A fly-fisher’s chance photograph has led to the discovery of a possible new population of one of Canterbury’s rarest lizards. Martin Langlands spotted the animal between Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands Park and Castle Hill/Kura Tāwhiti, about an hour from Christchurch. Experts confirmed it was a Canterbury spotted skink, a species that had not been seen in the area for more than 50 years.
The Canterbury spotted skink is classed as Nationally Endangered, with fewer than 1000 thought to remain in the wild. After the photograph was identified, researchers visited the area and found three more skinks. Department of Conservation lizard expert Lynn Adams said the discovery was incredibly exciting, as the species had been thought to be long gone from the area.
The find came as welcome news after a previously strong population at Kaitorete Spit had collapsed. Adams said the skinks were especially at risk from introduced predators such as mice, rats, stoats, weasels, hedgehogs and cats. Herpetologist Dr Marieke Lettink said the sighting opened up a large area where other skinks might be living undiscovered.
Experts encouraged anyone walking or fishing around Banks Peninsula, the central Canterbury foothills or the Waimakariri Basin to photograph any similar lizards and note where they were seen. New Zealand is home to 147 lizard species found nowhere else in the world, and Adams said these creatures deserved just as much attention as the country’s well-known birds.
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