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Mary had a gecko Its skin was shamrock green But everywhere that Mary went It changed its colour scheme
When Mary went to Heaven
So when you go to Heaven Liz Ard |
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| On 25 May 2004, Hawai'i Department of Agriculture caught a 10-inch Madagascar giant day gecko near the Waioli Tea Room in Manoa. The next day, they caught three more. The photo above was taken 15 June 2004 at the Waioli Tea Room, so there is quite a colony of "illegal aliens" there, presumably abandoned or "liberated" by a University of Hawai'i student. The photo on the right was also taken at the Waioli Tea Room. This gecko is a "good luck" symbol, a Day Gecko called, "Gold Dust" because of gold-flecks on its tail. The leaf is a banana blossom, where the Gold Dust gecko filled up with insects whilst pollinating the bananas, so it is certainly bringing good luck to people who like bananas! |  |
 | Geckos are better than Spiderman, and are renown for an ability to hang from a ceiling by one foot. You can see in the photos above and below how the feet of geckos enable them to cling by one foot or leap from leaf to leaf and branch to branch. Gecko feet have thousands of tiny hairs which are even better than Velcro, because geckos don't need a matching surface! The most common geckos in Hawai'i are the green (Anolis carolinensis) which can change colours (the gecko on the lava rock is the same gecko on the white wall in the process of changing from brown to green), and the Brown Gecko Both grow to about 20 cm., but the Brown (from the Caribbean) is considerably more aggressive! Another "escaped pet" is the Knight Anole Anolis equestris, which can grow to 60 cm. and, unfortunately, has become well-established on the Island of Oahu, where it decimates bird populations. Native birds have almost disappeared from over-population by pigeons, doves, and the mongoose. |
| If geckos move too fast for you, STOP! Think about this! | |
| 1. | Geckos do not have a reverse gear; geckos can only jump, drop, or move forward (but they are considerably better at leaf hopping than monkeys flying from tree to tree!) |
| 2. | Geckos are not afraid of grass. |
| One of the easiest ways to catch a gecko is to pull up a blade of grass about 45 cm. long, bend one end into a loop, then tie it off in a slip knot, so what you have is a blade of grass with a "hangman's noose" at one end. As geckos are not afraid of grass, you can stealthily slip the noose around its neck. Or, if it is "jumpy", hold the noose in front of the gecko's head because it can only move forward into the noose. | |
| When the gecko feels the noose around its neck, its natural reaction is to stop and see what happens next. You can use that moment of indecision to catch the gecko without causing any injury ~ (to you, or to the gecko). | |
| If the gecko is small enough, cup it between the palms of your hands for a few moments to calm it before you transfer it into a container. |
 | As can be seen from the photo on the right , even 10 cm. baby geckos (i.e.,twice the size of the banana tree blossom underneath him) think mango, ants, and fruit flies are great for breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea, dinner, supper and desert! I don't know what they eat elsewhere, but insects and fruit top the menu in Hawai'i! Unfortunately, Manoa has more mosquitoes than it has geckos! |  |
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Geckos inspire artists around the world, but in Honolulu, 45 fiberglass geckos were created to promote National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The decorated fiberglass geckos adorn streets and businesses from banks to the Honolulu Zoo, and present another "photo opportunity" in Waikiki! |
