New Zealand

For your reports/images, made outside Europe and the "Mediterranean" countries. Not to be too narrow minded and limited to our European/Mediterranean herps.

New Zealand

Postby David Boyle » Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:20 pm

There didn't seem to be anything from New Zealand on here so I thought I'd post some photos from several trips over the last few years - hopefully I've done it right!

New Zealand has a great herp fauna although it's only fairly recently that many species have been recognised & a lot still aren't officially described yet. Most species have declined massively since Europeans arrived, bringing rats, mice, cats, wasps etc & can now mainly be found on offshore island reserves - it would be quite easy to go to New Zealand and not see a single native reptile or amphibian! In recent years poaching has become a big problem, especially for some of the more spectacular geckos.
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New Zealands most famous reptile - a Tuatara on Stephen's Island where there's 1000's of them!
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A northern Tuatara from Aorangi Island in the Poor Knights Islands
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A 'Gunther's Tuatara', sometimes considered a second species of Tuatara
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A Stephen's Island Frog, restricted to s tiny patch of forest on Stephen's Island where they're protected by a Tuatara proof fence!
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A Maud Island Frog, found only on Maud Island in Marlborough Sounds where they're common but threatened by the recent arrival of mice on the island
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A Marlborough Green Gecko on Stephen's Island where they're pretty common
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An incredibly well camouflaged & beautiful Nelson Green Gecko
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Another Nelson Green Gecko - they're not supposed to look like this!
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A Common Gecko - can be very common on islands in the Marlborough Sounds
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A Pacific Gecko - can be common on northern islands
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A 'Poor Knights' Gecko - endemic to the Poor Knights Islands
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A 'Marlborough Mini' Gecko - very common high up in the mountains behind Kaikoura
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A 'Southern Alps' Gecko from south island
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A Forest Gecko on Little Barrier Island - apparently this species can still be quite common in places on the mainland
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A southern Duvaucel's Gecko on Long Island - New Zealand's largest surviving lizard
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A northern Duvaucel's Gecko on Aorangi Island in the Poor Knights
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Stephen's Island Striped Gecko - only found on two islands
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Speckled Skink on Stephen's Island where they share burrows with Tuataras
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A stripey Common Skink - one of the few species of lizard you've got a good chance of seeing in New Zealand
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A dark Common Skink
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Chatham Island Skink - very common on islands in the Chathams, except for the main island
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McCann's Skink - can be very common in parts of South Island - the most amazing thing about these is they are normally chequered & Common Skinks are stripey, but in some areas McCann's Skinks are stripey & Common Skinks are chequered but it wasn't until DNA tests were done that anybody realised!
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Cryptc Skink - fairly common right down south
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A Brown Skink on Stephen's Island
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Spotted Skink, a fairly common species around Cook Strait
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"MacKenzie Skink" - a very dark Spotted Skink from the south
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Shore Skink - can be very common on beaches on northern islands
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A Scree Skink - a big skink restricted to mountains on South Island
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Aorangi Skink - endemic to the Poor Knights Islands
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Variously called Suter's Skink, Egg-laying Skink or Diving Skink - New Zealand's only egg laying skink, a nocturnal species restricted to islands in the north
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Going for a swim in a rock pool
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A Hardy's Skink, a tiny little skink endemic to the Poor Knights Islands
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Marbled Skink - a beautiful nocturnal skink from the Poor Knights Islands
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Re: New Zealand

Postby Bobby Bok » Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:39 pm

Thanks for posting these marvelous pictures from a part of the world where we don't see so often pictures from! Is it easy to visit the islands with tuataras on them? Don't hesitate to post any other wildlife as well ;)
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Re: New Zealand

Postby Jürgen Gebhart » Mon Jun 02, 2014 6:05 am

WOW, fantastic!!! Very cool Geckos, and of course the Tuatara also!!
Thanks for sharing!
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Re: New Zealand

Postby Mario Schweiger » Mon Jun 02, 2014 6:40 am

Thanks David for sharing these herp pictures from the other side of the world.
Indeed, wounderfull pictures!

Mario
Mario (Admin)

Please visit also my personal Herp-site vipersgarden.at
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Re: New Zealand

Postby Guillaume Gomard » Mon Jun 02, 2014 8:50 am

Those Nelson green geckos completely compensate the lack of snakes :) Do you also have pictures of the habitat/landscape?

thanks!
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Re: New Zealand

Postby Ronald Zimmerman » Mon Jun 02, 2014 8:53 am

Great photos.. Besides the Lord Of The Rings landscapes I know so little about wildlife over there.. Very interesting! :)
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Re: New Zealand

Postby Paul Lambourne » Mon Jun 02, 2014 2:50 pm

David,

Stunning report... amazing pictures.. I was lucky enough to visit NZ a few years ago.. I managed to see tuataras, but only in a "reserve" ..I did see a number of cool skinks.. particularly in the Otago area and some geckos. Love the Duvaucels geckos..very reminiscent of leachianus or gehrya geckos. Very cool to see some NZ amphibians.

Cheers Paul
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Re: New Zealand

Postby Jeroen Speybroeck » Mon Jun 02, 2014 4:18 pm

Jürgen Gebhart wrote:WOW, fantastic!!! Very cool Geckos, and of course the Tuatara also!!
Thanks for sharing!

Agreed!
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Re: New Zealand

Postby Niklas Ban » Mon Jun 02, 2014 5:11 pm

Tuatara and naultinus are rare even in captive. Very very cool! Thank you for sharing. :shock:
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Re: New Zealand

Postby Jordi Janssen » Tue Jun 03, 2014 1:36 pm

Great photos and an awesome species list! Did you do volunteerwork for DOC, seeing that you went to Little Barrier?
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