© 1977 by The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
Acoustic and Visual Display Behavior of Gekkonid Lizards
National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution Washington, D.C. 20009
Visual and acoustic mechanisms of communication are compared. Their properties are found to be similar except that acoustic systems function more efficiently when light levels are low. The ability of geckos to receive and produce visual and acoustic messages is discussed. Geckos are found to have excellent vision and good hearing. They also possess the visual attributes and sound producing mechanisms necessary for complex displays. The display behavior of geckos is reviewed. Display types are categorized according to the display mechanism used. Visual displays are found to utilize color, pattern, posture, and movement. These displays are used in predator threat as well as in intraspecific social contexts such as aggression and courtship. Combined visual-acoustic displays involve color, pattern, postures, movement, and sound. Combined displays are used in predator threat and in intraspecific aggressive encounters. Acoustic displays have little or no visual component and involve sounds that may be single chirps or temporally patterned multiple chirps. The single chirps are associated with distress while the multiple chirp calls are heard in intraspecific social contexts. The displays of diurnal and nocturnal geckos are compared and it is found that differences are correlated with differences in their diel activity cycles. In conclusion, it is pointed out that many areas remain to be studied before gecko display behavior is well understood.