Reptiles

[kipannette]

Aloha Carey. I don't understand, "AND have stops on the metal roof... ". Are you referring to snow stops?

[Htrmom]

And you know what's really crazy? I grew up in Tucson, Az. My brother and I played in the desert all the time.

[ericlp]

I actually had a Gecko in my bed the small hawaiian ones. I'd hate to be moving to hawaii with a lizard phobia. I think my neighbor might have the same thing. I once went to Oahu for 2 weeks and when I came back there were a lot of the bigger chameleons inside they like to jump... It's funny to hear my neighbor scream. Dunno I'm in lower beaches and have tons of lizards. Lately the gold dust gecko's have been really interested in my laser jet printer... Maybe they think the paper tray is a good place to lay eggs and I try to discourage them I always see one or two climbing down to check it out. Now that I'm not here at the house full time I think they think they are welcome in our house. Hmmm...

I think once you see the centipedes and or get bitten by fire ants you'll change your mind real quick about having a lizard around.

[missydog1]

Had to smile at that, eric, so true. Pick your battles and save Ôem for the real baddies.

Which ones are the gold dust ones?

I have these little ones that are dark and kind of two tone or spotted, smaller than the putty colored ones ... are those the ones?

What you said about the printer reminds me, one of these little ones has decided to colonize my drip coffee maker. Somehow it gets in the water reservoit and comes running out when I lift the lid to pour the water in. ItÔs annoying because who wants lizard poop in the coffee water? (The same people who drink the cat-digested coffee beans maybe ...)

hmm, maybe the coffee is more gourmet with the earthy essence of gecko in it. [:p]

[Carey]

Gold dust are the fat bright green geckos with yellow gold spots on the lower back/tail area

Anoles are the lizards with the little spine ridge, pointy beak & the males like to do a territorial neck pouch thing

Jackson chameleons are darker with a hump back, crazy eyes, curly tail

And the roof stops we have are ventilated closure-like strips made from hardware cloth

[Kelena]

Least of your worries. Agree with the above--- Centipedes. Centipedes. Centipedes. They will make you want to hug a gecko (very gently -- they are easy to smash). Something about the way centipedes look just goes right down to DNA level and raises hackles. You are fortunate if you see them if they are present. Better seen than felt. Geckos on the other hand are considered good luck and well liked enough they are used to sell insurance. Inexplicably, they do that with an English accent.

And there is that matter of the lava slowly burning its way through the forest in our general direction or that special chill you get when the tsunami siren goes off and you are close to the ocean. Or that smell of BBQ, when no one is BBQ'ing. Or when you ignore the flash flood warnings, because there never is any flash flood and because you just GOTTA go to Hilo, only to get caught in a flash flood, with cars stalled and logs floating in front of your car.

Other frightening things include drag queens with chainsaws, anyone hanging around in front of the former Cash & Carry (they still miss it!), anyone claiming to be able to assist with audio at Kalani, your doctor, certain drifty, lazy-tongued cashiers at the "health food stores", the preternaturally calm local guys on NPR who sound like they just smoked some of Puna's finest and they are doing the broadcast in one long exhalation, and the general feeling that maybe you DID take too much acid in the sixties and that you are now permanently living in an in an album cover from that era.

More frightening than all of this, though, is the thought of being transported back to a less stimulating place. Normality, and the people who live in it, will all come to seem a little odd.

[gogould]

Kelena, what you just wrote is the best piece of writing I have seen in many a day. Thank you for cheering me up.

[missydog1]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Carey

Gold dust are the fat bright green geckos with yellow gold spots on the lower back/tail area

Anoles are the lizards with the little spine ridge, pointy beak & the males like to do a territorial neck pouch thing

---

Thanks Carey. I know the anoles. So what are the little brown two-tone ones (the one in my coffeemaker), that are neither bright green nor the beige color? They have striped tails They donÔt get as big as the regular house geckos.

[bananahead]

(Kathy... the smaller striped one is a Mourning Gecko)



No land reptiles are native to Hawaii...

In the state we have 8 different geckos.... the *Mourning Gecko, Stump-Toed Gecko, Tree Gecko, Indo-Pacific Gecko, *House Gecko, Orange Spotted Day Gecko (P.g.guimbeaui), *Gold Dust Day Gecko (P.l.laticauda), and Tokay Gecko
(*in Puna)

in state we have 5 different skinks *Metallic Skink, Snake-Eyed Skink, *Moth Skink, Copper-Tailed Skink, and Azure-Tailed Skink
(*in Puna)

besides the nocturnal House Gecko and Mourning Geckos... the most common lizards in Puna are the Metallic Skink (1st recorded in 1909), then the Carolina Green Anole (it has been in HI since 1955 via pet trade), then the P.l.laticauda 'Gold Dust Day Gecko' (been in HI since June1974 via UH Manoa Campus release of 8 individuals).... the Jackson Chameleons have been here for at least 20 years on the BI (getting very common in Puna now too) and 30+ years in HI overall (most common in Windward Oahu)

Oahu has the most different types of reptiles, including Green Iguanas... and the beautiful exotic Orange Spotted Day Gecko and Tokay Gecko

PS FYI... We also have 1 land snake in Puna, the Brahminy Blind Snake (aka 'Flowerpot Snake'), they are very common in Puna especially in HPP and Orchidland, but most dont know they have them in their yards, I catch about 6-10 /year doing occasional yard work down there at my moms and her neighbours place...

aloha

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save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha

[Guest]

I love the geckos here ! (So Flo) but we have these curly tailed lizards that run around that arent native here and they have eaten most of the nice and kind lizards.

I am freaked about the centipedes though. Look like mean buggahs !!