The Turkish Gecko, Hemidactylus turcicus , is probably the most often seen reptile in Cyprus, or at least it was until the replacement of houses with blocks of flats, as it often inhabits the inside of houses. It is nocturnal, mainly feeding on insects. Kotschy's Gecko, Cyrtopodion kotschyi , is a similar animal which is commonly found, living under rocks and stones. It is not found inside houses and can easily be distinguished from the Turkish Gecko because of its toes, which do not have the adhesive pads of the Turkish Gecko. There are also four skinks in Cyprus.
Skinks are lizards with large shiny scales and usually a relatively thick body and small limbs.
The rarest of these skinks is Schneider's Lizard, Eumeces schneideri , a large fat skink with a yellow longitudinal stripe on the side of the body. It lives in dry stony areas and is a very shy animal, not easily seen. Agricultural and land use practices may have contributed to the demise of this lowland species. Of the three 'real' lizards, the most common is the Snake eyed Lizard which can be seen practically everywhere on the island. It is a very agile lizard, living mainly in burrows, but has suffered most from the changes in land use practices in the coastal zone as it lost many of its habitats.