Top 10 Most Beautiful Gecko Species

With a thousand species of geckos which can be found worldwide, geckos are no doubt known for having some of the most vibrant colors and patterns in the animal world. Here in this list, we present the top 10 most beautiful gecko species - most of them that can be even kept as pets, although difficulty may vary depending on the species.
The Top Ten
1 Crested Gecko

What's an interesting fact: they are once considered to be extinct until rediscovered in 1994, now they're considered to be one of the most popular gecko species as pets despite its vulnerability status. This is one of the gecko species that can vary a lot. The crested gecko can appear in diverse colors and have quite a handful of variations and morphs - including tiger, harlequin, bi-color, and lavender, but that's just scratching the surface. Bonus points is that they're easy to care for due to its calm disposition. Just be warned, is that once their tail drops, they can't regenerate back, so treat it with care.

2 William's Dwarf Gecko

Also known as the turquoise dwarf gecko or simply the electric blue lizard, this lizard is among of the most striking of them all thanks to its vibrant blue skin, although it's only seen in fully grown males, the female has a greener or occasionally brownish skin, which can be also seen in younger geckos. Sadly, they're considered critically endangered, as they are heavily sought in the pet trade. The William's Dwarf Gecko can be usually found in the forests of Tanzania and when kept in captivity, they require large amounts of attention.

3 Yellow-Headed Day Gecko

You can tell why there's a reason they're also called neon day geckos. Although pretty small, they're noted for their strikingly vibrant shades of greenish-yellow and blue. These unique geckos can be found in the bamboo forests from the northwestern part of Madagascar. Although endangered, it makes up an absolutely interesting sight.

Neon day gecko definitely has a nice ring to it.

4 Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko

This gecko seems like it can be only seen in the depths of hell, but it can be actually found in Madagascar. Having a brown, yellowish appearance (although may appear in different colors), it takes the appearance similar to dead leaves, as its tail especially takes an appearance of a withering leaf. This makes it extremely useful for camouflaging from predators while hunting insects, and it does really help with its small size. It will gape its bright "devilish" mouth when feeling threatened, let out a satanic scream, and show its deceiving leaf-like tail to trick predators.

5 Chinese Cave Gecko

Here's another unique looking gecko that can be found in Asia - particularly in the forests of China, Japan, and Vietnam. This nocturnal gecko is characterized with a sleek black appearance - accompanied by yellow stripes, and possesses red eyes; it looks quite reminiscent of a dark-type pokemon. Unlike some other gecko species, they tend to be easy to treat due to its calm demeanor and not requiring fancy setups. Combine its striking appearance and its relaxed temperament, it makes it a desirable pet.

6 Psychedelic Rock Gecko

In first impression you might be thinking its name is derived from the music genre "psychedelic rock" itself, but it's actually not related to anything about the genre as it lives in granite rocks. As the image suggests, this gecko has some of the most unique color combinations unlike other species. Also called the Cnemaspis psychedelica, it's characterized with an orange tail, a gray bluish body - with vibrant yellow and black stripes from its throat and neck, and green hues surrounding its eyes. Endemic in Vietnam in the Hon Khoai island, it's considered the rarest species of gecko in Earth - with only 500 existing in the wild, and its prices can soar up to the thousands. This gecko happens to be one of the most recently discovered, so studying it would truly be interesting.

7 Tokay Gecko

Usually accompanied with orange spots it has a striking turquoise color in its skin. It has an aggressive disposition and is capable of delivering a painful bite unlike the rest, which makes it not suitable for beginner keepers. It's also sexually dimorphic, with the female's appearance usually looking bland. The tokay gecko can be found in Southeast Asia, where they're seen as bringers of fortune.

8 Gargoyle Gecko
9 African Fat Tailed Gecko
10 Gold Dust Day Gecko

Whenever the word "lizard" or "gecko" is mentioned, the gold dust day gecko is most likely the first species that you can immediately come up with. Found in the north of Madagascar, they're strikingly green with red specks in its head, with a bright blue hue on its eyes. And thanks to that one advertisement, they're pretty iconic.

The Contenders
11 Leopard Gecko

Slap some leopard spots in a lizard and obviously you get the leopard gecko. While the patterns make it look striking, it's also a popular pet, especially among beginners who are just starting to raise a gecko. Leopard Geckos typically have fat tails. The cost of a leopard gecko usually ranges from as cheap as 30$ (even smaller), to a few hundreds depending on the variation.

12 Namib Sand Gecko

This gecko species totally screams "not like the other geckos". Having webbed feet, it adapts itself well in the desert. Characterized with big eyes, and translucent skin. Its most prominent trait is that it can glow with a vibrantly green hue in the dark. While not the most beautiful, it does stand out for being one of the most unique species. Unlike other gecko species, it tends to be introverted with people when kept as a pet, so playing with it is usually not a good idea.

13 Common House Gecko

You would "commonly" see this gecko in Southeast Asia. While not the most beautiful it does have a use of getting rid of mosquitoes and cockroaches

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