Are these colorful geckos normal in Hawaii?

[Mike_Lowery]

I saw this dude just coolin' in the shade by some pipes out in the back, and noticed the unusual color patterns on'em. It's the first time I've seen a gecko with this colorway in Hawaii...is it normal? Did he just eat some leftover easter egg dye? Is this some kind of viral marketing scheme? :confused: (pictures are kinda big, so I'm just posting the links)

http://i29.tinypic.com/1z308b4.jpg
http://i27.tinypic.com/2d26v6e.jpg
http://i28.tinypic.com/v8fyfk.jpg
http://i27.tinypic.com/etaywl.jpg
http://i30.tinypic.com/j5axd1.jpg

[Pomai]

ML, you're on Kauai, right?

Jim75 shot the same type over at Kealakekua (Kona side) on the Big Island....

More Hawaii pics: >>>>> 3. Gecko above Kealakekua.
http://DiamondWillow.smugmug.com/photos/293687066_KSDGP-L.jpg

That's from the HT Photo Sharing thread.

[Mike_Lowery]

ML, you're on Kauai, right?

Jim75 shot the same type over at Kealakekua (Kona side) on the Big Island....



That's from the HT Photo Sharing thread.
yup, in Lihue...these things are crazy lookin'!

[Menehune Man]

There are no indigenous lizards in Hawaii! They all came from elsewhere.
Lizards in Hawaii (http://www.explorebiodiversity.com/Hawaii/BiodiversityForgotten/Wildlife/Reptiles/Lizards.htm)
Check out the link. Good info.
I think they're cool too!

[LikaNui]

It's the first time I've seen a gecko with this colorway in Hawaii...is it normal? Must be. There's a ton of them here on the windward side of Oahu. They're pretty mellow too, and not as quick to run and hide as other types are. And the colors are gorgeous.

[hulagirl]

Wow. Even though those things are pretty I'm pretty upset about it... who knows what harm they'll do to the native insects, snails, spiders etc. in our environment? Ick. Just look at how cute (and irritating) the coqui (sp) is! I wish people would stop smuggling things like this in...

[Ron Whitfield]

Hey, maybe these new geckos will eat the cocqui frogs!

[Mike_Lowery]

I asked a friend to ask her friend (a biologist in GA of all places) and I got an answer as to what kind of gecko it is...the gold dust gecko

http://www.centralpets.com/animals/reptiles/lizards/lzd2675.html

[Hilo Artist]

Tons of these in my back yard and my studio here in Hilo. I was told that they came from Kona side and that people in California pay up to 25 dollars a piece for these colorful lizards at the pet shops.

My son caught the regular Hawaiian green chameleon and the colorful lizard and put them together in a jar to see if they would fight. They both just chilled and acted like they didnt see eachother...He eventually let them go.

The coolest find from my yard was the Hawaiian Blind snake. We kept him as a pet for a few months and fed him ant eggs. We let him go after sharing him with my sons preschool. If you use a magnifying glass you can see his forked tongue going in and out and his scaled body...Really cool

[alohabear]

At my brother's house in Hawaii Kai, they are these freaky looking lizards that look like mini dinosaurs. They have tiny spines down their backs and are really fast. Anybody know what they are?

[Mike_Lowery]

At my brother's house in Hawaii Kai, they are these freaky looking lizards that look like mini dinosaurs. They have tiny spines down their backs and are really fast. Anybody know what they are?

jackson chameleons, maybe?
http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=65308&rendTypeId=4


This is my favorite chameleon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcjkA5ZAWQo

[alohabear]

jackson chameleons, maybe?
http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=65308&rendTypeId=4


This is my favorite chameleon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcjkA5ZAWQohttp://people.umass.edu/jhenning/images/homeanolecropped.jpg

I seem to have found my answer....
KHON (Honolulu, Hawaii) 02 May 06 Aggressive lizard invades state (Ron Mizutani)
Now to the story of another lizard, and this one is being called "an invader."
It's called the "brown anole," an aggressive lizard that's believed to be responsible for the decline of other lizard species.
A growing number of residents across Hawaii are dealing with these nasty lizards that are very aggressive, very quick and very ugly.
Every morning, Bo Sueyoshi feels like she's in a Hollywood movie.
The brown anole reminds her of a Steven Spielberg creation.
A scene from "Lost World, Jurassic Park: 2" is being replayed in many backyards.
"They're ugly; they look like little dinosaurs," says Bo Sueyoshi, Hawaii Kai resident. "I take my dogs out for a walks in the afternoon and they're just all over the sidewalks."
The Caribbean lizard first surfaced in Hawaii more than a decade ago.
"We started seeing the brown anole, as far as getting reports, in the Lanikai Kailua area in like the early '90s," says Domingo Carvalho, Department of Agriculture.
Since then populations have rapidly spread across Oahu and even parts of Kauai and Maui, wreaking havoc on other lizards along the way.
"Even the house lizards that go -- those little geckos - yeah, they eat those," says Sueshiro.
"The animals are much more aggressive, they're quicker and the larger adults tend to feed on smaller green anoles," says Cravalho.
Craig Chock of Kailua has seen the trend.
"Taking over the green ones. You don't see the green ones anymore," says Chock. "I haven't seen these in my house, thank God."
"The only natural predator that I'm aware of would be man," says Cravalho.
"And then this is an apartment for one of them -- he lives down here and he comes out," says Sueyoshi.
The little critters are starting to get on Sueyoshi's nerves.
"I water the plants in the afternoon, they come out for a drink and they like to be showered. I shoot the hose on them and they just sit there, thank you," says Sueyoshi.
But no one in her family believed her.
"I keep telling them we're being invaded by these ugly lizards, so I take pictures to show them. I put it on a slide show and say, here look!" says Sueyoshi. "I always find this guy on the rake. For some reason he loves the rake."
As far as an impact on humans?
"They'll bite if handled, but it's like a pinch," says Cravalho.
No need to call Spielberg -- yet.
We're not alone. The brown anole is also wreaking havoc in Cuba, Georgia and Florida.
We don't seem to have them in Hilo yet...they seem nasty!

[MyopicJoe]

"I water the plants in the afternoon, they come out for a drink and they like to be showered. I shoot the hose on them and they just sit there, thank you," says Sueyoshi.

I guess the good news is there won't be a lack of targets for kids and their BB guns.