Geckos

A white-tailed gecko in the original PS2 release.

The Geckos can be found scattered about the Forbidden Lands in Shadow of the Colossus. One can be found at each of the save shrines, while many others can be found in the wild around certain locations. When Wander kills one, he can consume its tail for a small stamina boost.

The white-tailed geckos are not to be confused with the regular, fully black geckos, whose tails only replenish a small portion of Wander's health and do not raise either max health or max stamina. A lizard detection stone can be unlocked by defeating eight colossi in Normal Time Attack or 10 in Hard. Their agility make them difficult targets, but they are good for getting some practice with the bow.

If the the gecko's tail is shot, the gecko can break free from its tail and survive, though this requires an extremely precise shot and more than a bit of luck. However, the gecko will still show up on the Lizard Detection Stone. Only by killing it will the lizard's icon vanish.

Strategies

• Bow- If the gecko is on the wall of a shrine, shoot an arrow close by the gecko to make it fall down; to improve accuracy, the player can hold down to zoom in on the reptile. Alternatively, if one is a good shot with the bow, they can simply shoot the tail and pin the gecko to the ground, albeit it will still endeavor escape, which causes its tail to detach, but the gecko itself is spared.
• Sword- If the gecko is on the ground and comes close to Wander, he can slash at it with the sword to kill it. This is a bit more difficult than using the bow, as they don't tend to stay in place too long and shy away from Wander's presence.
• Agro- Agro can also be used as a weapon. Though not as easy a method as the bow or sword, Agro can trample over a gecko, killing it. Also, whether or not Wander is riding her, if the gecko runs under Agro, it will die. Interestingly, Agro does not kill gecko if she merely walks over them in the PS4 remake. Instead, they are flipped upside down and become temporarily imobile. Agro must be at a canter or gallop, then, to be lethal.

Trivia

• In the PS3 Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection, there is a gold trophy called "Endangered Lizards". This can be acquired by killing (not just separating the tails from) all the white-tailed geckos in the Forbidden Lands. There is no such trophy in the PS4 remake, although one titled "Five-Lined Skink" (a bronze trophy) is the closest equivalent, requring that Wander eat his first shining gecko tail.
• Geckos were going to be present in the game ICO as stage hazards and puzzle elements that would avoid bright areas, causing Yorda to refuse to traverse dark areas in stages full of them. The protagonist would also be able to pick them up and throw them at walls, which they would stick to. However, they weren't added at the end due to lack of time.
• A white-tailed gecko can be found in the Mad Max videogame as an easter egg, in an area under a tower found in the desert.

Gallery

A black-tailed gecko.

A white-tailed gecko in the PS4 remake.

Sketches of the unused gecko for ICO.

More sketches of the unused gecko for ICO.

Gecko statue that came with the 3rd colossus' statue made by Prime 1 Studio.

Gecko easter egg from the Mad Max videogame.