Geckos That Are Native to the US

Geckos are small to medium-sized nocturnal lizards that can scale walls almost seamlessly. Their unique toes and foot hair help them to cling to just about any surface. In fact, one single toe can hold up the entire body weight of a gecko. Several species are found native in the United States, making their homes in the southern regions.

  1. Florida Reef Gecko

    • The Florida Reef gecko (Sphaerodactylus n. notatus) is native to the Florida Keys and southernmost part of Florida. The Reef gecko grows to about 2 inches in length and varies in color patterning depending upon the sex. Males are brown with dark spots, and the females have striped heads with a pair of light colored eye designs on the back of the neck.

    Yellowhead Gecko

    • The yellowhead gecko grows to around 3 inches in length and is also native to Florida. The male and female yellowheads look very different. The males have a greenish coloring with a golden yellow head that brightens during mating season, while the females have spots and smears of brown with a distinct collar.

    Wall Geckos

    • There are two wall geckos that are native to Florida, the white-spotted gecko and the Moorish gecko. The Moorish gecko resembles a crocodile and is also found in the San Diego, California area. The white-spotted gecko has four white scale projections on its shoulders. Wall geckos grow to be much larger then most U.S. native geckos reaching lengths up to 7 inches.

    Hawaiian Geckos

    • Native to Hawaii, the stump-toed gecko, the tree gecko and the mourning gecko all reach lengths between 3 and 4 inches when full grown. The stump-toed gecko is short and fat like the mourning gecko, but with wide and short toes. The tree gecko is long and slender and very dark in color with shiny golden brown eyes.

    Leaf-toed Gecko

    • The leaf-toed gecko makes it's home in the rocky landscape of Southern California. The leaf-toed gecko grows to around 2 and 1/2 inches and has long toes with wide spacing between the tips. The tips of the toes resemble leaves. Leaf-toed geckos have very large eyes and immobile eye lids.

    Big Bend and Switak's Banded

    • West Texas and Southern California share two of the U.S. native geckos, the Big Bend and the Switak's banded gecko. Both of these species have eyelids, but they are missing toe pads. They grow up on 6 inches in length and make their homes in rocky terrain.