Otago lizards, skinks, geckos and everything reptile

Taiao Environment

14 August is World Lizard Day

Aotearoa New Zealand has a remarkable diversity of lizard species for a small country with a mild climate. We have at least 126 different species of lizard and new species are still being discovered! Seven of our lizard species are regional endemics, meaning they are only found in Otago.

Did you know there are 31 different lizard species found in Otago?

Working with our herpetologist friends Samuel Purdie at Southern Lakes Sanctuary, Carey Knox at Southern Scales, along with Tūhura Otago Museum, we've developed factsheets for all of them!

Our factsheets provide information for the 18 skinks and 13 geckos on their conservation status, distribution, main threats, identifying features, habitats where they are found, and what they eat.

Learn more about Otago’s remarkable lizards and their conservation status in the Otago Regional Threat Assessment report.