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We're going to go looking for Tokay geckos. We're within the native range of my favorite gecko species on the planet. And these guys have a crazy bite. So, tonight we're going to make the Bali Tokay gecko bite test. But first, we've got to catch one. One of the geckos is over there on that bungalow. We don't want to disturb it yet. I'm probably going to have two, maybe three chances at this. We've got to make some magic. You know, all of these rafters have these overhangs and the geckos hide in them during the day. When the bungalow lights are on, bugs are drawn in and then the geckos eat those bugs.
Although when it comes to being a Tokay gecko, they'll eat almost anything that comes in front of their face. Down here, there is a little bathroom bungalow and there is a big gecko. I see him. He's right up by the light. He's in perfect position. Let's just sneak up. I should have enough light to be able to not spook him. Oh, this one would be amazing to catch. All right. I'm going to try to get this on the backside of him so that he runs down.
Yep, he was straight up into there. Um okay, let's go check up on this brick wall over here. The Tokay gecko is kind of like the Tyrannosaurus Rex of geckos. They have a very powerful and very painful bite. So, if we catch one, yes, there will be blood. There's a little gecko right there. A little baby Tokay. That is a baby Tokay gecko. Look at him. Look at him just trying to chomp me. And even the tiny ones are incredibly aggressive. I can't feel that at all, but look at that. He's locked on. How about that? Good spotting, Mario. He's so cute.
What? Got a huge one. Which side was he on, Max? I see him. Okay, he's still there. I don't think he has anywhere to go. I think I can tickle him out of there. You don't have your little hook on you, do you? Here, use this one. So, the gecko is right there. See how he's wedged right in that spot?
Oh, wow. Oh! He was right. We got one. Tickled him right out of there. He's got a weird-looking eye on this side. He might be blind in one eye, which might have given us a slight advantage for being able to catch him. Okay, I'm going to bag him. And we're going to get him into good light. Good spotting, Max. That's as good as it's going to get right there. Look how robust that lizard is. Holy mackerel. We're going to test out just how powerful the bite of this lizard is. Okay. Gecko secured. Now, before we continue with this feisty gecko, I want to take a second to
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with more than 6,000 charge cycles designed to deliver reliable performance for years to come. If you'd like to check out one for yourself, click the link in the description below and use our promo code to get yours today. Now, let's find out if that gecko really wants to bite me. Inside that bag is going to be one very bitey tokay gecko. This is actually kind of a little risky. Getting the gecko back out of the bag. Okay, got it. Got you. Come on out of there, big boy. Unquestionably the largest tokay gecko I've ever caught. And actually, only other couple tokay geckos that I've caught were in 2018 in Florida,
where tokay geckos have established a stronghold as an invasive species. Yeah. And that's hugely problematic because these geckos are voracious predators. They will eat pretty much anything they come across, including other small reptiles like lizards, skinks. They will take baby rodents. They will take baby birds. They've even been known to eat small snakes. So, when you have an invader like this, it becomes very problematic for the ecosystem. I can tell that this is a very healthy gecko because look at the size of its tail. It is very chubby and
robust. Filled with fat and nutrients in the event that this gecko finds itself in a time of famine, it can survive off that tail nutrients for a considerable amount of time. And that red and blue coloration is so distinct about this gecko species specifically. I called it a T. rex, but it's probably more accurate to call it a bulldog because these geckos are known for biting and not letting go. This is probably going to hurt. So, here we go. I'm Coyote Peterson and I'm about to enter the bite zone with a T. rex-sized Tokay Gecko. Here we go. One.
Boy, you haven't even closed your mouth the entire time, have you? Two. [clears throat] Three. Oh my god. [groaning] Oh my gosh, that is so much pressure. So much Oh my god, that is You cannot fathom how powerful the jaws of a lizard this size are. The crushing ability [panting] The crushing ability can break through pretty much exoskeleton of any bug it would come across and would easily be able to destroy the skull of another gecko or reptile even bigger than itself. Wow, that really hurts. Now, it's not venomous, so I'm not experiencing that, but the teeth are
definitely digging into my finger. And every time it chomps down a little bit harder, it just Oh, it gets any easier. And this is why they don't make good pets. Like a bulldog, this lizard is locked onto my finger. Probably the only way I'm going to get it off cuz if I try to pull Oh, yeah. It's biting on harder. It's not going to move. I'm going to have to set it down so that it wants to let go so that it feels like it's free. Oh, gosh. Every time he does that, it really, really hurts. Okay. Um do you guys want to get the thumbnail real quick while it's latched onto me? That probably would be a good idea.
He's just bulldogged on altogether. That is a tokay gecko hanging from my finger. I don't want to him let go and get away cuz we need to put him right back where we caught him. So, I told you guys this is what was going to happen. Bite, hold on, and not let go. Um See why you don't want one of these as a pet? Imagine you in fourth grade with a lizard of this size hanging from your tiny finger. Screaming, probably crying, and wondering how are you ever going to get this thing off. And every time it feels like it wants to chomp down a little tighter, I go "Ow." like that because its teeth are digging in deeper. All
right. So, we've got a new tactic on how to get the gecko off of my finger. We're going to just walk it right back over to where I caught it. Now, if he lets go on the way, I will not complain. Well, I got exactly what I asked for. Ow. Biting me again. You guys all good? Well, we started off this episode with me saying I want to test out the bite of the tokay gecko in its native range here in Bali. Now, I'm going to let it go back on the pole and see if on its own, now that it knows it's at home, it will let go. Either that, and I'm going to be standing here for a really long time. I'm Coyote Peterson, be brave, stay wild, and we'll see on the next adventure. Anytime now.
Ah! There he goes! Yes! Ah! Look at my finger! He chomped the heck out of me. Oh my gosh. Well, I'm very glad that he let go when we brought him right back over here. So, he is up in his rafter and he will continue his night of hunting, although he has had a meal of coyote blood. I have to put some antiseptic on this one. That's a crazy little bite right there. It's okay, gecko. That lizard means business.
