Yes. A gecko is a lizard. Geckos are one branch of the lizard family tree, not a separate kind of reptile, and they are the branch that broke the most rules along the way.
Quick answer
- Geckos sit in the infraorder Gekkota, inside the lizards, inside the order Squamata alongside snakes.
- There are more than 1,500 gecko species, which makes them one of the largest lizard groups on earth.
- Most geckos have no eyelids and clean the eye with the tongue. Most other lizards blink.
- Most geckos are nocturnal. Most other lizards are not.
- Geckos vocalise. Almost no other lizards do.
Where geckos actually sit
Order Squamata contains the scaled reptiles: lizards, snakes and amphisbaenians. Within the lizards, geckos form the infraorder Gekkota. So “is a gecko a lizard” is the same shape of question as “is a terrier a dog” — the specific thing is a member of the general thing, not an alternative to it.
Gekkota also contains the pygopods, a family of legless Australian lizards that look convincingly like snakes and are, taxonomically, geckos that lost their limbs. That is a useful reminder that appearance is a poor guide to relationship.
What makes a gecko different from a typical lizard
| Trait | Most geckos | Most other lizards |
|---|---|---|
| Eyelids | Absent, replaced by a fixed transparent scale cleaned with the tongue | Present and functional |
| Activity | Largely nocturnal or crepuscular | Largely diurnal |
| Voice | Chirps, barks and clicks used for territory and courtship | Effectively silent |
| Toe pads | Adhesive lamellae in many families | Claws only |
| Clutch size | Usually two eggs | Highly variable, often many |
| Tail loss | Readily dropped and regrown | Common but less pronounced |
The toe pads are not suction
A climbing gecko’s toes are covered in rows of lamellae, and each lamella carries millions of hair-like setae that split into finer tips still. Contact at that scale generates van der Waals attraction — the same weak intermolecular force that exists between any two surfaces, made useful by multiplying the contact area enormously. There is no glue, no suction and no wet adhesion involved, which is why a gecko sticks to clean dry glass and struggles on dust.
It also explains why the grip is directional. The gecko peels its toes off by curling them, which is why it can hang from a ceiling and still move quickly. We go into it in do gargoyle geckos have sticky feet.
The geckos that break the gecko rules
Leopard geckos and African fat-tailed geckos belong to the family Eublepharidae, and they have working eyelids and no adhesive toe pads at all. They are terrestrial, they climb poorly and they blink. They are still geckos. If you have ever wondered why a leopard gecko cannot walk up the side of its tank while a crested gecko can, that is the reason — see where does the leopard gecko live.
Does the distinction matter in practice?
It matters for husbandry, which is the only place it should. Knowing an animal is a gecko tells you to think about vertical space, night activity, humidity cycling and whether it can grip smooth surfaces. Knowing it is a diurnal gecko — day geckos, for example — flips the lighting question completely, because those species do want UVB while most nocturnal geckos are usually kept without it.
That is why our catalogue is organised by what the animal needs rather than by what it looks like. Crested geckos are arboreal, nocturnal and kept cool. Day geckos are arboreal, diurnal and want light. Knob-tailed geckos are terrestrial and arid. All three are geckos, and no two of them share an enclosure design. The full range is in geckos for sale, and the broader group in lizards.
For the feeding side of the question across lizards generally, see what do lizards eat, and for one of the odder shared behaviours, why do lizards do push ups.
Common questions
Is a gecko a reptile or an amphibian?
A reptile. Geckos have scaled, water-resistant skin, lay shelled eggs on land and never pass through an aquatic larval stage.
How many species of gecko are there?
More than 1,500 described species, spread across several families, which makes Gekkota one of the largest groups within the lizards.
Why do geckos lick their eyes?
Most geckos have no eyelids. A fixed transparent scale covers the eye instead, and the tongue is the only way to clean it.
Are all geckos able to climb glass?
No. Only the families with adhesive lamellae can. Leopard geckos and fat-tailed geckos have clawed toes with no pads and are ground animals.
Is a gecko a lizard or a salamander?
A lizard. Salamanders are amphibians with moist permeable skin and no scales, and the resemblance is superficial convergence rather than relationship.