We are very keen to learn of any sightings of lizards in the alpine zone of South Island mountains – the area above the tree and shrub zones.
In particular, we are interested in sightings from alpine areas in the Nelson Lakes and Fiordland.
Send us your photos and location information
If you have seen a lizard in the alpine zone, we would like to hear from you. Send us:
- a photo of the lizard
- a photo of the area where you found it
- exact location information.
Email your information to lizardresearch@doc.govt.nz.
Recent discoveries
Alpine skinks and geckos have been recently discovered in the Fiordland area and in the Nelson Lakes area. We need your help to better understand their distribution and ecology.
Alpine skinks
The awakopaka skink was discovered at 1200 m above sea level, near Homer Saddle, in January 2014. Only one individual has ever been seen.
We are extremely interested in photos and the exact location information of alpine skinks and geckos in the Darran Mountains, Fiordland National Park. Particularly in the region of the Homer Saddle.
Awakopaka skink
Image: Tony Jewell ©
Awakopaka skink
Image: Tony Jewell ©
Alpine geckos
The Cupola Basin gecko is known from only two individual sightings in Nelson Lakes National Park. One sighting was from Cupola Basin in the Travers Valley and the other from the Sabine Valley. Recent targeted surveys have failed to find more geckos.
Black-eyed geckos have also been seen in the alpine zone of Nelson Lakes.
Cupola Basin gecko
Image: Roger Waddell
Cupola Basin gecko
Image: Roger Waddell
Alpine geckos are relatives of the forest gecko. While forest geckos live in trees and shrubs and are quite common in the west and north of the South Island (and in the North Island), these newly discovered geckos occupy a very different habitat – alpine rock bluffs, boulder piles and screes above 1000 m.
They are variable in colour and pattern. They can be a drab brownish-grey, have bold herringbone and chevron patterns or be covered in blotches of orange and yellow. All alpine geckos have bright orange colouring inside their mouths, which distinguishes them from more common varieties of gecko.
We would like to know about any unusual sightings of geckos from the mountains.
Other areas of interest
We would like assistance from alpine climbers and trampers, particularly in these areas:
- Fiordland tracks and walks
- Canterbury tracks and walks
- Southland's Great Walks:
- National parks in the South Island: