Seen a lizard here in Bali? Worried about the lizards you might encounter on holiday?
Well, our guide to lizards in Bali will help you know enough to deal with lizards while you’re here and satisfy your curiosity about Balinese lizards.
What Are The Lizards In Bali?
There are four main categories of lizards here in Bali. Geckos, monitor lizards, agamid lizards and skinks.
Of those, nearly everyone will encounter a gecko or two when they’re on holiday here and most people will never see any of the other kinds of lizard at all.
Mostly, lizards don’t hang around people and those that do tend to be generally harmless to humans (though not always to other lizards).
Geckos
The small lizard that most people see on this tropical island is usually a gecko and these are more afraid of you than you are of them.
There are 5 different species of gecko here and each of them is unique.
Flat-Tailed Geckos
A gecko with a medium-sized and stubby body with an extended snout. The skin on the side of the lizard is saggy but smooth to the touch (there are no keeled or imbricated scales).
They are grey, brown or even dark brown and change colour slightly when they are warm.
Common Dwarf Geckos
As the name suggests these are small-bodied lizards with a head that is clearly distinct from its neck.
The little ones can be purple with an orange tail but the adults tend to be a light brown or cream colour.
Tokay Geckos
You will usually hear a tokay (the name “tokay” is the distinctive cry this lizard makes) before you see it.
They are larger animals, they can lose their tails and then grow them back and tend to be grey/blue with orange spots.
Four-Clawed Geckos
You can easily spot these creamy-coloured lizards thanks to the fact that they only have four claws.
Asian House Geckos
A gecko with a cylindrical tail and spines on the top and sides of its body. They are brown/grey but mostly look white/grey when they come out at night.
Monitor Lizards
Monitor lizards are the largest lizards on the island and there is only one species of monitor lizard to worry about here.
Asian Water Monitor Lizard (Varanus Salvator)
Varanus salvator or the Asian Water Monitor Lizard is the only species native to Bali.
The adults are black/indigo in colour with yellow dots and the younger animals are brown with some pale blotches.
Komodo Dragon
The Komodo dragon is a type of monitor lizard but it’s not native to Bali. This monitor lizard lives in Komodo which is another Indonesian island.
If you do see a Komodo dragon in Bali, it’s most likely to be at a zoo or in a monitor lizard collection in a private house.
Agamid Lizards
Agamidae is a family of lizards with hard skins, and sturdy tails and which is mainly found in the trees of the island.
Some agamidae can change colour, though most cannot. Unlike geckos, they are often active during the day.
Great Crested Canopy Lizard
This medium-sized green lizard with coloured patches is slender and has dangling legs and tail.
These can grow up to half a metre long but you won’t see many of them on the island at all.
Common Garden Lizard
This is another medium-sized lizard but a little smaller and tends to top out at around 35 centimetres in length.
As the name suggests, they’re quite common and can be caught running around in gardens on the island if you keep a careful eye out.
Common Flying Lizard
This handsome fellow has a distinctive mane that makes him look a bit like a dragon.
He can’t actually fly, however, but he’s very nimble and leaps about a bit and is quite small reaching around 13 centimetres in length.
Fringed Flying Lizard
Another dragon-like lizard but slightly less striking to look at with the ability to glide when it jumps from branch to branch.
Skinks
Skinks look a bit like snakes but are, in fact, lizard species. There are a lot of skinks on the island and if you keep a careful eye out, you may see them running around in rice fields or forests.
Yellow-Lined Forest Skink
A very small skink that is about 12 centimetres long. It has a small, flattish body and long limbs.
The body is grey and brown with a yellow/gold/white line that runs from top to tail.
Short-Limbed Supple Skink
This skin runs up to 15 centimetres in length and has a slender body and a triangle-shaped head.
The body is brown with dark stripes and the forehead is darker.
Olive Tree Skink
This is a big skin that can grow up to 25 centimetres long. It has dark olive skin with black and pale green patches.
Mangrove Skink
This pretty little lizard can be found in mangrove swamps and it has a medium-sized body (up to 23 centimeters long).
It is grey or sometimes grey/brown with black stripes on either side and spots all over.
Bowring’s Supple Skink
This skink looks a lot like a snake but definitely isn’t. It’s only 12 centimetres long at the most and is brown with black lines all over the body.
Beach Snake-Eye Skink
This skink has large eyes for its size, but it’s quite small at just 9 centimetres as a fully grown specimen. The body is brown with a yellow/brown stripe and there are some spots on the body too.
