Why do geckos, such as the crested gecko below, lick their eyeballs? The easy answer is: because they can. (We humans would lick a whole lot more than just our lips if our tongues were longer. I shudder to think what my toddler son would do with his.)
An equally easy answer is it's because some species of gecko (again, like the crested gecko) don't have eyelids. Therefore, they use their tongues and saliva to keep their eyes moist and clean. Probably the gecko equivalent of a seductive eye wink would be a seductive eyeball licking. Tongues can be just as expressive as eyelids, so it probably works out for them. Though, if you're a thirsty gecko, it's got to suck when you, out of habit, lick your eyeball with your dry tongue. Stay hydrated, my reptilian friends.
Photos 1 & 2 courtesy Erin
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5 comments:
you mean...geckos don't have eyeLIDS.
I think you mean "don't have eyelids" instead of "don't have eyeballs". I'm just sayin'
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Bruce T.
Hmmm, I wonder if Geico knows this. They have their Gecko blinking all the time! Can't blink if you don't have eyelids. Damn TV and them ruining the reality of things. Haha!
Thanks for sharing. =D
Not all geckos have no eyelids, the Geico gecko is a Day Gecko which do have eyelids. (eyes are smaller also they make bad pets, flighty and like to bite)
Interesting they did have a Leopard gecko on a commercial where they added CG tongue on a leopard gecko so that it could be seen licking its eye (that species also has eyelids)
My leopard gecko, Rufio, licks his eyes to removed the skin he is trying to shed
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