Tokay Gecko

Q: What are the chances of seeing a Tokay Gecko in Phnom Penh?

Likely. About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Tokay Gecko sighting in Phnom Penh on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

Q: When is the best time to see a Tokay Gecko in Phnom Penh?

July and August. In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Tokay Gecko in Phnom Penh on a given day, against under 5% in March, the lowest month. Those are among Phnom Penh's wettest months, with about 170 mm of rain a month against 10 mm in February.

Q: What time of day is best to see a Tokay Gecko?

Between 7 and 10 pm. Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tokay Gecko sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.

Q: Is Phnom Penh the best place to see a Tokay Gecko?

11th of 19. Of the 19 cities where we can rate Tokay Gecko sightings, Phnom Penh ranks 11th at about 40%. The best odds are in Makassar (Indonesia, about 80%), Tasikmalaya (Indonesia, about 80%) and Denpasar (Indonesia, about 80%).

Q: Where does the Tokay Gecko sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records. It is estimated from how often the Tokay Gecko is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Phnom Penh (8 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

Gekko gecko

Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassSquamata
FamilyGekkonidae (Typical Geckos)
GenusGekko (Calling Geckos)
SpeciesGekko gecko (Tokay Gecko)

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

at Phnom Penh

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

8 Verified sightings at Phnom Penh

586 In all 10 parks From 2019 to 2026

August Best month

☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

Challenge Geckos of Southeast Asian Cities Southeast AsiaEasy

About the Tokay Gecko

The tokay gecko (Gekko gecko) is a nocturnal arboreal gecko in the genus Gekko, the true geckos. It is native to Asia and some Pacific Islands. The word "tokay" is an onomatopoeia of the sound made by males of this species. The common and scientific names, as well as the family name Gekkonidae and the generic term "gecko" come from this species, too, from gekok [ɡekoʔ] in Java Malay, corresponding to tokek [tokeʔ] in Batavian Malay and to tĕkek [təkeʔ] and gokek [ɡokeʔ] in Peninsular Malay.

This species is found in northeast India, Bhutan, Nepal, and Bangladesh; throughout Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia; and toward western New Guinea. Its native habitat is rainforests, where it lives on trees and cliffs, and it frequently adapts to rural human habitations, roaming walls and ceilings at night in search of insect prey. This is an introduced species in some areas... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Recording0:19

Thailand · 2023

Recording0:11

Philippines · 2021

Recording0:09

Philippines · 2020

Global Distribution

Where it is recorded most Known range (GARD, Roll et al. 2017 & Caetano et al. 2022)Our parks where it lives Our cities where it livesIn captivity: 39 zoos & centres

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Cat Tien National Park	🇻🇳 Vietnam	~60%
2	Kaziranga National Park	🇮🇳 India	~50%
3	Kaeng Krachan National Park	🇹🇭 Thailand	~50%
4	Bali Barat National Park	🇮🇩 Indonesia	~40%
5	Khao Sok National Park	🇹🇭 Thailand	~40%
6	Komodo National Park	🇮🇩 Indonesia	~40%
7	Khao Yai National Park	🇹🇭 Thailand	~30%
8	Everglades National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
9	Kinabalu Park	🇲🇾 Malaysia	~10%
10	Doi Inthanon National Park	🇹🇭 Thailand	~10%

Cities Where Found

#	City	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Makassar	🇮🇩 Indonesia	~80%
2	Tasikmalaya	🇮🇩 Indonesia	~80%
3	Denpasar	🇮🇩 Indonesia	~80%
4	Yogyakarta	🇮🇩 Indonesia	~70%
5	Semarang	🇮🇩 Indonesia	~50%
6	Jakarta	🇮🇩 Indonesia	~50%
7	Cebu City	🇵🇭 Philippines	~50%
8	Surakarta	🇮🇩 Indonesia	~40%
9	Malang	🇮🇩 Indonesia	~40%
10	Bandar Lampung	🇮🇩 Indonesia	~40%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

#	Zoo / Centre	Country
1	Prague Zoo	🇨🇿 Czechia	In captivity
2	National Zoological Park	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
3	Tierpark Berlin	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
4	Zoo Pilsen	🇨🇿 Czechia	In captivity
5	Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden	🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China	In captivity
6	Cheyenne Mountain Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
7	Yaroslavl Zoo	🇷🇺 Russia	In captivity
8	Guadalajara Zoo	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
9	Zoo La Barben	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
10	Night Safari	🇸🇬 Singapore	In captivity
11	National Zoo of Malaysia	🇲🇾 Malaysia	In captivity
12	Parc de l'Auxois	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
13	Singapore Zoo	🇸🇬 Singapore	In captivity
14	Virginia Zoological Park	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
15	Zoo Aquarium de Madrid	🇪🇸 Spain	In captivity
16	Perth Zoo	🇦🇺 Australia	In captivity
17	Chapultepec Zoo	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
18	Kharkiv Zoo	🇺🇦 Ukraine	In captivity
19	African Village	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	In captivity
20	Northumberland Zoo	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	In captivity
21	Reserva Zoológica Oasys MiniHollywood	🇪🇸 Spain	In captivity
22	Kazan Zoo & Botanical Garden	🇷🇺 Russia	In captivity
23	River Wonders	🇸🇬 Singapore	In captivity
24	Safari Masai Mara	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
25	Sacramento Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
26	St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
27	Texas Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
28	Vancouver Aquarium	🇨🇦 Canada	In captivity
29	A.Y. Reyes Zoological and Botanical Garden	🇵🇭 Philippines	In captivity
30	Zoo Samara	🇷🇺 Russia	In captivity
31	OdySea Aquarium	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
32	Kharkiv Dolphinarium	🇺🇦 Ukraine	In captivity
33	Bird Kingdom	🇨🇦 Canada	In captivity
34	Acuario Inbursa	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
35	Rákosův pavilon	🇨🇿 Czechia	In captivity
36	Reptiland	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
37	Velemlokárium	🇨🇿 Czechia	In captivity
38	Reptielenzoo Iguana	🇳🇱 Netherlands	In captivity
39	Tropicarium Park	🇮🇹 Italy	In captivity

Show all 39 Show fewer

Closest Relatives at Phnom Penh

Hemidactylus platyurus

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Eutropis multifasciata

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Trachemys scripta

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Tokay Gecko in Phnom Penh?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Tokay Gecko sighting in Phnom Penh on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Tokay Gecko in Phnom Penh?

July and August

In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Tokay Gecko in Phnom Penh on a given day, against under 5% in March, the lowest month. Those are among Phnom Penh's wettest months, with about 170 mm of rain a month against 10 mm in February.

What time of day is best to see a Tokay Gecko?

Between 7 and 10 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tokay Gecko sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.

Is Phnom Penh the best place to see a Tokay Gecko?

11th of 19

Of the 19 cities where we can rate Tokay Gecko sightings, Phnom Penh ranks 11th at about 40%. The best odds are in Makassar (Indonesia, about 80%), Tasikmalaya (Indonesia, about 80%) and Denpasar (Indonesia, about 80%).

Where does the Tokay Gecko sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Tokay Gecko is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Phnom Penh (8 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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