History and origin
The Turkish Gecko was first described by Linnaeus in 1758, the scientific name of this species is Hemidactylus turcicus. Hemidactylus from Greek meaning 'half' and 'finger'. turcicus from Latin meaning 'from Turkey'.

Characteristics
They are characterised by their slim appearance and pinkish colouring which allows for a positive identification from the other two geckos present in France.

Description
=Size=
The eggs measure around 12 x 10 mm. They hatch out measuring around 40 to 50 mm long. They can grow up to 100 mm long. Their tail can be up to 1.5 times the body making a Max. adult size of about 160 mm long.
=Morphology=
They are slender geckos with many tubercles on their back and on their tail. They have flat pads on their fingers, these pads don't extend to the finger tips like other geckos. They have a blunt nose and short limbs. They have a vertical pupil.
=Patterns & colours=
They usually are pinkish brown, sometimes orange like colour with darker spots on the back and a banded tail. The tubercles are usually lighter in colour then the body. Their belly is yellowish.

Geographical range
They are found all over the European Mediterranean coast. And most of the Mediterranean islands, they are only found inland in southern Spain and Greece.

Subspecies
- spinalis - Found on the small island of Addaya near Minorca.
- turcicus - Found everywhere except on Addaya.

Sexual differences
None.

Seasonal variations
None.

Diet
They feed almost exclusively on insects as they are nocturnal.

Defensive habits
They usually run to safety in roof tiles, in vegetation and other. If caught, they may hiss if caught.

Reproduction
Breeding occurs when they wake up from hibernation in spring. After only a few weeks about 1 to 2 eggs are laid under stones, in amongst dead leafs, sometimes even buried or in the crevices of the cliffs. The eggs incubate for around 6 to 12 weeks before hatching. The females lay up to 3 clutches.

Sexual maturity, life span
The average life span for Hemidactylus turcicus is about 5 years. They reach their sexual maturity as early as 6 months after hatching.

Habits
When they occur with the Moorish gecko this species tend to be found lower down on walls. They are active at night but, in cooler parts in the year they sometimes become active at dawn and dusk at this time they can be seen basking them self. They are fast and agile, they are excellent climbers and hard to get close to. They are said to be always on the wall, high up... but they are also found sometimes on the ground.

Habitat
They can be found up to 300 m in altitude. They live on dry stone walls, cliffs, in and around boulders...

Predators
They are eaten by bats, large homoptera, crab and wolf spiders, giant tail scorpions, cats...