Balinese Snake-Eyed Skink
As you might expect this skink is unique to Bali and it has a golden brown back with a white/black stripe down the middle. It blends in very well on tree bark.
Asian Grass Lizards
This is a long lizard at 30 centimetres and it has a small head with a long, thin body with what looks like a beard under its chin.
Rough-Scaled Sun Skink
This is a small lizard (around 12 centimetres at full growth) that has a red/orange top section on a brown body. There is a stripe pattern around the eyes and patches on the back.
Blue-Tailed Snake-Eyed Skink
This small and quite broad lizard only runs to 9 cm long and it has very short limbs. It’s black with five coloured lines running down its back.
Common Sun Skink
This “garden lizard” is brown and green with yellow and orange stripes. It can grow up to 30 centimeters long.
FAQs
Do You Get Komodo Dragons In Bali?
Yes, but only in zoos. As you might expect the Komodo Dragon is native t the island of Komodo in Indonesia and not to Bali.
If you see a lizard that looks like a komodo dragon here, it’s an Asian monitor lizard and while these can be pretty big, they’re not in the same league as the komodo dragon.
What Is The Massive Gecko In Bali?
The biggest geckos are of the tokay gecko species and they are among the few reptiles that you should take precautions around when shooing them from your home.
They can bite and it’s a bite that even venomous snakes fear. It’s best to shoo these animals away using a broom rather than getting too close to them.
And sadly, the tokay makes a loud “tokay” sound, so if you find one in your home, you will want it to leave.
How To Get Rid Of A Bali Lizard In A Room?
You don’t need to shoo Bali geckos out of your home. They are actually pretty good to have around as they eat small spiders, mosquitoes, etc. and they’re quite cute too.
However, if you really want to get rid of them, just close the windows and doors, turn your AC up full blast, give the room a little clean and if that fails, get a cat to chase them out.
What Are The Tiny Lizards In Bali?
They are one of the various species of gecko that are native to Bali. They don’t cause any harm, though some locals believe they are dangerous, they feed on insects, spiders, etc. and tend to scurry away from humans as fast as their legs can carry them.
What Is The Largest Lizard In Bali?
The largest lizard native to Bali is the Asian monitor lizard. It can be quite a shock if you run into one of these when it’s strayed from the jungle but as long as you don’t get too close they’re not particularly dangerous.
Are Geckos In Bali Harmless?
Yes, most geckos are entirely harmless. You don’t need to kill them and some people even like to keep them as a pet of sorts.
How To Get Rid Of Geckos In Bali?
You can’t really. You can shoot geckos out of your home and keeping the place neat and tidy (and investing in a cat or dog) can help, but there are simply so many geckos on the island that they get everywhere.
Is It OK If A Gecko Bites You?
With the exception of tokays (big geckos), most geckos have jaws that are too small to bite people.
However, if you’re the unlucky guy who does get mistaken for prey and is bitten, you should wash the area thoroughly as lizard bites can lead to bacterial infections.
Are The Lizards In Bali Poisonous?
Technically, “poisonous” is a term we use for things that are harmful when eaten. Lizards can be safely eaten if they’re cooked, but we’d stick to chicken – there’s a reason you don’t see geckos on the menu in restaurants, they don’t taste great.
However, most people mean “venomous” when they ask this question, which is “if a lizard bites me, will it make me sick?” This is a good question as some of the snakes in Bali are venomous, like the green tree viper or king cobra.
The answer to this question is no. Bali lizards are not venomous. However, you should be aware that if a lizard bites you, the wound may become infected with a bacterial infection, which could be very unpleasant.
Do Lizards Come Near Humans While Sleeping?
Generally, lizards exhibit very cautious behavior and they are active at night and tend to stick to eating insects, etc.
If they catch sight of a person, they will normally avoid them even when they’re sleeping.
Where Can You See Lizards In Bali?
You can find the most complete collection of lizards and other reptiles at the Bali Reptile Park.
Final Thoughts On Lizards Bali
Lizards in Bali are generally harmless and only the Asian Monitor Lizard (Varanus Salvator) is big enough to be any kind of real threat to people and you are very unlikely to encounter one on your holiday.
As with snakes, most lizards are more scared of us than we are of them and the best thing to do is leave them along to get on with catching bugs.
If you do need to shoo a lizard out of your home, use a long-handled broom to do so and don’t hurt the lizard, be gentle.
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