Meaning & use
flying gecko
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablebiology
A small tree-dwelling gecko from Southeast Asia that has skin flaps along its body, legs and tail, which let it glide from tree to tree.
Grammar: Has a plural: one flying gecko, two flying geckos.
Patterns
- a flying gecko in the rainforest
A flying gecko leapt from the trunk and glided to a nearby branch.
The flying gecko's mottled skin makes it nearly invisible against tree bark.
Zookeepers keep the flying gecko in a tall enclosure with plenty of branches.
Word forms
| plural | flying geckos |
|---|
Common combinations
- Southeast Asian flying gecko
- The Southeast Asian flying gecko lives in rainforest canopies.
- glide like a flying gecko
- The toy glider could glide like a flying gecko.
- flying gecko habitat
- Logging has damaged the flying gecko habitat on the island.
- spot a flying gecko
- It took the guide an hour to spot a flying gecko on the trunk.
- flying gecko membrane
- The flying gecko membrane acts like a small parachute.
Synonyms and how they differ
- parachute gecko
- Parachute gecko is an alternative name for the same animal, emphasising the skin flaps that slow its fall.
- gliding gecko
- Gliding gecko is more accurate about what the animal does, since it glides rather than flies.
Word family
Commonly confused: flying gecko or flying lizard?
flying gecko vs flying lizard
A flying lizard (Draco) is a different group of lizards that glide on ribs stretched with skin, not a gecko.
Practice
What does a flying gecko actually do?
Choose one answer.
Despite the name, the flying gecko does not fly under power; it glides on flaps of skin. The other options describe animals or behaviour that do not match it.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “flying gecko”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.