Thecadactylus solimoensis Southern Turnip-tailed Gecko
Madre Selva Biological Station, Loreto, PeruJanuary 13, 2013
Southern Turnip-tailed Gecko (Thecadactylus solimoensis) Southern Turnip-tailed Gecko (Thecadactylus solimoensis)
These geckos are very simple to identify because they are the only nocturnal arboreal lizards in the region. Also, they're quite large and distinctive-looking. This handsome fellow was an occupant of the Madre Selva bathroom building, though it was detained for a day or so for some some staged photos.

Here is a complete list of the herps I saw in the wild on my 2013 MT Amazon Expeditions trip.

Madre Selva Biological Station, Loreto, PeruJanuary 12, 2014
Southern Turnip-tailed Gecko (Thecadactylus solimoensis)
A year later, a large Thecadactylus solimoensis once again prowls the camp bathrooms at night. Maybe the child of last year's gecko? Definitely not the same one. I also had one of these geckos patrolling the tambo (screened room) that I stayed in.

Here is a complete list of the herps I saw in the wild on my 2014 MT Amazon Expeditions trip.

Madre Selva Biological Station, Loreto, PeruJanuary 12, 2014
Southern Turnip-tailed Gecko (Thecadactylus solimoensis)
Later that evening, I saw my first-ever Thecadactylus solimoensis actually out in the forest. They don't just live on buildings after all!
Madre Selva Biological Station, Loreto, PeruFebruary 4, 2016
Southern Turnip-tailed Gecko (Thecadactylus solimoensis)
We had a resident bathroom gecko again this year, but the one pictured here was on the outside of the building just uphill from the bathroom. However, I'm wondering whether it is the very same individual that I saw two years earlier in the bathroom (see photo above from Jan 12, 2014). The pattern is extremely similar; I don't see any clear differences. The color is warmer in this photo, but that could easily be the very different lighting conditions. The photo from 2014 was taken with flash at night. This photo was taken with natural light in daytime.

My Travelogues and Trip Lists page includes a complete list of the herps I saw in the wild on my 2016 MT Amazon Expeditions trip.

Santa Cruz Forest Reserve, Loreto, PeruFebruary 5, 2016
Southern Turnip-tailed Gecko (Thecadactylus solimoensis)
Another reserve, another building, another Thecadactylus.
Santa Cruz Forest Reserve, Loreto, PeruJanuary 31, 2022
Southern Turnip-tailed Gecko (Thecadactylus solimoensis)
The only *Thecadactylus* of my fourth trip to this area showed up on the second-to-last night, inside the main building, while we were winding down and telling Bushmaster stories.
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