SKINKS & GECKOS

Forest and Bird, Volume 15, Issue 2, 1 May 1984, Page 40

SKINKS & GECKOS

by

David Gregorie

Only two of the world’s 22 families of lizards live in New Zealand — geckos and skinks. Lizards are not very easy to find because many of them are coloured to match their background, but if you do find one it is easy to tell whether it is a skink or a gecko. Geckos have quite soft loose-looking skins and are often brightly coloured. They can be yellow, bright green, brown with "carpet patterns’’ on their bodies, or dark green with light-coloured diamond-shaped markings. They have wide heads, wide mouths and eyes that stick out rather like those of a frog. Their necks are narrow and their bodies much wider so that they look almost fat. Their feet are shaped like human hands and they can grip branches and twigs with them just as a monkey does. They can use their tails to hang on with too. They live in shrubs and small trees and hunt for insects to eat, usually at night. And that’s another reason why they are hard to find. Skinks are long, slim and shiny like polished leather. They don’t have the bright colours of the geckos and they are quite different in shape. They have small heads

and very streamlined bodies that can slip easily through grass, tussock and herbs. They live on the ground. Their legs are small and they like to tuck them up by their sides while they lie in the sun. Lizards are reptiles. They do not have fur or feathers to keep them warm and they cannot regulate their temperature in the way that birds and mammals do. Their body temperature goes up and down with the weather instead of staying at a steady 37 °C as Ours does. Most reptiles lay eggs. Turtles and crocodiles, snakes and tuataras lay eggs. All the world’s geckos lay eggs too — except those that are found only in New Zealand. New Zealand geckos have live babies. A friend of mine once had a pair of green tree geckos in his classroom terrarium. One day we watched while the female lizard had a baby. Suddenly she lifted one back leg off the ground and shook herself. Out popped a tiny baby lizard. It ran away and hid under some bark and we could not find it again before | went home. Skinks have live babies too.

Lizards don’t feed their babies on milk as a cat or asheep does, nor do'they catch insects for them as birds do for their babies. As soon as they are born baby lizards must catch insects for themselves or they will starve. And it is much safer for them to keep away from their mother and father too, just in case their parents eat them by mistake. Alizard’s skin does not stretch to fit when it grows in the way that ours does. Instead it peels off like sunburn when it gets too tight for the growing body and a new skin grows underneath. This happens every four to eight weeks during the spring and summer. Towards the end of autumn and in the early winter, skinks and geckos crawl under stones or pieces of bark or into holes and sleep through the cold weather. This is because there is not enough warmth in the air to keep their blood at working temperature and there are not enough insects around for them to eat. Lizards have an odd way of defending themselves if they are attacked. They can break off a part of their tails and leave it

wriggling around to confuse the enemy while they escape. In time a new tail will grow but it never grows as long as the old one. Geckos and skinks are both quite easy to keep as pets. They need a terrarium built out in the open with soil, rocks, pieces of bark anda small shrub for those that like to climb. They will eat only live food and must be given flies, moths, caterpillars, grubs and other insects. They also like a dish of honey water. There is no need to be frightened of New Zealand lizards. They are quite harmless. They don’t feel cold or slimy or creepy or in any way nasty to handle. But you do have to be careful. You might scare them into shedding their tails if you are clumsy. Lizards are among the prettiest pets you could have.

A book to read: The Tuatara, Lizards and Frogs of New Zealand Richard Sharell, Collins.