Did you know that there’s a gecko named after Jackie Chan? In a study published in 2021 researchers described 12 gecko species from the Western Ghats, ten of which are found nowhere else. The geckos were given some creative names, including a quick and nimble species named after martial arts superstar Jackie Chan, a couple named after fictional dragons, and one named after the cosmos.
Geckos are non-venomous lizards found worldwide (except Antarctica). Mostly insectivorous, geckos maintain ecosystem balance and control pests.
Fun fact: Mongabay’s logo is also a gecko!
India has more than 221 known species of geckos, with new ones frequently described. They thrive in diverse habitats. Some, such as the northern house gecko and the bark gecko, are common in urban homes. Others inhabit tree trunks, grasslands and rocky outcrops in wildernesses. Many species are endemic to certain regions, such as the Kalinga rock gecko (northern Eastern Ghats), the Indian golden gecko (central and southern Eastern Ghats), and the Kaziranga bent-toed gecko (Assam).
But these creatures face diverse threats. Charismatic species such as the leopard geckos are vulnerable to the illegal pet trade. Some species, like the tokay geckos, are also poached for traditional Chinese medicine. Habitat loss, human disturbances and climate change are serious concerns, especially for endemic species. The Satara gecko is critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) because it is found only on a single, unprotected lateritic plateau in the Western Ghats threatened by infrastructure expansion.
Some species are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, such as the Indian golden gecko (Schedule I) and the tokay gecko (Schedule IV).
In an earlier story that Mongabay-India published in 2026, Pratyush P. Mohapatra, a scientist at the Zoological Survey of India, said, “We are still uncovering a remarkable number of new reptile species in India. In regions such as the Eastern Ghats, systematic sampling has been largely absent, and researchers estimate that at least 10 to 15 new gecko species are still awaiting discovery.”
Read more about geckos in our stories on their evolutionary history, behaviour, and unique nomenclature.
Banner image: Günther’s Indian gecko. Image by Vengolis via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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