Day Geckos are a group of geckos in the genus Phelsuma, containing around 50 different species. While some are more commonly known such as the giant day gecko or the peacock day gecko, there are many lesser-known day geckos that are just as beautiful and fascinating. Keep scrolling to see which 10 of the day geckos made our list. Also, let us know in a comment below which was your favorite!
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Top 10 List – Day Geckos
1. Madagascar Giant Day Gecko
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Scientific Name: Phelsuma grandis
Geographic Range: Madagascar, Introduced To United States
Conservation Status: Least Concern
One of the more popular day geckos, the Madagascar giant day gecko is named due to its large size. These geckos can grow from 8 – 11 inches (20 – 28 cm), with males generally being larger than females. They can be distinguished by their bright green bodies and red markings on their head, and often their backs. Juvenile geckos tend to be brighter than adults, with some of their red markings fading as they age.
As their name suggests, they can be found throughout Madagascar. However, they have been introduced and become invasive in places such as Hawaii, Florida, and Mauritius Island. They are diurnal geckos, spending most of their days in the trees hunting for insects and eating the various fruits and nectars they can find. Like most day geckos, the males are territorial and only allow females in their territories. They can live up to 20 years in captivity and are fairly popular in the pet trade due to their bright colors and large size. Madagascar giant day geckos are considered intermediate-level pets, as they require specific lighting and humidity in their enclosure. They are also often not fans of being held.
2. Blue-Tailed Day Gecko
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Scientific Name: Phelsuma cepediana
Geographic Range: Island of Mauritius
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Blue-tailed day geckos are another beautiful day gecko. Males have a bright turquoise blue on their tails and backs, with large red spots and blotches, and green for the rest of their bodies. Females tend to be more subtle in color, with the same pattern in green and rust-brown. However, it is possible for some females to have the bright blue color as well. With their beautiful colors, it’s easy to see why there is such a high demand for them in the pet trade. Blue-tailed geckos range in size from 3.75 – 5.5 inches (9.5 – 14 cm) in length, with males larger than females on average.
As with most day geckos, they are also diurnal. They also feed on insects, fruit, and nectar. However, something unique about them is that the endangered plant Roussea simplex is only pollinated by the blue-tailed gecko. The gecko eats the gelatinous substance produced by the plant and then disperses the seeds found in the gelatin through their droppings. This allows the plant to keep growing and spreading. However, the plants have been taken over by invasive ants that will attack anything that goes near the Roussea plant, including the blue-tailed day gecko. Another predator of the blue-tailed day gecko is birds.
3. Banded Day Gecko
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Scientific Name: Phelsuma standingi
Geographic Range: Madagascar
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Another of the larger day geckos, the banded day gecko grows on average to 8 – 10 inches (20 – 25.4 cm) in length. However, some even larger males have been recorded. Most often they have a grey coloration, with a beautiful green head and blue/turquoise tail, as well as various speckling and bands on their body. Hatchling day geckos have a yellow-green head, and dark “tiger” stripes down their bright green body. As they grow their stripes will fade and become more speckled. They are from a dryer region of Madagascar, meaning they have thicker skin than most day geckos and aren’t as easily injured. Many females have 2 sacs, one on each side of their face, which stores calcium. This calcium is needed for the production of the gecko’s eggs. Every 4 – 6 weeks during the breeding season (November – March) the females will lay 2 eggs in crevices.
These geckos are very territorial, even females will become aggressive if other females come too close, which is rare in geckos – usually, it is just the males that are territorial and aggressive. Another unusual trait is that they appear to mate for life, instead of the males trying to mate with multiple females. Most often they are observed eating insects and even other smaller lizards. While they have been observed eating fruit and nectar, however, it is less common for them. They are considered vulnerable, the biggest threat being habitat loss, followed by collection and exporting for the pet trade, and in the wild, they are preyed upon by snakes and birds.
4. Serrated Day Gecko
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Scientific Name: Phelsuma serraticauda
Geographic Range: Madagascar
Conservation Status: Endangered
Serrated day geckos average 5.1 inches (13cm) in length, with females being noticeably shorter and slimmer. Their body is green, with 3 red bands across the top of their head, and red bands or blotches on their lower back. Their tail may occasionally have blue on it. However, green is more common. The most striking feature about this gecko is its tail which is broad and flat, with serrated edges. The tail in some can be just as wide as the gecko’s body. They can mostly be found hanging out on coconut palms, however, occasionally they have been spotted on banana trees. Serrated day geckos live in groups of 1 male and up to 5 females, with males being territorial towards other males. They are endangered, and one of the biggest reasons is thought to be from the illegal collection for the pet trade.
5. Peacock Day Gecko
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Scientific Name: Phelsuma quadriocellata
Geographic Range: Madagascar
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Peacock day geckos were also featured in our “10 Interesting Reptiles From Madagascar You Need To See” article if you want to check it out!
