Mokomoko – lizards live here

Lizards need our protection

There are over 100 different species of lizards but we don’t often see them now. Many are eaten by cats, rats, mice, birds, stoats, weasels and hedgehogs. There are also fewer safe places for lizards to live.

You can help by making lizards gardens for skinks and geckos and keeping other animals away from them.

Here is a DOC link on how attract lizards to your garden.

Lizards like to blend in

Lizards can be highly variable in colour and pattern. Each lizard has its own individual pattern. Most lizards try to blend with their natural environment and freeze when predators are around, making them hard to see.

The lives of lizards 

Lizards can grow up to 15 cm in length and sometimes live for over 50 years.

Lizards eat insects, spiders, small berries and nectar.

Lizards can drop their tails when attacked by predators. They can regrow a new tail, but it will be shorter and look different from the original.

Spot a gecko

• Wide head, narrow neck

• Large eyes – cannot blink

• Stout legs, wide toes

• Loose skin, looks scaly

About geckos

• Most live in trees or under wood or rocks

• Most geckos are nocturnal but green geckos are active during the day

• Their feet are adapted to climb on smooth surfaces,
  even upside down

• They lick their eyes to clean them

• New Zealand geckos give birth to live young, most often two

• Geckos shed their skin as they grow – sometimes you can find whole skins

• Geckos can bite. Some geckos make a barking sound to frighten off predators.

Spot a skink

• Long, snake like body

• Small eyes that can blink

• Short legs, narrow toes

• Smooth shiny skin

About skinks 

• Live on the ground in grass or on warm rocks

• Most skinks are active in the daytime but some species are nocturnal

• Most New Zealand skinks give birth to live young – usually 3-5

• Skinks shed their skin in flakes

• Skinks can bite

• Visit the Whareroa Farm Cairn to see our developing lizard garden.

You can help 

• Leave lizards alone. It’s easy for them to drop their tail,
  but they need it for climbing and running fast

• Trap pests – rats, mice, cats, hedgehogs, weasels and stoats
  eat many of our precious lizards

• Take photos and send to the Department of Conservation
  for identification and to add to their database

• You cannot keep lizards as pets. DoC requires you
  to have a permit to handle lizards
  
  

Make a lizard garden 

• Find a secluded sunny spot

• Plant thick ground cover

• Add rocks, stones and logs for hiding places

• Plant berry or nectar producing species – fruit to eat, flowers to attract insects and provide nectar

• Look at our lizard garden at Queen Elizabeth Park for plant and habitat ideas

• Be patient – let the lizards find you.