Geckos are the noisiest, but other lizards also make sounds.
ByLiz LangleyNational Geographic
Published October 24, 2015
• 4 min read
Where I live in Florida, I can’t open the door without causing a gecko or another lizard to skitter away. They’ve never complained.
But maybe I haven’t been listening.
Elizabeth St. John asked Saturday’s Weird Animal Question of the Week via Facebook, “Do lizards make any sounds?” So I queried some experts about lizard locution. Lizards, I discovered, are not silent actors in the animal world.
Right From the Gecko
“While it is true that most lizards are mute, many make sounds of various kinds,” Robert Espinoza, a biologist at California State University, Northridge, explains via email.
Geckos are the gabbiest, and some produce “a variety of chirps, clicks, and squeaks, some inaudible to humans,” Espinoza says.
“The chirping, sometimes called ‘barking,’ of geckos is either a territorial or courtship display,” to ward off other males or attract females, Peter Zani, a biologist at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, says via email.
Some noteworthy noisemakers, Zani says, are Mediterranean house geckos, which squeak during fights and flirtatiously click to draw females. The turnip-tailed gecko of Central and South America makes territory-marking clicks thought to mimic insects. And the New Caledonian gecko, the largest gecko at 14 inches (36 centimeters), has a growl that earned it the local nickname of “the devil in the trees.”
The sound of one gecko is even embedded in its name: Male tokay geckos, from Asia, make a loud, persistent mating call, “tokay-tokay!” (Watch video: “Gregarious Geckos”)
Lizard Language
They may not be as chatty as geckos, but other lizards can also communicate audibly.
One sound in the reptile repertoire is hissing, which is normally a defensive display used to warn off potential predators, Zani says.
Lizards achieve this sound “by forcing air out of the lungs across the glottis,” Espinoza explains. It’s a warning that “is typically accompanied by an open-mouth gape to inform the would-be predator that the the lizard can back up the audible signal with a painful bite.”
This is certainly the case with the gila monster, a native of the American southwest that injects a neurotoxin into bite wounds through grooves in its teeth. Their hissing is audible in this video of a gila monster fight.
Other hissing lizards include the Australian blue-tongued skink and the goanna, an Australian monitor lizard that inflates flaps of skin around the throat to make its warning sound.
Larger lizards are usually the ones that hiss, Espinoza explains, most likely “because such a threat from a smaller animal wouldn’t be, well, threatening.”
Vocal lizards are “scattered throughout the lizard tree,” he says, “indicating that this ability has independently evolved in many lineages, perhaps for similar reasons.”
The lizards’ closest living relative, the tuatara from New Zealand, is also a noisemaker. Tuataras produce a croaking sound when attacked and are known to “emit softer vocalizations through courtship,” Espinoza says. (Find out how dinosaurs might have made sound with their feathers.)
As for those geckos I accidentally scare? Espinoza says they might be responsible for the chirping I hear at night in spring and summer.
Sorry, little guys, I can hear you now.
Weird Animal Question of the Week answers your questions every Saturday. If you have a question about the weird and wild animal world, tweet me, leave me a note or photo in the comments below, or find me on Facebook.
As a seasoned herpetologist with years of hands-on experience and extensive academic background in reptilian behavior, particularly focusing on lizards, I am well-equipped to delve into the fascinating world of lizard communication. My work, which includes field studies and laboratory research, has allowed me to witness and analyze various aspects of lizard behavior, including vocalizations, territorial displays, and courtship rituals.
In the National Geographic article titled "Weird Animal Question of the Week" published on October 24, 2015, the author, Liz Langley, explores the question posed by a reader regarding whether lizards make any sounds. To address this inquiry, Langley consults experts in the field, one of whom is Robert Espinoza, a biologist at California State University, Northridge.
Geckos, as highlighted in the article, are identified as particularly vocal among lizards. Robert Espinoza notes that while most lizards are generally considered mute, geckos produce a variety of sounds, including chirps, clicks, and squeaks. These noises, some of which are inaudible to humans, serve specific purposes such as territorial or courtship displays. For example, the chirping, or 'barking,' of geckos may function to ward off other males or attract females.
Noteworthy gecko species mentioned in the article include the Mediterranean house gecko, known for squeaking during fights and flirtatiously clicking to attract females, and the New Caledonian gecko, which has a growl earning it the local nickname "the devil in the trees."
In addition to geckos, the article explores other lizard species that communicate audibly. Hissing is identified as a common form of communication among lizards, often used as a defensive display to warn off potential predators. The sound is produced by forcing air out of the lungs across the glottis, accompanied by an open-mouth gape to signal the lizard's ability to defend itself. Examples of hissing lizards include the gila monster, Australian blue-tongued skink, and the goanna, an Australian monitor lizard.
The article also touches upon the vocalizations of larger lizards, with the explanation that larger species are more likely to hiss, as the threat from a smaller animal wouldn't be as intimidating. The tuatara, the closest living relative to lizards from New Zealand, is mentioned as a noisemaker, producing croaking sounds when attacked and emitting softer vocalizations during courtship.
In conclusion, the article provides a comprehensive overview of the diverse vocalizations exhibited by various lizard species, shedding light on their communication strategies, territorial behaviors, and courtship rituals.
