The "F*** You!" Lizard

by Tom Lott

Late winter and early spring is the height of the dry season in the southern part of Vietnam.  In monsoonal tropical areas, this is a time when few reptiles are seen. Daytime high temperatures in the lowlands generally exceed 100°F and the nights are only slightly cooler. But even though it is the dry season, the stifling humidity never abates.

One of the few reptiles to be seen at this time was the ubiquitous little tan House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus). The numbers of these lizards showed no sign of reduction as they scampered around the inside and outside of our slat-sided barracks "hootches." More vocal than their Mediterranean counterparts (Hemidactylus turcicus), now common on houses in the southern US), their squeaks and chirps could be heard throughout the night as they sought prey and settled esoteric territorial disputes.

Another locally common gecko was heard long before it was seen.  Although almost all of the names for this much larger gecko (including the word "gecko" itself) are attempts to transliterate its call into words, American GIs came up with a new, somewhat crude variant for what has traditionally been described as "tow-kay." To the grunts of Vietnam, the Tokay Gecko (Geckko geckko) will be forever known as the "F--- You Lizard."

On almost any evening in the lowlands one could hear one or many of these lizards loudly vocalizing.  With a vivid imagination, I suppose the call could be interpreted as a taunt from an enemy soldier concealed in the darkness--provided that soldier was snorting helium to distort his voice!

I first heard the classic Tokay Gecko call in Vietnam while on guard duty on the perimeter of the base at DiAn, shortly after my arrival. Thanks to a brief stint as a zoo reptile keeper, I was able to identify the call.  Though the lizard was not really on display there, the zoo had once attempted to enlist Tokays in an effort to "organically" control a cockroach problem within the reptile house. As a result, the loud, distinctive calls had resounded throughout the structure each evening after the lights went out. Hearing the same call later in Vietnam was like hearing the voice of an old friend!

Anyone familiar with the habits of Tokays knows they are highly irascible lizards; typically gaping the mouth widely to display its startling black lining, hissing and snapping at anything within reach, wriggling about, squirming and smearing foul anal secretions and excreta upon their captors.  This behavior had convinced most Vietnamese that this was surely a venomous creature!  One that I captured beneath a pile of dead palm fronds in a hamlet put on such a display that the villagers thought I was either extremely brave or crazy to be handling such a lizard, even with a firm grip behind its head.

The village was being searched by my patrol for evidence of Viet Cong activity.  I cannot remember whether we found any "VC sign," but I'll never forget that particular Tokay.  I placed him in an empty sandbag and later released him into a convenient palm tree once we were clear of the area.

Ironically, even though the Vietnamese considered the little House Gecko a harbinger of good luck, the big, brassy Tokay was regarded as an ill omen.  Most of the villagers and even some of the GIs thought this was a dangerous animal that should have been killed!