A Beginner's Guide to Lizards in New Zealand Part One
New Zealand is home to an extraordinary variety of lizards, with 125 distinct species, including geckos and skinks, spread across diverse environments. However, these fascinating creatures face significant threats from introduced predators like rats, cats, stoats, and hedgehogs, which have driven many species into predator-free offshore islands. While much attention is given to protecting our native birds, it's equally important to highlight the dangers faced by our lizards and work towards their conservation.
The Plight of New Zealand’s Lizards
Lizards in New Zealand were once widespread and abundant, but today, they primarily survive in protected environments due to habitat destruction and predation. Just as our native birds face threats from invasive species, so too do our lizards. Protecting them is essential for maintaining our country's biodiversity.
New Zealand currently has ten skink taxa ranked as ‘Threatened-Nationally Critical’. These include the three species pictured left to right: Kahurangi skink (Oligosoma kahurangi), awakopaka skink (Oligosoma awakopaka), and green skink (Oligosoma chloronoton).
Why Are New Zealand Lizards Special?
Our native lizards have evolved unique characteristics that make them special both within New Zealand and globally. Here are a few reasons why our lizards stand out:
- High Endemism: Over 99% of New Zealand’s lizard species are found nowhere else on Earth, making their conservation critical.
- Live Young: Unlike most geckos worldwide, which lay eggs, New Zealand’s geckos give birth to live young—usually twins! This adaptation makes our geckos truly one of a kind.
- Longevity: Some of our geckos can live for over 60 years, while skinks can live for more than 30 years. These long lifespans, combined with their slow reproductive rates, make population recovery challenging if numbers decline.
- Cold Adaptation: Many of New Zealand’s lizards are remarkably adapted to cold climates. Some species, like those living in the South Island’s alpine regions, can survive in temperatures where snow and ice cover the ground for half the year.
The egg-laying skink (Oligosoma suteri) is the only endemic lizard in Aotearoa that lays eggs.
Threats to Our Lizards
The primary threats to New Zealand’s lizards are the invasive predators that decimated our bird populations. These include:
- Rats: These pests prey on lizard eggs, juveniles, and adult lizards.
- Cats: Known for hunting birds, cats also pose a significant threat to lizards, often killing them in large numbers.
- Stoats and Weasels: These predators can swiftly decimate lizard populations due to their voracious appetite and hunting efficiency.
- Hedgehogs: Though less obvious, hedgehogs also prey on lizards, especially in forested areas.
Habitat destruction through deforestation, urban development, and land-use changes also poses a grave danger. The loss of natural environments leaves lizards with fewer places to live and reproduce.
The hura te ao gecko (Mokopirirakau galaxias) from the alpine zone of North Otago is likely to be a very long-lived gecko with a low reproductive rate; however, its biology is poorly understood.
How Can We Help Protect Them?
As with our native birds, protecting our lizards requires collective action. Initiatives such as controlling introduced predators are key to safeguarding lizard populations. Here’s how we can contribute to their conservation:
- Predator Control: Trapping and baiting are essential methods for reducing the populations of invasive species that threaten lizards. Products like Connovation’s pest control solutions are crucial in this effort, helping to minimise the impact of rats, stoats, and other predators on vulnerable lizard populations.
- Habitat Restoration: It is vital to ensure that lizards have safe and natural habitats. Restoring native vegetation and creating predator-free environments can allow lizard populations to recover.
- Public Awareness: Education is a powerful tool in conservation. By learning more about the importance of New Zealand’s lizards and the threats they face, we can all play a role in their protection.
Aupōuri gecko (Naultinus flavirictus) is the northern-most occurring of our nine species of green geckos existing only on the Aupōuri Peninsula in Northland.
Connovation’s Role in Lizard Conservation
At Connovation, we are dedicated to protecting New Zealand’s biodiversity. Our efforts to control invasive species like rats, stoats, and ferrets benefit birdlife and play a critical role in safeguarding the future of our native lizards.
Our innovative pest control products, including species-specific lures and traps, help landowners and conservation groups manage predator populations effectively. Through our research-driven approach, we are continually developing new methods to protect our precious ecosystems.
New Zealand’s lizards are essential to our natural heritage, but they face many of the same challenges as our birds. By working together to control invasive predators and restore habitats, we can help ensure that our unique lizards continue to thrive for generations to come. To learn more about how you can support lizard conservation through effective predator control, visit Connovation’s website or contact our team. Together, we can protect New Zealand’s biodiversity.
The intricately-patterned Harlequin gecko (Tukutuku rakiurae) from southern Stewart Island is one of the most southerly occurring geckos in the world and has evolved to perfectly blend in with the complex mosaic of ferns, grasses, and shrubs found in its environment.
Acknowledgment to Carey Knox
We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Carey Knox for his invaluable contribution to this blog. Carey’s expertise in New Zealand’s wildlife, especially our unique lizard species, has been instrumental in shaping this guide. His insights and stunning images have truly brought to life the beauty and importance of these incredible reptiles. We are grateful for his dedication to conservation and for helping raise awareness about protecting our native lizards.