“Nilla, Aventurero sent you pictures of the moth. Looks similar to the ones we posted on Monday.”
“It does. Must be the giant silk moth. If they are emerging from the cocoons and have only days to live, we should see less of them fairly soon.”
“Oops, there he is again!”
“The gecko?”
“Yes, the tropical house-gecko, salamanquesa tropical, or in Spanish salamanquesa comun. They are nocturnal, most active at dusk and dawn, hiding during the day in crevices, under or behind furnishings.”
“They move so fast! He or she climbs up and down the wall without any problem!”
“Geckos can stick to almost any surface except dry Teflon! They don’t have eyelids so they can’t blink. They lick their eyes to clean and moisturize them.”
“I know they like to stay near lights that attract their prey. They’re great for mosquito control, and even eat cockroaches. Why does the one by the kitchen door make so much noise?”
“Well Nilla, you know that he is a male gecko don’t you?”
“No.”
“At least I suspect that he is a he. The males call and wiggle their tales to attract females and let other male salamanquesa know that this is his territory.”
“So perhaps that’s why there was so much chatter going on between the one in the front and the one by the kitchen door, maybe they’re both males.”
“Could be. The females lay clutches of eggs usually on ground debris, thatched roofs or in the crevices where they are known to hide. the eggs hatch in about 35 to 90 days. Geckos live in the wild for about five years, their predators include dogs and cats, larger lizzards, spiders, snakes and birds.”
“I’ve heard that they detach their tails to escape.”
“That’s true, they can grow them back if needed. The tails are important because that’s where the gecko stores nutrients.”
“Our geckos have their tales. I want to keep them around for mosquito control.”
“So Nilla, I suppose we have just selected the topic of the day.”
“Yes we have. Anything scheduled for today?”
“Not that I know of.”
Overall a quiet day. Checking in with happenings in Boothbay Harbor and catching up with some folks back home. After a sandwich, meet up with Aventurero at Ramblas, along with Diego and Brian. Of course the kitty cat is there too, ‘socializing’ as felines do with all of us. Brian doesn’t want to take her home.
“Did you see that picture of the toad up at the Pyramid House? Aventurero said there were several.”
“Jackson, all I can reference about toads and Crucita is the rhinella marina or agua toad. Not much else. Could be that they are around during the rainy season because there are more bugs too.”
“Hard to say.”
“There’s another one!”
“Another gecko?”
“Yes, so do we have four now? This one is quiet, not making any chirping noises.”
“Want to go to Montecristi on Saturday?”
“That could be very interesting. Let’s consider it a tentative plan.”
Adventures of Nilla and Jackson 