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Geckos are a widespread infraorder of small, mostly carnivorous lizards. They are the most diverse group of lizards in the world, with about 1,500 different species found across every continent except Antarctica.

There are a number of unique characteristics distinguishing geckos from other types of lizards. Most species lack eyelids, and will lick their corneas to cleanse and hydrate them. Many species are known for their vocalizations, including chirping, clicking, and hissing noises, as well as loud mating calls in some species such as the barking gecko. Most geckos are nocturnal and have extremely strong night vision. Most species are known to have specialized toe pads which allow them to climb across smooth and vertical surfaces, and even indoor ceilings without the use of liquids or surface tension. Uniquely among reptiles, some gecko species lack scales, instead having small skin bumps called tubercles. However, the scales that geckos do have can differ greatly from one another, ranging from standard reptile-like scales to the prominent spiked scales of the crested gecko to the round fish-like scales of the fish-scale gecko which are known to detach from the body upon the slightest contact to allow the lizard to escape from predators.