Texas Banded Gecko

The Texas Banded Gecko, Coleonyx brevis, is a species of small gecko native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. They are most commonly found in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico in the United States, and in Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Durango in Mexico. They prefer semi-arid habitats, and are often found around rock piles or canyon crevices.

Texas banded geckos are small, rarely exceeding 4 inches in length. They have alternating bands of yellow and brown or pink colored banding down their body. There is black accenting on the bands with occasional varying degrees of black speckling.

These lizards are primarily nocturnal and carnivorous. They will consume almost any kind of small arthropods. They are capable of vocalizing, and sometimes emit squeaking noises, usually when harassed or handled. One or two large eggs are laid in the late spring during reproduction. The eggs are surprisingly large in comparison to the size of the gecko.

Photo by LA Dawson