet: Insects and spiders; sometimes small mice and snakes.^[1]
Habitat: Natural areas and places people live, including buildings.^[1]
Where it lives: South and Southeast Asia, including Vietnam and southern China.^[1]
Group life: Solitary and territorial. Nocturnal.^[1]
Babies: Hard-shelled eggs stuck to solid surfaces.^[1]
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2017).^[2]

Fun facts

The tokay gecko is named after its 'to-kay' call.^[1]
You can see light through a tokay's ear holes.^[1]
It has the remains of a third eye on top of its head.^[1]

Vocabulary

territory: An area an animal claims and defends.
nocturnal: Active mainly at night.
cold-blooded: Having a body temperature that changes with the surroundings; also called ectothermic.
pest: An animal that causes problems for people, crops or homes.
least concern: A conservation label meaning a species is widespread and not at risk of dying out soon.

See it in person

Smithsonian's National ZooWashington, D.C. · Reptile Discovery CenterSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “Tokay gecko.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/tokay-gecko (accessed 2026-10-08)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Gekko gecko (Tokay Gecko).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/195309/2378260 (accessed 2026-10-08)

Facts last checked 2026-10-08.

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