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Project Noah Nature School
Thecadactylus solimoensis
This is a lizard of 18-22 cm. They have a light background with dark splotches. Some are quite lightly colored (fotos #1-3), others are very dark (fotos #4-5). The most unique physical characteristic of this lizard is the strongly dilated subdigital pads on their feet that enable them to scale walls, glass and run across ceilings (foto #3). Most will have a tail that has been regenerated at some point. The venter is without markings and light, from near white to dark tan.
Spotted on an outside wall of a house in the Amazon rainforest of SE Ecuador (650 masl). They are very common in houses where human habitation exists, presumably for the ease of catching various insects, their primary food.
Called "Takaras" by the Indians, they are feared by most who believe they can sting with the tail. We have demonstrated over and over again that they are harmless, with an incredible lack of success :-) We like them in our house for their antics and anti-insect philosophy :-) however because of their lamentable habit of leaving large droppings on whatever is under them (seats, tables, desks, books, people), as they perch on walls and ceilings, we normally catch them and put them outdoors. Primarily nocturnal, they are normally only seen in the daytime when their hiding place is disturbed. Sometimes in the late evenings they will venture out to play and/or fight while we are still up. It is unclear if Thecadactlyus solimoensis and Thecadactlus rapicauda refer to the same or different lizards. I found many conflicting articles.
Spotted on Sep 30, 2004
Submitted on Mar 22, 2019
2 Comments
Thanks Mark. They are fun to watch as they play and fight on the walls and ceiling, BUT, they do leave a mess :-)
Fabulous series and notes.