VERY INTERESTING NUMBER 30: GECKOS

 Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about

Other than their adhesive feet and lasting fame from a series of car insurance commercials, you probably don't know a whole lot about geckos. And yet this category of more than 1,100 species of lizard is filled with fascinating surprises. Delve into the world of the geckos and learn how they stick to ceilings, fly through trees, change color, and even call to each other with "barks."

1. Geckos' Amazing Toes Help Them Stick to Any Surface Except Teflon

The specialized toe pads of geckos allow them to run along the slick surfaces.

One of their most famous talents is their ability to scurry along slick surfaces — even glass windows or across ceilings. The only surface that geckos can't stick to is Teflon. Well, dry Teflon. Add water, however, and geckos can stick even to this seemingly impossible surface! They do this through specialized toe pads.

Contrary to popular belief, geckos don’t have “sticky” toes, as if covered with glue. They cling with incredible ease thanks to nanoscale hairs, known as setae, that line every toe in huge numbers. Taken together, the 6.5 million setae on a single gecko can reportedly generate enough force to support the weight of two humans.

This fantastic adaptation of geckos has inspired scientists to look for ways to mimic this cling-ability, improving everything from medical bandages to self-cleaning tires.

2. Geckos' Eyes Are 350 Times More Sensitive to Light Than Human Eyes

Geckos have incredible eyes adapted for night time hunting.

Most geckos species are nocturnal, and they are particularly well-adapted to hunting in the dark.

According to a 2009 study of the helmet gecko, “Tarentola chazaliae, discriminates colors in dim moonlight when humans are color blind. The sensitivity of the helmet gecko eye has been calculated to be 350 times higher than human cone vision at the color vision threshold. The optics and the large cones of the gecko are important reasons why they can use color vision at low light intensities.”

While we would hardly be able to make out color at all in dim moonlight, geckos can go about their business in what is, to them, still a colorful world.

3. Geckos Are Able to Produce Various Sounds for Communication, Including Barks, Chirps, and Clicks

Geckos have a powerful bite and a big appetite!

Unlike most lizards, geckos are able to vocalize. They make clicks, chirps,barks, and other sounds to communicate with fellow geckos.

The purpose of the sounds could be to warn away competitors from a territory, to avoid direct fighting, or to attract mates, depending on the species and situation. But if you ever hear an odd chirping in your house at night, you might just have a gecko as a guest.

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking.