Check out the visitors we had in our classroom today!

 Mrs Barrow holding a Otago skink.

 A gecko (only found in the North Island).

 Look at those feet!

Very cool markings to help it camouflage. 

The gecko feels like a frog and the gecko has no eyelids.
By Cameron


The gecko was big and the Otago skink was small. There are different types of lizards.
By Jaz

Geckos

Jewelled green gecko

Geckos have baggy, velvety skin and broad heads. They eat insects, fruit and nectar. They usually give birth to two young in late summer / early autumn.

There are at least 39 species of gecko in New Zealand. However, to date, only 18 of these have been formally described, and further discoveries of new species are still very likely as we learn more about them.

These species belong to two genera

Hoplodactylus

11 formally described species and an estimated 20 species still to be described.

Colour: Mostly grey or brown, with mottled, striped or banded patterns. However, the harlequin gecko, H. rakiurae, is often very brightly coloured.

Duvaucel’s gecko (Hoplodactylus
duvaucelii), Hen Island

Habits: Mainly nocturnal (active at night) or crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk), although some species, such as the harlequin gecko, are also active during the day.

Naultinus

7 formally described species and 1 yet to be described).

Colour: Usually bright green, but sometimes bright yellow. However, the adult males of some South Island species are grey or brown.

Habits: Diurnal (active during the day).

Lizards are reptiles of the order Squamata, normally possessing four legs, external ear openings and movable eyelids. Geckos are small to average sized lizards belonging to the family Gekkonidae which are found in warm climates throughout the world. Geckos differ from other lizards in terms of their living conditions, physical charateristics and their eating habits.

Comparison chart

 

	Gecko	Lizard
About	Geckos are small to average sized lizards which are found in warm climates throughout the world	Lizards are reptiles of the order Squamata, normally possessing four legs, external ear openings and movable eyelids
Kingdom	Animalia	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata	Chordata
Class	Reptilia	Sauropsida
Order	Squamata	Squamata
Suborder	Lacertilia	Lacertilia
Physical Attributes	Have broad toes and big eye pupils and scaly skin.	Have four legs, movable eyelids, scaly skin and are cold blooded.
Breeding	Like most reptiles, the majority of geckos lay eggs. The female house gecko lays four or five pairs of eggs between May and August, with two to four weeks between layings.	Some lizards lay eggs in a nest. Others may give birth after hatching their eggs inside the body. Still other lizard species may give birth to live young. The female lizards do not care for their babies.
Variety of Species	1196 different species	3800 species
Eating preferences	The common gecko eats beetles, butterflies, millipedes, crickets, and cockroaches. Many larger species, such as the Caledonian gecko, pursue young lizards, mice, and small birds	Lizards feed on a wide variety of foods including fruits and vegetation, insects, small tetrapods, carrion
Venomous	Not venomous though of late some venomous varities have been discovered.	Only two varities of lizards are known to be venomous.
Lifespan	5-7 years; varies by type	1-3 years; varies by type