Mourning geckos are so cute and tiny that many people think they are one of the best geckos for beginners. Are you planning on getting one? If so, which one should you get? Are there a lot of types of mourning geckos to choose from?
Mourning geckos only have one type: a brown gecko with black speckles. However, breeders coined the terms Type B, C, and D to refer to other mourning gecko morphs that came from different locales. An example is the Hawaiian Mourning Gecko (Type B) which is a mourning gecko that has a yellow belly.
| Mourning Gecko Type | Appearance |
| Type A/ Standard Morph | Dark brown or light brown, white stripes, black speckles |
| Type B/ Hawaiian Morph | Brown, yellow belly, yellowish stripes, black speckles |
| Type C/ Higher Hawaiian Morph | Pale body, strong black speckles |
| Type D | Light body color with hints of yellow and brown |
It can be confusing, right? Well, you need not worry as we are going to discuss why there is only a single type of mourning gecko, yet others call them Type B, etc. Keep on reading to find out where you can get a certain morph!
Table of Contents
What Are The Types Of Mourning Gecko?
As we mentioned earlier, the mourning gecko has only one type and that is the common small brown gecko with black speckles. The confusion arises from the fact that there are Type A, Type B, Type C, and Type D mourning geckos.
Some think that the different types refer to different characteristics in terms of the shape of the head and legs, size, or even the demeanor of mourning geckos.
The truth is, the types mentioned only refer to certain morphs of the mourning gecko.
At the same time, certain types also correspond to the locale where the mourning gecko was found. For example, Type B mourning geckos are usually found in the tropical coastal areas of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific.
Type B mourning geckos can hail from Hawaii, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, etc. Therefore, regardless of the morph; may they look like the common mourning gecko (Type A), but when they are from these locales, they are still considered Type B.
Simply put, it is just an easy way to know where your mourning gecko originally came from. It is just that, from specific locales, there is always a distinct morph that develops in that area.
For example, a Type B Hawaiian Mourning Gecko is yellow-bellied and has black speckles. Another one is a Type B Philippine Mourning gecko which is a lighter brown with black speckles.
Many mourning gecko breeders also say that we should not take the types seriously as they are just a way to categorize the origin of the gecko and the morph.
What is important is to focus on the morph itself. This is why some breeders do not even use the terms Type B, etc.
What Are The Morphs Of The Mourning Gecko?
Some breeders categorize the morphs as Standard morph, Hawaiian morph, and Higher Hawaiian morph. While others use Type A, Type B, Type C, and Type D. Let us discuss the different morphs.
If you are set on getting a mourning gecko, regardless of the type, you can check out our buying guide to make an informed decision.
Standard Morph/Type A
This is the most common mourning gecko morph. The body is made up of a dark brown or light brown color. There are cream or white stripes running from the head to the tail. Also, this morph has the signature black speckles of the mourning gecko.
You can buy this morph from these shops:
Hawaiian Morph/Type B
Usually, the Hawaiian mourning gecko or Type B has a yellow belly. For some, the yellow tinge expands to the entire body, much like a leopard gecko. The stripes at the back can also be yellow, cream, or white. They also have black speckles.
Some Type B geckos that came from Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Myanmar, Mascarene Islands, etc. do not have yellow bellies. Instead, they are black in color and have cream stripes with black speckles.
You can buy this morph from these shops:
Higher Hawaiian Morph/Type C
This morph is a lighter version of the Hawaiian Morph or Type B. The black speckles in this morph are more noticeable. The body color can be a pale yellow or a lighter shade of brown and black.
The stripes at the back are also not defined as the color merges with the body color of the mourning gecko, which is separated by large dark speckles.
A lot of Type C morphs are captive bred and they were carefully bred to look that way.
You can buy this morph from this shop:
Type D
This is the rarest morph of the mourning gecko. It is still unknown where this morph originated from, but a lot of people speculate that this morph came to be due to experimental breeding of Higher Hawaiian morph or Type C.
The result is a very light body color with hints of yellow and brown. Some breeders were even successful in producing a light lavender color for the body that resembles a Hypo Lavender Hognose snake.
With that said, this morph is hard to come by so when a breeder is ready to rehome their Type D mourning gecko, it always gets sold out easily.
You can buy this morph from this shop:
Do Mourning Geckos Change Colors?
You may be surprised to know that mourning geckos tend to change colors. Before you think of their color-changing abilities as that of chameleons, keep in mind that they do not have the same characteristics as the latter.
Mourning geckos cannot adapt to the colors of their environment. Rather, there is this so-called firing up or firing down of color based on what they are feeling.
When your mourning gecko is stressed or angry, its color may appear vibrant. So if you have a brown mourning gecko, you will notice that the brown looks brighter. It will eventually go back to normal once they relax.
The color change is actually not that apparent. You need to take a closer look at it to see the color difference.
In order to avoid firing up your mourning gecko due to stress, you should know how to properly care for it. You can read our ultimate care guide on mourning geckos here.
Conclusion
You should not take the different types of mourning geckos to heart. They are simply ways to categorize their different morphs and specify which locale they came from.
Nevertheless, no morph takes precedence over the others. Once you already have a mourning gecko, you will understand their charm regardless if you have a common or rare morph.
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