Are Typical Thai "Tokay" Lizards Dangerous? If not, then WHY are people so afraid of them?

[Damrongsak]

 Good one here.  Skip to 8:53 for the bite:

 

 

[elgenon]

On 7/23/2021 at 12:52 PM, sezze said:

Don't be afraid of them . They loud , do go to the toilet quite often ( and pretty large for it's size ) , do eat tons of critters . I heard Chinese people a few y ago payed quite some money for them , but i never got it confirmed . They do not bite you unless you want to be bitten , like never put your hand in front of a croc also . They will run away from you , they are very similar to other geckos , only larger . They aren't very shy , but if you try to catch 1 you certainly need to work a bit and then yes , they certainly can and will bite if given the chance , and it does have very small saw like teeth , so it can go through your skin and you might put desinfectant on that afterwards .

Do the Chinese eat them? They seem to eat anything and everything.

[brianthainess]

On 7/24/2021 at 4:12 AM, HeijoshinCool said:

.

Not as fast as my wife when one fell from the rafters onto her chest....

True story;   I had a friend smoking a joint and blew the smoke up to the ceiling outside, a Jinjock above fell straight down his g/f large cleavage, much to the amusement of all present 'cept her of course.

[ColeBOzbourne]

20 hours ago, toofarnorth said:

I hate even the look of them , almost a natural instinct , the millipedes I can pick up and full grown ones I will ride my pushbike round, Here's one I met earlier. But is the other pic half a millipede ?

The smaller one might be a sow bug, also called a pill bug, depending on the size.

[brianthainess]

The larger ones Tokay tend to keep in the shadows, never around the lights, more interested in larger pray than small insects, they will eat flying ants termites, and Jinjock, the call they make often sounds like

 F you or F off as pointed out to me by a bar girl years ago. Some like to live behind a fridge. Strong jaws. Or could that be the wife, <deleted> and with strong jaws, I hear calling? 

[tifino]

only thing one was wary of, was the gecko 'poo' 

 - highly acidic to whatever it poos on 

 

 

but don't worry... there is a golden oldie soothing song to mellow one scaredy cat thoughts away... or maybe scare the gecko away?

 

 

 

 

 

[pacovl46]

On 7/24/2021 at 9:59 AM, Kanada said:

Water monitor I think….they get really big but not particularly dangerous in a way where they look for trouble.

 

They’re not aggressive as long as you leave them alone, but you most definitely do NOT want to get bit by one of those! They have nasty teeth and mildly venomous saliva, plus a ton of bacteria in their mouths. At the very best you’ll be getting numerous stitches and a nice course of antibiotics, but a bite of one of those can easily result in reconstructive surgery, major nerve damage, loss of a finger and a really nasty infection! 

[geisha]

Really, I lived in Kata early 80s and a huge gecko took up residence behind a slanting wall mirror. At 6.45 evening it left for the roof , so I stayed out of the bathroom ( exaggeration ) at that time. 
Before that , in Bali, I had a sort of duplex and no real windows etc, open air shower room. This naughty white gecko would s..t on the exact place I’d walk into the room when coming home every day. He did not like me being there. I’ve always kept out of their way, where ever, no problem, and I like their singing.

[Gandtee]

On 7/24/2021 at 9:08 PM, DBath said:

There's a video (I'll see if I can find it) of a Tokay getting the better of an argument with a golden tree snake. The snake ends up all bloody and dead.

 

[Gandtee]

12 minutes ago, Gandtee said:

I've just watched it. Thanks.

 

[GammaGlobulin]

I must admit that, before watching the videos that posters have submitted here of people intentionally being bitten by the Tokay gecko, I was beginning to become overly concerned with these animals as these lizards often hang on my front door at night, just below the overhead light where there are usually many insects to eat.

 

However, after watching these videos, and knowing what to expect, I am no longer concerned, and I can begin to enjoy their company, once more.  Great!