A shorter gecko

In my house geckos usually stay on the walls and ceiling and I stay on the floor. Once in a while the wee ones and a medium size gecko will run across the floor. I look where I am walking but in the dark I can't always see them.

This evening I walked into the dark kitchen and saw something move on the floor. I was careful to not step in that spot. When I reached the far wall, I turned on the light switch. I looked around and there on the floor was a one inch (2.5 cm) gecko tail twitching. I was horrified, did I step on the gecko.

I don't think so. I Goggled "Why does a gecko's tail fall off?" and found the following: "A gecko drops its tail as a defense mechanism induced by fear. When a predator approaches, the gecko is able is drop the tail and leave it behind to entice the predator. However, the gecko then loses the fat stored in its tail that will keep it healthy during times when food is harder to find."

When I inspected the tail, it had not been squished so I assume the gecko thought of me as a BIG predator!

There will be one gecko without a tail for some weeks.