Tarentola mauritanica: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the tarentola mauritanica lives – recorded in 8 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Tarentola mauritanica
Group	Lizards, geckos & tuatara
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	8 countries
Continents	Africa, Europe, South America
Class	Reptile
Order	Squamata
Family	Phyllodactylidae

Where does the tarentola mauritanica live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the tarentola mauritanica in 8 countries and territories across Africa, Europe and South America. In Argentina, Portugal it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the tarentola mauritanica endangered?

The tarentola mauritanica’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the tarentola mauritanica?

The tarentola mauritanica (Tarentola mauritanica) is a reptile in the order Squamata and the family Phyllodactylidae, genus Tarentola. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the tarentola mauritanica

Tarentola mauritanica, known as the common wall gecko, is a species of gecko (Gekkota) native to the western Mediterranean area of North Africa and Europe. It has been introduced to Madeira and Balearic Islands, and the Americas (in Montevideo, Buenos Aires and California). A nocturnal animal with a predominantly insectivorous diet, it is commonly observed on walls in urban environments in warm coastal areas; it can be found further inland, especially in Spain where it has a tradition of cohabitation with humans as an insect hunter. A robust species, up to 15 cm (6 inches) long, its tubercules are enlarged and give the species a spiny armoured appearance.

The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It is also known as Moorish gecko, crocodile gecko, European common gecko, and, regionally, as tarantola, osga, salamanquesa, and dragó.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Tarentola mauritanica (revision 1365225633), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q901720 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).