Tākitimu gecko

Mokopirirakau cryptozoicus

Threatened - Nationally Vulnerable

 

The Tākitimu gecko (Mokopirirakau cryptozoicus) is one of New Zealand’s most elusive reptiles. Fewer than 25 individuals have ever been recorded and only one of these was in Otago!

Quick Facts:

  • Body length (snout-to-vent) up to 87 mm.
  • The Tākitimu gecko is exquisitely camouflaged, often with various shades of brown, grey, red, or orange.
  • Its common name is derived from the Tākitimu Mountains where it was first discovered in 1996.
  • These geckos are nocturnal, solitary, and spend much of their lives tucked away in rock crevices or under stones – emerging to bask, hunt, or mate when conditions allow.
  • Like many native reptiles, they face serious threats from introduced mammalian predators, as well as habitat loss and climate change.

Protecting the Tākitimu gecko means preserving its fragile alpine refugia and controlling exotic mammalian predators. But before we can give this poorly-known mountain dweller a chance, we need to find one! We’ve conducted several surveys for this species, but have not yet located a viable population. We are hopeful they are lurking in our project area somewhere – we just need to keep looking. Please let us know if you see any funky geckos in the hills!

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Tākitimu gecko © Samuel Purdie

Where they’re found

The Tākitimu gecko is only known from three broad locations – the Tākitimu Mountains and Waitutu Forest, in Southland; and the northern Richardson Mountains, in Otago. Tākitimu geckos inhabit alpine and lowland habitats including bluffs, boulderfields, rocky herbfield/shrubland, screes, and mixed podocarp forest.