House lizards come in a variety of colors, ranging from brown to grey to green. The specific coloring can depend on the species, habitat, camouflage needs, and other factors. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the different colors house lizards can exhibit and what influences their diverse coloration.
Common House Lizard Species and Colors
There are a few common species of house lizards found around homes in warmer climates:
Mediterranean House Gecko – Light brown to tan body with darker spotting/striping. Belly is white or light yellow.
Common House Gecko – Light brown or grey body with variable black or brown mottled spotting/bands. Belly is white.
Indo-Pacific House Gecko – Brownish grey to reddish brown body with faint bands/stripes. Belly is white or pale yellow.
Mourning Gecko – Light grey to pale brown body with small black spots. Belly is white.
Tokay Gecko – Blue-grey to olive green body with red/orange spots. Belly is white or pale yellow.
As you can see, house lizards most commonly exhibit earth tone colors like brown, tan, grey, and green. Markings and patterns can vary more significantly between species. The reason for this seemingly drab coloration is camouflage.
Camouflage and Habitat Influence Color
House lizards have adapted their coloring to allow them to blend into the environments they inhabit. Species that live on tree trunks and rocks tend to be greyish, brown, or green to resemble bark and lichens. Desert species take on tans and browns to blend with sand and rocks. House geckos that live around human homes are often pale brown or grey to match walls, pavement, tiles, and other manmade surfaces.
The ability to camouflage is critical for house lizards to avoid predators and sneak up on prey. By matching their surroundings, they become almost invisible. Some species can even change shades to better blend as the habitat shifts. The tokay gecko is one lizard known for its color changing abilities.
Temperature Regulation Affects Color
In addition to camouflage needs, house lizards may also shift colors due to temperature changes. Many lizards are ectothermic, meaning they rely on external heat to regulate their body temperature. To warm up, they will turn a darker color to absorb more sunlight. To cool down, they will become paler to reflect heat.
You may notice some house geckos become darker and more patterned during the cooler morning hours as they soak up the sun’s warmth. By mid-day when temperatures peak, the geckos are lighter and less contrasted. This ability to adjust color helps lizards maintain optimal body temperatures as conditions change.
Stress and Mood Alter Colors
Lizards can also change shades temporarily based on stress levels or mood. A stressed or anxious lizard may fade to a paler tone. This is likely linked to hormones like cortisol released during tension. An angry or aggressive lizard may darken and display more contrasting patterns as a warning signal to predators or competing lizards. Bright colors are used to stand out instead of blend in.
Sometimes lizards exhibit more vibrant yellows, oranges, greens, or blues when defending a territory or attracting a mate. Again, this color change is driven by hormonal shifts and signals an excited state. Once the mood passes, the lizard generally returns to its normal hues.
Differences Between Males and Females
With some house lizard species, the males and females exhibit slightly different coloration. Males tend to be bolder and brighter, while females are more muted and camouflaged. For example, male mourning geckos are greyish blue with vivid black spots, while the females are light tan with faint spots.
These gender differences relate to the roles each sex play in reproduction. Males are more conspicuous to defend territories and appeal to females. Meanwhile, females are more focused on blending into the environment to hide from predators while guarding eggs or young. Their subtle hues provide better camouflage.
Changes After Shedding Skin
Lizards periodically shed their skin in a process called molting or ecdysis. This allows them to grow as juveniles, escape parasites, and repair any damage to their skin. For a day or two after molting, a lizard may appear brighter or darker than normal.
That’s because new skin can be more vivid until it accumulates scratches, fades in the sun, or gets stained by the environment. Post-molt colors are often the lizard’s true or baseline pigmentation before external factors dull it down.
Albino and Leucistic Mutations
Sometimes, genetic mutations can cause albino or leucistic color variations in house lizards. Albino lizards lack melanin pigment, so they appear white or yellowish with pink eyes. Leucistic lizards have only partial loss of melanin, so they are pale white or patchy with dark eyes.
These rare color morphs stand out sharply against the natural camouflaging hues of most wild lizards. That leaves them vulnerable to predation. But albino and leucistic lizards are sometimes kept as novel pets.
Summary of Key Factors Influencing Color
To summarize, here are the key factors that determine a house lizard’s coloration:
– Species characteristics
– Camouflage against environment
– Thermoregulation needs
– Mood, stress, and aggression signals
– Gender differences
– Time after shedding skin
– Genetic mutations
The interplay between these elements leads to the diverse colors we observe across different house lizard populations. From drab grey to vivid turquoise, lizard coloration serves many important functions for the species’ survival.
Typical House Lizard Color Descriptors
If you need to describe a house lizard’s coloration, here are some common terms used:
– Grey
– Brown
– Tan
– Beige
– Olive
– Green
– Blueish
– Turquoise
– Bronze
– Rust
– Black
– White
– Yellow
– Orange
And patterns may include:
– Spots
– Speckles
– Bands
– Stripes
– Blotches
– Diamonds
– Bars
– Reticulation (net-like)
– Mottled (irregular blotches)
Conclusion
House lizards exhibit diverse colors ranging through greys, browns, greens, and more. Their specific coloring is driven by species characteristics, camouflage needs, temperature regulation, mood signals, sexual differences, molting, and genetic mutations. Lizards dynamically change their colors as needed to blend into the environment, communicate, maintain optimal body temperature, and reproduce. So a single lizard may shift through many hues and patterns over its lifetime. When describing house lizard colors, common terms include grey, brown, green, tan, and turquoise with variable spots, speckles, stripes, and blotches.
