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Tokay gecko vision: the science and the numbers

Gekko gecko · Reptiles: all the numbers

Tokay geckos have 3 colour receptor classes (364, 467 and 521 nm), one of them in the ultraviolet.[1][2] Tokay geckos stop seeing flicker at 20.5 Hz, against 60 Hz for people.[28][29]

See it on your photoBack to How do tokay geckos see?
  • 3colour receptor classesMeasured*
  • 20.5hertz flicker fusion (motion)Measured

The tokay gecko (Gekko gecko) is a reptile. Its eyes belong to the vision type Colour or navigation at night: light-hungry eyes that keep colour vision or navigation working at night. Measured in this species: colour, night vision and motion (flicker fusion). Measured core: measured values on at least 3 of the 6 dials.

This is a simulation built from published eye measurements, not what the animal experiences.

Method: How we know what animals see (the See Like Animals vision engine) · Sources · Last updated . Every value below carries its evidence level and sources; nothing is typed by hand.

What tokay geckos see: colour receptors

Tokay gecko colour receptor peaks, 300 to 700 nmTokay gecko: 3 receptor peaks at 364, 467, 521 nm; you: 3 at 421.5, 532, 558.4 nm. ultraviolet300400500600700
Tokay gecko: 364, 467, 521 nmPeople: 421.5, 532, 558.4 nmWavelength in nanometres

What stands out

  • It has three colour receptor classes, like most people, but one of them sees ultraviolet.
  • It stops seeing flicker at 20.5 Hz, against 60 Hz for people in this dataset, so fast motion looks choppier to it.[28][30]
  • Activity pattern: nocturnal.

The six dials

Evidence levels: how the tiers work. "Measured" means a value measured in this species; "Estimated" values come from a close relative or an eye-size formula. The last column gives the values for people from the same catalogue.

Vision values for the tokay gecko (Gekko gecko), catalogue-v1
DialValueEvidenceSourcesPeople
ColourColour receptors
3 receptor classes: 364 nm (UVS), 467 nm (SWS (blue)), 521 nm (MWS (green))
measured in this species
Measured (not re-verified)[1][2]Colour receptors: 3 receptor classes: 421.5 nm (VS/SWS (violet)), 532 nm (MWS (green)), 558.4 nm (LWS (long)) Measured (not re-verified)[1][3][4][5]
Ultraviolet
yes: at least one receptor peaks in the ultraviolet		Measured (not re-verified)
SharpnessNo value in the catalogue.Acuity: 63.75 cycles per degree Measured[6][7]
Field of viewNo value in the catalogue.Binocular overlap: 122.5° Measured[8][9]
Total field of view: 200° Measured (not re-verified)[10]
Blind area behind the head: 160° Derived[10]
Eye placement: frontal Derived[8][9]
Sharp zones (foveas)Number of foveas
2
mode of species-v1 relatives in class Squamata: Anolis carolinensis, Furcifer pardalis
Group default[11][12]Number of foveas: 1 Measured[13]
Fovea type: fovea Measured[13]
Fovea type
central fovea, temporal		Group default[11][12]
Night visionActivity pattern
nocturnal
mode of 7 rows (of 7 rows): Nocturnal; nocturnal
Measured (not re-verified)[14][15][16][1][17][18][19]Activity pattern: diurnal Measured (not re-verified)[20][21][22][1][23][24][25][19]
Pupil shape: vertical Group default[15][26]
Reflective layer (tapetum): no Measured[27]
Rods vs cones: cone-dominated Derived[20][21][22][1][23][24][25][19]
Pupil shape
vertical		Measured[15]
Rods vs cones
rod-dominated
nocturnal -> rod-dominated; crepuscular / cathemeral / mixed -> mixed; diurnal -> cone-dominated
Derived[14][15][16][1][17][18][19]
Motion (flicker fusion)Flicker fusion frequency
20.5 Hz
median of 2 rows (no bright-light flag) (behavioural/whole-eye ERG rows; all rows: [20.0, 21.0])
Measured[28][29]Flicker fusion frequency: 60 Hz Measured[28][30]

All reptiles side by side: Reptiles: every measurement. Method: how we know what animals see.

Sources

  1. Longcore 2023
  2. VPOD in-vivo (MSP / single-cell) lambda… 2025
  3. Kirwan
  4. Müller et al. 2009
  5. Thermal Activation and Photoactivation of Visual… 2004
  6. Kirk et al. 2004
  7. Veilleux et al. 2014
  8. Heesy 2004
  9. Heffner et al. 1992
  10. Campbell & Green 1965
  11. Fleishman et al. 1988 / Makaretz & Levine 1980
  12. Ott & Schaeffel 1995
  13. Kopania et al. 2025
  14. Angielczyk et al. 2014
  15. Banks et al. 2015
  16. Choiniere et al. 2021
  17. Schmitz et al. 2011
  18. Meiri 2024. SquamBase: a database of…
  19. Moura et al. 2024
  20. Anderson et al. 2017
  21. Borges et al. 2018
  22. Wilman et al. 2014
  23. Maor et al. 2017
  24. Jones et al. 2009
  25. Schmitz et al. 2011
  26. Cervino et al. 2021
  27. Guareschi et al. 2025
  28. Healy et al. 2013
  29. Lafitte et al. 2022
  30. Inger et al. 2014

Every value cites its sources (all sources). Values were extracted from these works and converted (units, medians, derived values); changes are ours, and the listed sources do not endorse this site. Data: catalogue-v1, built 2026-09-29. Accuracy notes: how accurate is this? Method: how we know.