Largest NZ lizard released in Far North
Lizards which ‘ bark’ to detect potential mates have been released into the Bay of Islands.
Fifty Duvaucel’s geckos were recently translocated from Mauimua in the Hen and Chicken Islands near Whangarei to their new home in Ipipiri in the Eastern Bay of Islands.
The geckos which can grow up to 30cm and 120 grams in weight are New Zealand’s largest lizard and are thought to be extinct on the mainland.
A team of seven made up of Project Island Song co-ordinator Richard Robbins, and representatives from the Guardians of the Bay of Islands, Te Rawhiti hapu, Nga¯ti Wai, DOC and NorthTec caught and transported the geckos on a four-day mission until they were released on February 5. Around 80 people attended the release.
Robbins says the geckos have a ‘‘very long’’ lifespan, up to 50 to 70 years, and they need to be kept relatively close together as they use barking and scent produced from special glands to detect one another.
‘‘It was quite emotional -I think people were quite surprised by the size of the geckos,’’ Robbins says.
‘‘It was slightly different to a bird release as they fly out but people still felt very connected to the release.’’
It is the sixth translocation for Project Island Song - a conservation collaboration between Te Rawhiti hapu¯, Guardians of the Bay of Islands and DOC - and the first reptile species to be reintroduced after extensive work to make Ipipiri pest-free.
To help with genetic diversity and longevity 34 of the geckos were female with most of them pregnant - generally Duvaucel’s have twins.
‘‘We planned the translocation so we would have more geckos come in, it means there is a likelihood of different sires so there is a broader genetic base to the founding population,’’ Robbins says.
Duvaucel’s are omnivorous, eating both plant and animal matter, Robbins says.
The geckos also eat nectar as well as native fruits so they help to pollinate native plants and distribute seeds.
Robbins says planning for a species relocation generally takes between 18 months and two years, with at least 16 species identified for future projects.
While tuataras are New Zealand’s largest reptile, they do not fall into the ‘lizard’ category.