They live in temperate habitats where they climb in bushes and trees. The majority of the day geckos are not threatened, however, there are a few species that are threatened, and there is one species that is endangered. Roughly half of their length is tail. They have a flattened body with a relatively large head.
Most day geckos have patterns of red spots on their backs.
Phelsuma can change its basic color to blend in with background color. They have large, vividly colored eyes, but they don't have eyelids. Instead, thay have a clear, fixed, transparent plate protecting their eyes. Each foot has five digits, the first one being a short thumb with no toe pad, and the fourth one being much longer than the others. Young geckos grow rapidly and apparently almost all species breed before they are fully one year old.