Peacock day geckos are part of the day gecko group and are made up of 3 different subspecies. The spots on their sides and their coloration is similar to that of a peacock, hence their common name – peacock day gecko. Their base color is a gorgeous bright green, with small red markings along their head and back, a pale belly/underside, and sometimes a bright blue tail. They also have large black spots on either side of their body, with some localities having two spots on each side instead of one. Sometimes they are kept in captivity as pets and can live up to 15 years in captivity if well cared for.
6. Gold Dust Day Gecko
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Scientific Name: Phelsuma laticauda
Geographic Range: Madagascar, the island of Comoros, and introduced to Hawaii.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Gold dust day geckos grow to 4.5 – 6 inches (11.5 – 15.2 cm) in length, depending on the subspecies, with the males being larger. They are primarily green in color, with 3 red bands across the top of their head, and red blotches on their lower back. Where they get their common name, gold dust day gecko, is because of the beautiful gold speckling that the gecko has on their necks, legs, lower back, and tail. While it is rare some individuals may have blue on their toes or tails. They are common in the pet trade due to being beautiful, as well as hardy, and easier to keep than other day geckos. However, most of the gold dust day geckos you can find are wild-caught, not captive-bred, as it can be hard to get them to breed in captivity.
7. Ornate Day Gecko
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Scientific Name: Phelsuma ornata
Geographic Range: Island of Mauritius
Conservation Status: Least Concern
On the smaller size for day geckos, the ornate gecko measures in at 4.3 – 5.1 inches (11 – 13 cm) in length. It’s also no surprise how they got the name ornate day gecko. The back of their neck is a greyish brown with white neck stripes, and their body and faces are covered in beautiful patterns that include bright greens, yellows, blues, yellows, reds, and oranges. As is common with day geckos, they have thin and sensitive skin that is prone to tears. It is thought that this thin skin can help the geckos escape from predators easier.
Ornate day geckos can be found in tropical rainforests and coconut plantations, finding nice warm sunny spots to soak up the sun in. These geckos are also able to adapt and live in more human cultivated areas if needed, and can sometimes be found around or in houses. They have a wide variety of predators including snakes and large invertebrates. Available in the pet trade and prized for their beautiful colors, they are considered fairly hard to keep because of their need for high humidity as well as a quality and varied diet. Females will lay 2 eggs, often stuck together, and will then “glue” them to the substrate, making it impossible to move the eggs without breaking them.
8. Lined Day Gecko
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Scientific Name: Phelsuma lineata
Geographic Range: Madagascar
Conservation Status: Least Concern
The lined day gecko has 4 different subspecies, all slightly different from each other. Generally, though, they are around 4 – 6 inches (10 – 15 cm) in length. Like other day gecko species, they eat insects as well as various fruits and nectar that are found around them. They have a green base to their body, red splotches on their lower back, and some may have some blue on their face and tail. Their common name, lined day gecko, comes from the black and white (sometimes yellow) lines that run down the side of their bodies. Despite preferring humid tropical areas, they are extremely adaptable and are often found in man-made areas. Even though they have a stable population and are unique in their own way, they are not as common or as popular of a pet as other day geckos.
9. Yellow-Headed Day Gecko
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Scientific Name: Phelsuma klemmeri
Geographic Range: Madagascar
Conservation Status: Endangered
Yellow-headed day geckos are fast, small, and stunningly bright geckos. They are only around 4 inches (10cm) in length. As their name suggests, they have a bright yellow head, as well as a blue body with brown on top, and black stripes down their sides. Females and males generally have no differences in size and appearance, so it can be hard to tell them apart. They were discovered recently compared to other species, and most of the geckos available for sale in captivity today came from 14 yellow-headed day geckos collected by Robert Sieppe. Robert Sieppe then bred these geckos for the pet trade, since few, if any, have been legally imported.
In the wild, they are mainly found on bamboo plants, particularly on medium-sized or older dead bamboo near the coast. They use the crevises in the bamboo to hide from predators, as well as safely lay their eggs in. Their main predators include lizards, snakes, large spiders, and other invertebrates, so it’s important for them to be able to hide using the bamboo. They are often found in small groups.
10. Réunion Day Gecko
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Scientific Name: Phelsuma borbonica
Geographic Range: Réunion Island
Conservation Status: Endangered
Last but not least on our list we have the beautiful Réunion day gecko. As their name suggests, they are from Réunion Island, specifically the Northern area. They can grow up to 6.3 inches (16cm) in length, however, females are smaller and only grow to around 5.1 inches (13cm) in length. The color of the gecko can vary depending on the locality of where they’re from. In general, though their body is blue-green or green, with a yellow head with mottled brown, and their back and tails have red splotches/marks on them.
These live in large loose groups, however can get quite aggressive to each other if too close together. Threatened by loss of habitat and predators that have been introduced to the area such as cats and rats, they have become an endangered species. Réunion day geckos are in high demand in the pet trade due to their beautiful colors, however, it is hard to breed them in captivity making it hard to keep up with demand.
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