The 10 Wildest Lizards We Saw at The New Gecko Gallery in Bushwick

Deep in the belly of the McKibbin Lofts, long home to some of Brooklyn’s strangest and most mythologized gatherings, is a new and wholesomely conservation-minded attraction. The Gecko Gallery, a literal zoo, opened this past week, collecting through legal, ethical, and trackable sources more than 150 lizards in the square footage of a “cozy” studio apartment nearby.

Touted as the single largest public collection of rare and endangered geckos, the new gallery is the brainchild of friends and collectors Richie Laleh and Joseph S. Migirov. Both born and raised in Brooklyn, the duo specifically chose to open the space in their hometown, partnering with the Bone Museum down the hall to bring this lizardly legend to life.

“We met through mutual friends in the biology field, and put our minds together on how to spread awareness on an often overlooked species,” Laleh recounted. “We wanted to be able to show people our knowledge and actually put an animal in someone’s hands so that they could leave with more knowledge than they had coming in.”

That knowledge, as the founders note, includes important lessons about the ecological systems that allow geckos to survive. “Geckos are a long-standing evolutionary branch in the lizard world, and they’re in many different environments. So it’s very important to study them,” Migirov told us. Geckos, they explain, are indicators of healthy ecosystems—an insight that underscores the broader environmental message of the exhibit. “If you see some, you know the environment is healthy,” Laleh noted.

Before Gecko Gallery, the duo ran a similar space that wasn’t open to the public. Now, the animals are accessible to curious visitors of all ages. Just a few days since opening, the response has already been both enthusiastic and educational. “One of the most surprising things is simply that people don’t know that these animals even exist,” Migirov told us. “They come in and ask if they’re snakes or iguanas. It’s nice to see them discover their love for these animals.”

Tickets to Gecko Gallery are $20 per person, or $30 when bundled with entry to the Bone Museum next door.

Below you’ll find some of the most ridiculous reptiles we came across on a recent visit.

The giant leaf-tailed gecko

A cryptic creature, characterized by its long, flattened, and frilled body, lanky limbs, and hypnotic, reticulated eyes, this gecko is a master of leaving no trace. It can be found sleeping upside down on tree trunks with its feet tucked under its tail and frills folded over its body to eliminate any shadows.

The satanic leaf-tailed gecko

One glance at that horn-headed mug and it’s pretty clear how the satanic leaf-tailed gecko got its name. Typically clocking in at about 4 inches in length, these devilishly tiny little guys defy the odds of being spotted by mimicking dead leaves instead of bark, like other species do. They’re even able to manifest the veining and bug-bite-like spots on a decaying leaf to avoid unwanted attention.

The psychedelic rock gecko

This small, fast, sun-loving, and slightly iridescent species of gecko is found only on a couple of islands in southern Vietnam. However, their population is facing existential disruption from infrastructural development like roads and highways, which threaten the stability of their habitats.

The giant day gecko

A bright and robust species of lizard, the giant day gecko relies on deceptive speed to offset its eye-catching patterning and evade capture. Unlike its evolutionary cousins on this list, this Madagascar native boasts a surprisingly well-balanced omnivorous diet, eating a variety of foods, including plenty of fruit and nectar (which makes it a crucial and prolific pollinator).

The Jackson’s chameleon

These multi-horned tree-climbers have earned their “living triceratops” nickname. Like other chameleons, they have mitten-esque hands, long tongues, prehensile tails, and eyes that move independently from one another. In the subspecies kept by the gallery—trioceros jacksonii jacksonii, also known as rainbow—the three-horned forehead isn’t exclusive to the males and can be seen in females as well.

The Chinese crocodile lizard

The Chinese crocodile lizard is one of the museum’s primary conservation priorities. Though often mistaken for geckos, they belong to an ancient and unique lineage of lizards, and they are the only surviving species from that group. If they were to go extinct, we’d lose the last living connection to an entire branch of reptilian evolution. Native to China and Vietnam, they inhabit rainforests along creeks, shallow rivers, and ponds. Sadly, only a few hundred remain in the wild due to water pollution and deforestation.

The monkey-tailed skink

The largest skink in all the world, the monkey-tailed variant is unlike most, staying off the ground and spending the bulk of its time in the trees. These hulking specimens are hardcore herbivores, primarily feeding on pothos plants, which are toxic to many other animals. Sadly, this skink is also approaching endangered categorization, as their slow reproduction (one or two live offspring per year) poses a serious challenge to their long-term survival.

The rough-throated Australian leaf-tailed gecko

The rough-throated leaf-tailed gecko of Australia is a great example of convergent evolution (or when unrelated species develop similar traits independently). Although distantly related to the Madagascan leaf-tailed geckos, they share a similar appearance, including a flat, leaf-like tail and body. Unlike their East African counterparts, these geckos prefer rocky surfaces over bark or leaves. Their uniquely rough, textured skin also helps deter predators by making them harder to grasp.

The electric blue day gecko

While most day geckos belong to the genus Phelsuma, native to Madagascar and nearby islands, the genus Lygodactylus includes smaller day gecko species found on mainland Africa. One standout member is the electric blue day gecko—a small, but lightning-fast omnivore. This species is highly sexually dimorphic, meaning males and females have distinctly different appearances. Males are a striking bright blue, while females are typically green or yellow.

The “Starry Night” Tokay gecko

Common Tokay geckos are widespread across Asia and are known for their defensive behavior and strong parental instincts, traits that set them apart from most geckos. Recently, scientists discovered a new, closely related species in the cave systems of Thailand. Unlike the blue-and-orange coloration of common Tokays, this newly identified species is black with white spots, which inspired its name.

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