Anna Yeoman spotted her first grand skink on the schist rocks at Mokomoko Dryland Sanctuary five years ago when she was taking part in a skink survey. She was captivated!
“I could see flecks of gold on its back, and one dark eye looking straight at me.” she writes. It marked the beginning of her obsession with our native lizards.
New Zealand has an extraordinarily large number of native lizard species, all of which are found nowhere else in the world, and more are being discovered all the time. But like most New Zealanders Anna Yeoman knew virtually nothing about them. It's not surprising as our lizards are secretive and well-couflaged creatures who like to hide away.
Before humans arrived, they were plentiful, but due to habitat loss, introduced predators and now climate change, they are struggling, and their populations are continuing to decline. Only 4 of our 125 lizard species are classified as not threatened.
To raise awareness about their plight she has collected stories about New Zealand’s geckos and skinks from the small group of herpetologists (amphibian and reptile scientists) for her book Geckos & Skinks. The Remarkable Lizards of Aotearoa. There are already identification guides about our native lizards for naturalists to use but this is the first book that tells stories about them.
Herpetologists, a dedicated bunch connected by their love of lizards, go on expeditions from the deep South to the far North of New Zealand, often to isolated or challenging terrains, to locate, understand and protect our lizards. Some have experienced the great thrill of discovering a new species. They are an adventurous and determined bunch.
‘The kind of people who would spend two weeks searching under every rock on a scree slope for one elusive gecko, until their fingerprints were so worn off that their phone wouldn’t recognize them.’
In their stories we also learn a great deal about our native lizards, how small groups of lizards live in many different habitats on islands, shrublands, forests and mountains and about their breeding habits. And the laborious process that must be gone through before a new species can be given its proper scientific name.
It is difficult to translocate lizards successfully and to protect them from their predators, mice, cats, stoats, and hedgehogs. But there are a few remarkable success stories in her book.
I found the story of how, after teetering on the brink of extinction, the lizard population is now growing again on the hillsides of Macraes and Mokomomoko Dryland Sanctuary incredibly inspiring. More than a thousand Grand and Otago skinks live on the Macraes hillsides now basking in the sun, hunting insects, mating, giving birth and growing old.
Creating a safe environment for lizards is much harder to achieve on the mainland than on offshore islands. This story shows that with a concerted effort and sufficient resources it is possible to create predator-free sanctuaries for our lizards there. But a great deal more needs to be done in other parts of New Zealand to save them.
The fascinating stories in this book and the many beautiful photographs of these alluring creatures will undoubtedly help to bring our native lizards to the public’s attention and win their support for the battle to protect and conserve them. I found it a compelling read.
Reviewer: Lyn Potter
Potton & Burton