Philippine House Lizard Learns to Eat Rice Lightning-Fast

We all know that house lizards eat insects, and house lizards in The Philippines (known as butiki) are no exception. But there was this particular lizard that we had at the old house we used to stay in that preferred rice. We had noticed how it would linger be our table after having a meal and then right afterwards, it would scour the table for scraps of food, often rice and would grab what it can with lightning speed and then hide behind the oven toaster. It would then stealthily peek out again for another bite. It was a good thing it made a habit of waiting at the table to get his share of our meal because it was such a fascinating thing to witness.

So we thought it would be great if we could capture what it does on video and that's exactly what we did using an old Samsung digital camera. We were amazed at how the lizard, which we had named "Bart" was able to "stalk" a clump of steamed rice and grab a few grains with lightning speed. He was so fast that the frame rate of the camera was unable to capture the exact moment it bit into the rice! It was like he had the super speed of a biting snake (maybe even faster) You can watch the video and see for yourself how it played out. I hope you enjoy it.

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Alamat Ng Butiki - The Legend of the House Lizard (Modernong Alamat - Modern Legend) Paperback by Rene O. Villanueva; illustrated by Joel O. Chua

House Gecko Lizard Eats Rice on Table in the Philippines

Here is a gecko lizard who knows how to beg for food just like a pet dog. The occupants of the house have called it Bart. He has a partner called Maggie. Their names come from the cartoon series, The Simpsons. Don't ask for an explanation; the names just suited them well. Anyway, every time dinner is set, either Bart or Maggie will come down from the ceiling and peek from under the oven toaster. It all began when Bart was seen frequently, patiently waiting under the taoster as people ate at the table. He would look at people like he's begging to be fed.

One night, a pinch of cooked rice was placed on the table in front of Bart. At first, the gecko was cautious and only took tentative bites at the clump of rice before quickly hiding under the toaster again. Night after night, rice would be left in front of the toaster at dinner time and this spunky gecko will go out and snap it up. It's the only food it prefers. Later, his companion, Maggie, also came down to eat at the table. Only one lizard begged at a time. The two are never seen eating together at the table.

Once, Bart was given plain white rice and canned tuna paella rice to choose from. He licked the flavored rice a bit, but he didn't eat it. He then went for the plain rice. He definitely knew the kind of food he likes. Some nights, Bart will not be at the table, although Maggie will be. But unlike Bart, Maggie prefers to take the rice on the table after the poeple have left the table and when no one is around. Here are pictures of how Bart, the house gecko lizard eats. The video below shows a gecko, going out of hiding to nibble at the rice.

The Philippine house gecko lizard is related to the Tokay Gecko (Gekko gecko) or tuko (left), a larger nocturnal lizard that largely lives in the woods and rocky areas like cliffs (it is sometimes found in houses). The tuko is considered endangered because it's hunted to be sold as medicine in many parts of Asia such as China. It is also kept as pets by some people although this practice is frowned upon and is illegal without a permit.

Watch the high-def YouTube video of Bart the house gecko "butiki"

Alamat Ng Butiki - The Legend of the House Lizard (Modernong Alamat - Modern Legend)