Western Banded Gecko
Coleonyx variegatus

Body length: 2 - 3" photograph of western banded gecko

Diet: Arthropods such as insects and spiders

With their colorful banded pattern and deliberate movements, western banded geckos are sometimes confused with young Gila monsters. However, geckos are much smaller, more delicate, and not venomous.

Like a number of other lizards, geckos readily lose their tail to predators. This detached tail continues to wriggle long after the rest of the lizard has made its escape, thus confusing the predator. Though they may be active underground during the day, western banded geckos and desert night lizards are the only truly nocturnal lizards at the Monument. Look for them throughout Tonto Basin on warm summer nights.

Western Banded Gecko Coleonyx variegatus

Western Banded Gecko
Coleonyx variegatus