Duvaucel's Gecko

(Hoplodactylus duvaucelii)
Also known as giant gecko.

Live: Found mainly on small islands in Cook Strait and the Hauraki Gulf.

Habitat: Forest and woodland.

Diet: Duvaucel's geckos mainly eat insects. In the Zoo they have access to water and fruit puree as well as insects. Feeding is reduced over winter, unless the lizards remain active. In the large Reptile House - overhead enclosure lighting is a specific UV wavelength required for reptile health. Those in the new enclosures have natural sunlight.

Breeding: These lizards give birth to live young. Keepers must be vigilant and remove newborns before the parents eat them. The male has a bulge at the base of his tail on the underside.

Conservation status: Protected native species. A permit is required to keep this species, as with all native reptiles.

General: Reaching lengths of up to 32cm, this is New Zealand's largest gecko. The colour is generally a dull brown or olive green, flecked with darker spots and streaks. This disruptive camouflage allows it to blend in extremely well!

It is nocturnal, sheltering during the day and hunting at night on the ground and on tree trunks and branches. (Their senses of smell and hearing are better than their sight.)
One of these geckos has been recorded as living to 36 years in the wild.

Geckos have a covering of scales, which tend to fit rather loosely. Sloughing ('sluffing') is the process of moulting old scales, usually in one complete layer. New scales will have grown under the old scales.

Lizards are important pollinators of plants as they feed. They may also spread seeds in their droppings.

The predators of the gecko have greatly increased with the introduction of cats, dogs, ferrets, stoats, possums and rats. Tuatara and birds of prey are native predators of small lizards.