You can mostly see house lizard or home gecko walking on the wall of your house, but why do they do it? Is there any specific reason? Or do they do it for fun?
So, why lizard walk on wall? Lizards walk on the wall because small lizards are tiny, and they don’t want to get stomped, so they stick to the wall. Apart from that, light attracts insects, so they stay close to the light source attached to the top of the wall. Lizards can climb the wall with the help of the sticky hairs present inside their legs.
Why Does Lizard like To Walk On The Wall?
Lizards are scared because they know that if they live on the land for too long, they will die. So they stay on the wall thinking that it will keep them safe. Various pets live with humans. Pets like cats, dogs can also attack the lizard, which is another threat for them. So they find the walls a much safer place and this behavior is instinctive.
There is another reason why lizard likes to climb the wall. Insects are attracted towards the light, and these lights are placed at the top of the wall. Staying close to that light source means lizard will get more food. Insects fly around the light source. They barely come down on the land, so staying on the land will not be fruitful for the lizard.
The lizard that stays in the ground is at a loss because other lizards that are close to the light source will end up eating the insects, and the lizards on the ground won’t get a chance.
Small lizards like to stay on the trees because they think they will be safe on the trees. They come on the land sometimes but not always and if they feel any threat on the land, they will immediately climb on any tree. This behavior is also an instinct.
There is another reason why lizard climbs to the top of the wall and stays hidden. The reason is they don’t want us to reach them. Our hands won’t reach the top corner of the wall, and they feel safe because of that. They want to stay out of our reach.
This behavior shows that they are scared of humans and only stays there because our technology draws different kinds of insects. And since their ancestors were also living with us, they have certainly learned to tolerate us for getting food.
Can Lizard Fall While Walking On The Wall?
A lizard has a firm grip, so they don’t usually fall, but that they can fall sometimes. If the lizard is frightened or if the surface is slippery, then the lizard can fall. Sometimes this occurs due to carelessness. If the lizards fail to grip the surface while moving, then the lizard can fall.
Does Lizard Tail Stick To The Wall?
A lizard can climb the walls using the legs, and the legs have tiny hairs that work as an adhesive which helps them to climb walls. These hairs grab the surface firmly. Lizard’s tail doesn’t have those tiny hairs so that’s why they cannot catch the wall. Their tail hangs sideways due to gravity.
A lizards tail is made of strong muscles lizard and bones, and they can move it as they wish even though it is big and bulky. They can use their tail as needed. A lizard can contract the muscles of the tail to make it tight, and they can relax it to keep it lose.
When the lizard attacks someone, they tighten their tail because that allows them to freely. When the lizard is not hunting it keeps it’s tail muscles relaxed, and the tail hangs by the side since it cannot stick to the wall or any surface.
Can Lizard Sleep While Sticking To The Wall?
Yes, a lizard can sleep while sticking to the wall because the stickiness generated by the hairs that are present in the lizard’s leg doesn’t go away even while sleeping. That is why the lizard can still stick to the wall while sleeping.
As long as the stickiness is present, the lizard won’t fall.
Can Lizard Walk On The Slippery Wall?
A slippery wall can be challenging to lizards because their legs won’t be able to hold the slippery surface properly, and can fall. As you know you the lower part of lizard’s leg is made of tiny hairs that create a stick to the surface.
It works like adhesive, but since the surface is slippery, there is very less friction, and those tiny hairs cannot grip it properly. As a result, they start slipping.
If water is sprayed over the slippery surface, then the lizard will not be able to grip the surface at all and will start falling immediately. For example, if the wall is made of tiles, then it will be tough for the lizard to stick around to it, but if it is wet, then the lizard will not be able to stick to the tiles at all.
The lizard will not be able to climb the walls, no matter how hard the lizard tries. The lizard will start slipping when it tries to climb the wall. If the lizard is frightened, the lizard will try to climb the wall repeatedly but will fail repeatedly. Because of that, the lizard will run away from that place instead of climbing the wall.
Can Lizard Eat Food While Staying On The Wall?
Yes, lizards legs can carry extra weight along with their own weight. Those tiny hairs are amazing. They can stick on the wall and hunt, they can eat, and they can do all of the activities on the wall.
Lizards are also seen to fight each other while sticking to the wall, which shows that they can carry extra weight along with their weight. Fighting requires a lot of movement, and yet the lizards don’t easily fall from the wall. This is an extraordinary feat in itself.
No matter how difficult the challenge is, lizard doesn’t fall from the wall easily. Even when the lizard is injured, they can still stick to the wall.
A lizard can stick to the wall even if it loses one of its legs. It will become difficult to move around with three legs, but the lizard will not fall from the wall. That said if the lizard loses two of its legs, then the lizard will not be able to stick and remain on the wall.
They cannot move around with just two legs. It will be useless to climb the wall with two legs. In this case, the only option is to stay on the ground. Because firstly the lizard will not be able to climb the wall. Secondly, even if the lizard somehow manages to climb the wall, most of its body will be hanging, and a lizard cannot move like that.
Can All Lizards Climb Walls?
All lizards cannot climb walls. Some lizards are big and bulky, and they cannot climb walls or trees. Small lizards, especially home geckos, are usually seen to climb walls. Big lizards like Komodo dragon doesn’t have the tiny hairs that will help them to climb walls; instead, they have big claws.
Additionally, they have a heavy body, and they don’t have many competitors on the land. So they can live on the ground without worries. Small lizards are lightweight, have threats on the ground, so they prefer to stay on the call or on the top of the tree.
Conclusion
Lizards stick to the wall for safety, and also to eat various insects because most of the insects follow the light and if they are and staying close to the light they will able to catch a lot of insects.
They don’t have to travel around for food they can get it instantly just by staying close to the light source. The tiny hairs in their legs help them to hold on any surface. It works like an adhesive and protects then from falling even while sleeping.
Welcome to my blog. I have been doing pest control for years since my house, garden and pets were always attacked by various kinds of pests and as a result I had to know proper pest control techniques that works. In this blog I share all the tips and tricks that I know and I hope you’ll find it helpful.
