Wherever ones goes in Namibia there are geckos – the real ones (Namibia has 12 families of gecko), and the decorative ones. Geckos are a type of lizard with some really unique features.
Firstly, the noise they make to communicate with other geckos is unique to this type of lizard. In fact the English word “gecko” originates from the Indonesian-Malay gēkoq, which is an imitation of the sound geckos make.
Two other major features which distinguish geckos from ordinary lizards, is that most geckos species don’t have moveable eyelids, and they have unique feet. Not having moveable eyelids means that they cannot blink, so have to wipe their eyes with their tongues. Imagine if you could do that! Gecko toes have special adaptations which allow them to stick to dry surfaces. So they have the ability to climb very smooth vertical surfaces, and hang upside down from horizontal ones. You can read more about geckos here.
I chose the gecko as the “logo” for my blog, as it reminded me of the sound of the Kalahari bush. So naturally when I see a gecko or lizard (real or decorative), I have to take a photo of it. Some of the decorative ones look like lizard-gecko hybrids! Here are several of those I saw in Namibia – I especially liked the mosaic ones.
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This post is part of a series I will be publishing about our travels through Namibia. It is also part of my daily posts for October 2016 – otherwise known as The October Dash
Notes from Africa 
Awesome geckos, Lisa! They always remind me of Africa too.
I have two colourful gecko-lizards mounted on one of our outside walls – I mosaic’d them a while back. Who knew that they were named after the sound they make?! We always have a couple of very small geckos inside the house, climbing up the walls, hanging precariously off the curtains, or peering out from behind paintings and shelves. But I’ve never heard them making a sound… very curious!
We also have several lizards living in our garden – once in a while, one mistakenly wanders into the house, and then I need to shoo them out very gently – don’t want them to drop half their tail in fright! Luckily Tuffy-Cat is too elderly to worry about chasing them anymore.
Ah, somebody else who loves geckos! 🙂 Just had a look at your geckos (and other mosaic work) – wow, that’s lovely!
They are amongst the charmers of the animal world, aren’t they! We mostly get the larger blue-tongued lizards here, but I remember them just everywhere whilst staying in the Fijian countryside where my husband’s uncle had built his retirement bungalow . . . well: for a city gal, they still made me jump initially, but then begin being comfortable and just gently ‘shoo’ them away . . . oh one computer and one service playing absolute havoc: so if not around shall read when matters hopefully normalize . . . .
Geckos are pretty much everywhere here in South Africa. We live in a small city on the coast and have geckos in our house at times.
Eha, thank you for all your support and comments during this “October Dash” series! 🙂
Geckos are pretty much everywhere here in South Africa. We live in a small city on the coast and have geckos in our house at times.
Eha, thank you for all your support and comments during this “October Dash” series! 🙂
We also have geckos in our house all the time – I don’t mind them anymore, as I credit them with keeping the mozzie count down. The only thing I mind is the poop… little black spots on the wall, both inside and outside the house, and usually high up and out of easy reach. Luckily, it cleans off with soapy water and a firm scrub with a cloth or broom, but it’s quite a workout, shuffling along the wall with a high chair and standing up on tiptoes to reach!
Beautiful Crafting…just wonderful.
Yes, it is. A blogger friend of mine has done some really beautiful mosaic work as well including two wonderful geckos – you can see her post at https://namibsands.wordpress.com/2013/11/13/a-labour-of-love-or-why-typists-shouldnt-mosaic-as-a-hobby/
Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment! 🙂
I love your mosaics ….so beautiful…I am going to try the house numbers!! Love it!!!!
Hello Kelly – one little tip with creating mosaic house numbers: I used glass tiles, which are often just small transparent glass squares glued onto coloured paper. So the tiles themselves don’t actually have any colour. I didn’t realise that initially. As a result, if your house numbers are exposed to the sunlight, they will change colour and fade over time. It can still look pretty, but just be aware of that. If I ever make house numbers again, I definitely won’t use the (somewhat cheaper) glass tiles; I’ll rather use solid colour tiles, as they don’t fade.
Hope you have fun with your house numbers!
I have one of those pretty wire/bead geckoes – a nice reminder of the real geckoes we saw when travelling in South Africa.
That would be a lovely reminder of your trip. I only got the little wire & bead gecko, but recently got a big one as a gift.